"over The Counter" Leather Cleaner

sublexusgrl · August 31, 2010

i have read the pinned topic and a few others, but i didn't see my specific question. i do apologize if this has been previously discussed. i'm a little scared to try new stuff i make up myself-the last thing i need to do is get the measurements wrong and incinerate my leather.

If i went into auto-zone, advanced, etc, is there a product there that i can use on my leather to clean it? i am in a climate that is humid during summer & cold in winter, so if anyone has a conditioning product, that would be great too.

i bought some leather "wipes" to keep it clean for now, but i am assuming i'll really want to do more than that at least occasionally.

Thank you!

~jen

cduluk · September 1, 2010

I hope the wipes you got aren't by ArmorAll...

Well, it all depends on how much you are willing to spend. Honestly, i can't suggest any of the leather conditioners or cleaners that you'd find at Autozone or anywhere local. I've used Lexol's cleaner/conditioner, but in my old Rx300 it just made the leather worse. I got little hairline cracks EVERYWHERE and material from my pants always stuck to it.

Since then i've only used Leatherique's "Leather Rejuvenator" and "Prestine clean". It's pretty expensive and only available to purchase online, but it works wonders. I've tried quite a few leather conditioners before, but nothing works like this stuff does. It's best for trying to get old hard leather to be soft again. It also leaves the leather with a nice clean, matte finish (no shine) making even old leather look new (er).

If i were you, i'd invest in the Leatherique.

sublexusgrl · September 1, 2010

Hm, no they are "meguiar's" and they weren't the cheapest ones, so i was hoping they were decent.

Thank you for the recommendation. i will definitely look into that.

jen

LEXIRX330 · September 1, 2010

Hm, no they are "meguiar's" and they weren't the cheapest ones, so i was hoping they were decent.

Thank you for the recommendation. i will definitely look into that.

jen

Jen-

I use the Meguiars conditioners as well not the wipes but I have used them before on other cars. I don't think that you will have a problem with them but wipes are not the same as a good conditioner. The wipes are fine for cleaning up with but you should still use a good leather conditioner too. There are better cleaners and conditioners that you can use but Mequiars products are ok to use...

LEXIRX330 · September 1, 2010

Here is a post that may help you too.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62064

SW03ES · September 12, 2010

The best and cheapest OTC leather cleaner is a 6:1 dillution of Woolite and water, in a spray bottle. Doesn't get much cheaper than that!

sump · October 16, 2010

I agree with SW here and that has been the advise from Lexus for many YEARS....

BeachBumForever · December 14, 2016

After spraying the leather ( The best and cheapest OTC leather cleaner is a 6:1 dillution of Woolite and water, in a spray bottle.) do you brush (stiff, medium ot soft) or rub with a microfiber cloth to remove the grime? Is it then wiped off with a damp towel? Need some additional info on how to use this before attempting to clean my grey leather interior.

1990LS400 · December 15, 2016

3 hours ago, BeachBumForever said:

After spraying the leather ( The best and cheapest OTC leather cleaner is a 6:1 dillution of Woolite and water, in a spray bottle.) do you brush (stiff, medium ot soft) or rub with a microfiber cloth to remove the grime? Is it then wiped off with a damp towel? Need some additional info on how to use this before attempting to clean my grey leather interior.

Do not use any brush - use only a soft cloth to apply whatever gentle leather cleaner you are using and then wipe it off with a damp towel. Do not attempt to saturate the leather - that will only cause it to break down. You are only gently cleaning the leather surface. Leather upholstery is rather fragile - far more so than cloth upholstery which usually wears much better than leather from my experience.

Edit: Look at page 356 of your owners manual which confirms what I told you. You can view it online at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM33588U/pdf/sec6-5.pdf