Leather is a pleasant to the touch and aesthetic material, especially in a car. However, it requires special maintenance toremain of good qualityé|| |459 et ne pas s’abîmer avec le temps. Si par mégarde, vous le tachez, vous devrez prendre plusieurs précautions pour le nettoyer sans le détériorer.
To help you, we have put together all our advice so that you cantake care of your seatsèges and your other leather elements of your car easily. Even if they are not stained, we recommend cleaning them from time to time to help them maintain a nice shine. This is also what will make them easier to wash because they will not become porous. How to properly clean and maintainthe leather of your car? Follow our advice!
Steps for cleaning car leather
Cleaning a leather interior is not that complicated, only 4 steps are necessary! Let us guide you and follow our advice tofind shiny leatherin your car without worrying and without risking damaging it.
1. Aspirer la poussière
The first thing to do before starting to maintain the leather itself is to get rid of any residue that may have accumulated in your car. So start by vacuuming up thepousières and thedébroken with aprofessional car vacuum cleaner if you have one, or you can use asmall classic vacuum cleaner although it will probably be a little less powerful.
For certain items, a soft microfiber cloth will be more practical. This is particularly the case for the gear lever, steering wheel and door panels.
2. Spot cleaning
Since leather is a fragile material, it is best to wash it withsoapy water ordétergent dedicated for this purposeto avoid damaging it. You can use a bucket and a soft sponge as well as soap to scrub the stains, and if they are stubborn, leave a leather stain remover to act for a few minutes to remove them.
Before startcleaning your entire seats, your steering wheel and any other leather item, you canproceedder to a test on an invisible surface to ensure that the product you are using will not damage your car leather.
If you are hesitating between several cleaners, choose the one that does not contain alcohol and will be as gentle as possible. It is best to opt forproducts specially designed for automobile leather, but you can also opt for detergents for leather furniture .
3. Rinse and dry the leather
Depending on what you used to clean your car, we recommendrinse lightèment to prevent products from accumulating and making your leather sticky. If you have diluted your detergent well, a cloth or microfiber with clear water will suffice.
Now that the interior of your car is clean, it is important to dry each item you have cleaned to prevent the leather from cracking. Wipe them with asoft, clean and drycloth to remove all moisture, you can also leave your car to ventilate to speed up this step.
4. Nourish your car's leather
So that your leather can continue to be soft and shiny, it must be nourished. This is what will allow it to not become porous or dry and not to get dirty as quickly as before. By applying aconditioner, an essential product inthe field of detailing, your leather will also soften and strengthen, you will therefore extend its lifespan.
The majority of these types of products will be used with acloth soft on which you must deposit only a small amount. Then, just gently scrub all of your seats, steering wheel, console and other leather parts of your car so they can be revived and waterproofed.
What is the recommended frequency for cleaning the leather on my car?
The recommended frequency for cleaning the leather on your car depends on whether you use it often, whether it is still in good condition, and its color . In fact, white leather will get dirty more quickly, just like damaged leather or leather that is subject to daily friction.
Generally speaking, we suggest that you maintain the leather of your carat least every three months to maintain its new appearance and prolong its lifespan. If certain areas tend to get damaged more quickly, you can protect them by using conditioner more often in that specific area.
Mistakes not to make to properly clean the leather of a car
By following our advice, you should not damage the leather of your car when you clean it. Here are themost common errors that you must avoid at all costs to avoid weakening the leather interior of your car!
Using an unsuitable or abrasive product
Even if some of these products and utensils may seem like a good idea to clean and nourish your leather car, in reality you will mostly damage it. Here is a list of what not to use:
- Bleach
- Alcohol-based cleaner
- Detergent containing ammonia| ||
- Stiff bristle brush
- Hot water
- Household wipe
- Kitchen degreaser
- White vinegar
- Huile de cuisine
- Metal sponge
Conversely, we recommend that you always use a leather cleaner and conditionerleather automobileas well as a clothor a micro-fiber sponge. This is what will allow you to always gently maintain each leather element of your car without ever risking damaging them.
Wetting your leather too much
À petite dose, l’eau est utile pour prendre soin du cuir, mais en grande quantité l’eau va pénétrer à l’intérieur par ses pores et le faire se crackle. Lorsque c’est le cas, il sera malheureusement impossible de retrouver un cuir beau et en bon état, même avec les bons produits en main.
Therefore, we advise you to alwaysbien faire sécher your leather and in particular do it by hand toavoid it remaining damp for too long.
Even if it may seem logical to a majority of you, never use ashampoo machine to clean the leather of your car nor other machines allowing cleaning by wetting the textiles.| ||868
Ne pas appliquer de conditionner
It is essential to nourish your car's leather after cleaning it. Using cleaner will inevitably dry it out, even when it is designed specifically for this material. You must therefore take the time toapply conditioner afterès each cleaning, but also from time to time time if you see that it is starting to crack or crumble, for example due to friction.
How do I remove odors from the leather in my car?
Sometimes it Certain odors may permeate your car leather. Over time, it can become unpleasant to drive your vehicle if every time you use it abad odor is released.| ||919
Bien sûr, en nettoyant l’intérieur de votre voiture régulièrement, dont vos sièges en cuir, vous arriverez à vous get rid of bad odors. However, it is possible to eliminate them without having to wash the various leather elements of your car each time, and thus you will avoid damaging them.
To achieve this, you must first of all ventilate well. your car tolet the'air circulate. Then, if the odors are impregnated in the leather, sprinkle somebaking soda on it and leave it for a few hours or even overnight before vacuuming it up. It should absorb the majority of odors and if this is not the case, you can opt for a car leather deodorizer.
Clémence is a web editor for whom working and living in an orderly environment stimulates her creativity. Therefore, she is always looking for new tips to keep her home organized. After testing them, Clémence shares them with us in her articles on filmiarentals.com.