Correct leather care and cleaning in the car

If you want to clean leather car seats, you have to pay attention to some things – the material requires different care than fabric seats. You can find out here what products you need, in what way and how often you best clean the car leather.

Leather care in the car: What you should advise your customers

Leather is a beautiful and high-quality material for car seats if it is properly cared for. If your customers ask you how often they should have their leather seats cleaned, your answer depends, among other things, on the colour and age of the leather. Light-coloured leather, on which stains and signs of wear can be seen only too easily, looks dirty more quickly than dark leather. Cleaning every three to four months is recommended in this case. Dark leather, on the other hand, only needs thorough cleaning and care once or twice a year. However, the older the seats are, the more often the owners should have the leather cleaned. A good tip is to press your thumb deep into the seat and see how quickly the indent rises again: The faster it comes back, the better the leather is cared for. If it takes a long time and only comes back hesitantly or incompletely, it is time for a bit of TLC.

How to clean leather seats

Almost all leather seats today are made of smooth leather, which is easy to clean and maintain thanks to its closed pores. To do this, first clear out the car if there are still objects in it so that no leather care product or cleaner can get onto the vehicle owner's belongings. Store everything carefully in a basket or box. Now gently press the seams apart and remove the dirt that has accumulated here with a soft brush. In the next step, vacuum the seats with a soft vacuum cleaner nozzle. Apply only very little pressure to avoid scratching the leather.

Now it's time for the leather cleaner. According to the package instructions, apply some of this product to a clean microfibre cloth and spread it over the leather. The recommended amount may seem small, but when it comes to cleaning leather you should not go by the motto "a lot helps a lot"! Work in the cleaner with a soft leather brush to form foam. Also remember the seams!

Instead of letting the leather dry by itself, take a clean microfibre cloth and carefully rub the seats and seams dry. As soon as the cloth is wet, replace it with a new one. This step is very important because if you simply let the cleaner dry, stains will form on the seats that the owners would not be happy about!

How to remove stains from leather

If, when rubbing dry, you notice that some stains have not been removed from the leather, you will have to resort to other means. There is cleaning fluid that has been specially developed for cleaning leather. Apply this exactly as directed to remove even stubborn stains.

Taking care of leather in cars is particularly important

Your customers not only expect you to clean their leather seats, but also to take care of them. There are professional leather care products that nourish the material with oils without leaving residues in the occupants' clothing – if you use them correctly. To do this, apply some of the leather care product to a dry microfibre cloth and carefully rub it into the seats and seams. Once you have finished, take a dry microfibre cloth and wipe up any remaining excess of the care product. Continue to work the leather until nothing remains in the cloth.

There is a whole range of leather care products – many are good and easy to use. Be sure to use one with a UV filter. It protects your customers' leather seats from fading and they will be happy to come back to you.

No experiments when you are caring for leather seats!

Not all oils are the same – it may be that you are reading tips somewhere on how to use household oils for leather care. Never do this! They get stuck in the leather, form stains, go off and start to smell. That would be a disaster for your business! So stick with professional and high-quality cleaning and care products, just as you do for vehicle washing.

Suede requires a different treatment

If one of your customers actually has suede seats, you will have to use a different cleaning method. First, use a suede brush to comb the fibres with the grain to remove coarse dirt from them. If there are still stains, use a suede eraser. If your customers have tried to remove stains with water at home, there is a good chance that water marks have formed. These can be removed by carefully rubbing down all the seats with a slightly damp cloth – the suede then takes on a uniform shade again. In this case it is important that the seats can dry completely before the owner of the car gets back in. 

Finally, use a care product for suede leather. Take care to maintain the specified distance when spraying it on. Because of the open pores, suede absorbs moisture very well, and in case of irregular application from too close a distance, the care product can also form unattractive stains.

Summary: Leather care is not complicated

If you remember that you should avoid water if possible when cleaning and caring for leather, the process itself is very simple. You can find out, for example, which leather care products or sets are suitable from current tests and user reviews. The only important thing when cleaning and caring for leather is that you take care not to scratch the leather and ensure a uniform, clean end result. You can find further helpful tips for optimal interior cleaning here!