Clening My Black Leather Seats Is 350

[Art350IS]

Hi team, I know this has been covered several times, in several places, but I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to let me know what to use for cleaning my black leather seats, I have currently used for over a year this product recommended here. http://store.pakshak.com/1z-leather-care-250ml.html , but I noticed some cracks as well as some white stuff on my seats and was wondering if there was anything better than anyone would recommend, for treating the leather not just cleaning but conditioning as well. thanks in advance, and alos what can I use to shampoo my carpet any product specifically? thanks in advance for your answers and help.

[SW03ES]

I use a dillution of water and woolite 6:1. For conditioning I use Lexol once a year.

[LexKid630]

I use Lexol once a month & use the lexol cleaner every other application.

[Art350IS]

I use Lexol once a month & use the lexol cleaner every other application.

thank you both for your reply, I was wondering if lexol is too shiny? or where I can buy that woolite, is it 1 cup woolite and 6 cups water? what kind of woolite? best place to buy it from? thanks in advance.

[bgpilot]

I use the Lexus Brand cleaner and leather conditioner. It works a lot better than Lexol in my book. I have used Lexol in my previous cars and it just seems too shiny and almost greasy no matter how much you use. The lexus brand cleaner and conditioner leaves it very soft and dry with no streaking as well.

[LexKid630]

I don't use the woolite sol'n. If your leather is clean right now, i would just stick with the lexol cleaner and conditioner (should be enough)... I accidently used a fabric softener instead of the woolite, and it RUINED my leather which needed to be replaced. Even if the woolite is "ok", i'm staying away from it. Just as long as you keep up with the cleaning and conditioning, there wont be much build-up of dirt.

The Lexol conditioner does NOT leave the leather shiny. When you apply the conditioner it's shiny, but it goes away overnight. If your leather is shiny to begin with, it's always going to be shiny no matter what conditioner you use.

I used the lexus brand conditioner once. It's more of a "gel" which fills up the stitching and every "crease" in the leather. It's GROSS! The Lexol is more of a liquid that "soaks" in the leather better and can be removed without any residue. Plus the lexus stuff is VERY expensive for a small amount. It smells like coconut which didn't appeal to me either. Lexol doesn't smell like "new" but it goes away in a day. I would advise against using the lexus conditioner.

Take the sprayer off the top of the lexol conditioner and pour some onto a small dish towel etc. Rub into the leather making sure every part of the leather is covered with the conditioner. You need add more conditioner on the rag as you cover more area. Leave it on pretty thick for ~10 minutes or so. Do first the drivers seat, then do the passenger's. Get another clean dry rag and rub off the excess conditioner 10 mins after it was applied. It should still be "shiny" at this point. This will go away overnight; this excess conditoner will be absorbed. I would apply the conditioner right before you go to bed so it has all night to dry.

When you get into the seats the following morning, it will be "tough" to move (not wet or sticky), but this will go away after you've sat in it for a few minutes. You will notice the better color and FEEL & flexability of the leather for a while.

[SW03ES]

Conditioning with Lexol once a month is way too often. The leather is held together by stitching, while the Lexol is good for the leather it degrades the stitching. If you Lexol every month your seats will literally fall apart over time. Once a year is plenty. Its not greasy or shiny provided you let it soak in and buff the leather dry afterwards. I hate a shiny interior, and I would never use a product that left the leather greasy.

Woolite is simply Woolite fabric detergent, available wherever fabric detergent is sold. Its 1 part woolite to 6 parts water. This would replace the Lexol cleaner and its WAY less harsh than that cleaner. Absolutely no reason to fear this cleaner, in fact its what the Lexus owners manual says to use. It says to use a 5% solution of a natural detergent for wool...Woolite. You can play with the ratio to make it work for you.

As for the Lexus cleaner and conditioner, its just rebadged Turtle Wax/Zymol. Nothing special.

[Art350IS]

Conditioning with Lexol once a month is way too often. The leather is held together by stitching, while the Lexol is good for the leather it degrades the stitching. If you Lexol every month your seats will literally fall apart over time. Once a year is plenty. Its not greasy or shiny provided you let it soak in and buff the leather dry afterwards. I hate a shiny interior, and I would never use a product that left the leather greasy.

Woolite is simply Woolite fabric detergent, available wherever fabric detergent is sold. Its 1 part woolite to 6 parts water. This would replace the Lexol cleaner and its WAY less harsh than that cleaner. Absolutely no reason to fear this cleaner, in fact its what the Lexus owners manual says to use. It says to use a 5% solution of a natural detergent for wool...Woolite. You can play with the ratio to make it work for you.

As for the Lexus cleaner and conditioner, its just rebadged Turtle Wax/Zymol. Nothing special.

best place to order the lexol and which woolite do you recommend and where to buy it from, also what can I use to shampoo my carpet, it's gray now, not black anymore, any help thanks. sorry for all the noobie questions.

[SW03ES]

The woolite is just ordinary Woolite fabric detergent you can buy wherever fabric detergent is sold (grocery stores etc), and the Lexol you can get from any car products store (Pep Boys etc).

As for the carpeting, I use an extractor for carpeting so I'm not very well versed on what works and what doesn't when working by hand.

[Art350IS]

The woolite is just ordinary Woolite fabric detergent you can buy wherever fabric detergent is sold (grocery stores etc), and the Lexol you can get from any car products store (Pep Boys etc).

As for the carpeting, I use an extractor for carpeting so I'm not very well versed on what works and what doesn't when working by hand.

thank you for your reply, any recommendations for cleaning the carpet? can I put them on my washer? can I buy a machine to clean it? thanks in advance.

[SW03ES]

In all honesty, in my experience black carpeting doesn't need to be shampooed as much as lighter carpets if they are regularly brushed and vacuumed well. If you want to buy a machine, I'd buy a Bissel Little Green Clean Machine (the type with heat) and use that. Works well. Make sure to let the mats dry outside the car or you'll get a musty odor.