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Steve! I discovered a great cleaning method that does not require a steamer. I bought Meguiars heavy duty multi purpose cleaner after seeing the results in this dude's helpful video. Difference on my own seats was virtually night and day. Here's the video I saw:
heavy cleaners are just going to strip the sealant, making the seats more susceptible to patina, and requiring more frequent cleanings.
you want something that opens the pores and allows the oils, waxes and clothing dyes to be lifted, without destroying the sealant. ie a steamer.
levels of cleaning
- leather cleaner(lightweight)
- steamer (the best maintenance clean)
- heavy duty cleaners, alchohol, mineral spirits. These will all perform different levels of stripping.
Thanks for posting that. I'd like to see how your seats turned out. I don't think I will try it since I don't think this will do better than a steam but it is nice to see others' detailing methods.
From the preview shot, I thought there was a miracle spray that would repair that driver's side bolster. lol
heavy cleaners are just going to strip the sealant, making the seats more susceptible to patina, and requiring more frequent cleanings.
you want something that opens the pores and allows the oils, waxes and clothing dyes to be lifted, without destroying the sealant. ie a steamer.
levels of cleaning
- leather cleaner(lightweight)
- steamer (the best maintenance clean)
- heavy duty cleaners, alchohol, mineral spirits. These will all perform different levels of stripping.
just my 2c
Noted and thanks for that. Due to this I sealed it after cleaning with Meguiars leather (cleaner) conditioner which has UV protection.
Thanks for posting that. I'd like to see how your seats turned out. I don't think I will try it since I don't think this will do better than a steam but it is nice to see others' detailing methods.
From the preview shot, I thought there was a miracle spray that would repair that driver's side bolster. lol
Sure thing. Since you've steam cleaned your seats (and you're happy with the results) there's no need to try this method I reckon. I think you used some type of leather conditioner to seal the leather after steam cleaning?
Lol that bolster is so bad I feel sorry for him. You can see that he or some owner before him attempted to touch it up but the paint didn't match.
sealant is acrylic Resolene. Conditioners don't seal
ya know the "new leather smell" you smell in a new car or a leather shop? Resolene.
Never heard of it until now. I'll try to get some as long as it doesn't leave an unnatural shine. My awesome AP1 steering wheel looks even more amazing (no unnatural shine in other words) after the multi purpose cleaner so I'm glad about that too.
Originally Posted by IA-SteveB
Exactly. Resolene is cheap stuff and a critical final step especially over a new dye job. It doesn't work well in hair.
After (both seats came out the same) I'm pleased! Before After. This is the first thing I cleaned. It really brightened up! Contrast between driver and passenger seats after I cleaned the latter After! After!
That definitely made a difference. Looks like your seats lightened up a shade or two. Resolene won't make them shiny unless you put too much on and don't rewipe. If you put it on thick and just let it dry, that's when it gets shiny. Wipe it on thin and rewipe when it gets tacky to get a matte finish. You'll want to get some on there because now your seats will soak up skin oils like a thirsty sponge.
04-23-2019, 02:17 AM
