Leather Cleaner/conditioner?

[Norboo]

What do you use to clean and condition your leather and interior?

[Norboo]

While we're on the subject, what do you use to wash your car and type of wax?

[sunmanmw]

Leatherique only.

[RetiredDoc]

When you open the topic of leather treatment you really get varied opinions. This has been an ongoing topic on a BMW forum I have used for years. As an equestrian, I see it come up related to leather saddles and bridles and boots. To complicate matters there are immersion dyed leathers (like in old Jaguars), surface dyed leathers (BMW, Lexus, GM) plus an array of faux leathers including the venerable naugahyde and the Japanese-invented Porsche-marketed Alcantara synthetic leather. And, what parts of a so-called leather seat in your vehicle are truly animal derived hide, and what parts are petroleum-based synthetics?

And the leather treatments - saddle soap, neatsfoot oil. Jojoba oil, beeswax, and many others. And the brands - Leatherique, Leather Honey, Leather CPR, Lexol, Kiwi, Meguiars, etc. You could spend several hours just reading about Leatherique - how the company formula was stolen by an employee, the internal feuds and controversies, the changes in composition of their product, Rejuvinator Oil (which now contains no oil!).

I believe the bottom line is that there is no magic leather potion. Just wipe leather often a soft cotton cloth with a mild solvent (like water, but not enough to soak it) to remove dirt and salts. And don't waste leather treatment products on the fake leather parts of your car like seat side panels, backs, dashboards, and door panels.

[hankinid]

My wife jumps and trains hunter-jumpers and their riders. She has custom saddles that are definitely NOT inexpensive...I'd guess between what are in the trailer tack room and the barn, she's spent enough on saddles to purchase a new LX. ;) She swears by glycerine and Steuben leather conditioner.

As Retired Doc noted, threads like this usually quickly go nowhere...I can say, in my experience, the stuff my wife uses does an outstanding job...not only on saddles and tack but also on my '01 LX and '13 Cruiser.

There's nothing particularly different between high-end auto leather products, and high end equestrian products but the packaging and marketing. Though generally, if it's horse-related, it's typically pricier than car-related.

If you've got a spare or 2 or 3 days, go to auto geeks.com (detailing website) and read the opinions there. I will say that a good saddle maker knows a hell of a lot more about leather conditioning and cleaning than anybody on autogeeks.com. ;)

ETA...Within the last year or so, Toyota discontinued Toyota and Lexus (the same stuff) leather cleaner and conditioner. If you ask for either at your dealer, they'll hand you Lexol products that they've stomped the hell out of the price. If that's what you want, check Amazon or Walmart.

hth

Steve

[RetiredDoc]

I agree with your wife. I've got 2 old Stubben saddles (Siegfried VSS and Parzifal dressage) that I bought new about 30 years ago and have (almost) always used Stubben saddle soap and Stubben Hamanol leather conditioner on them. Both have miles and hours of hunting and eventing and schooling on them and I can still use them today. I've never tried Hamanol on my cars. My wife doesn't like the smell of Hamanol in the house when I am cleaning up after a weekend on the road, so I recently switched to Renapur conditioner (paraffin vs beeswax) for all my newer tack, and I have used it on both of our Lexi (plural of Lexus?). I'm old school so I like something that's rubbed in by hand rather than sprayed on like Lexol. Or maybe it's just that I spend more time and take more care with hand application than sprays.

[imgreg7]

I like using Lexol because it doesn't leave sticky residue. The only thing I don't like about this product is the strong smell that lasts for one day.

[sadclown]

I use Adam's Leather & Interior Conditioner.