It's the leather care time of year again. I need to clean & protect my riding leather before putting them away for the winter, so I dug this thread up from the spot.... Most of the information came from product-based websites, so I've attempted to remove most of the sales and marketing mumbo-jumbo from the real content. I know that lots of you have leather seats, so I thought there might be some interest in this info.

Leather Care
Good leather care is equivalent to good skin care. Leather consists of thousands and thousands of intertwined fibers, with penetrable pores throughout—just like skin.

Proper maintenance starts with cleaning the fibers. Cleaning removes fiber-severing abrasives and pore clogging dirt and dust, both of which will breakdown the leather over time and give it a less than pleasing texture and appearance. Brushing the surface lightly with a moderatly stiff brush will open up the pores of the leather letting your treatments soak in. Agitate, don't scrub.

The next step, probably even more important, is conditioning. This nourishes and moisturizes to lubricate individual fibers, keeping them from becoming brittle and dry. It replaces essential, natural oils that evaporate. How can you tell a good conditioner? A good conditioner will offer UV protection. Like human skin, ultra-violet rays will quickly cause deterioration of the leather and shorten its lifespan significantly. A good conditioner will be absorbed into the leather, not sit atop the surface or leave residue behind. The surface should not be oily after application. The very best conditioners are pH balanced, have stain repellants, waterproofing agents to protect from accidents.

Leather Facts

* Leather is tear and puncture-resistant.
* Leather protects from heat, cold and wind; and it repels moisture.
* Leather apparel stretches and molds to your body, yet at the same time retains its shape.
* Leather breathes -- that's what keeps it soft and supple.

Leather Protection
* Use a high-quality water and stain repellent to help prevent water stains and soiling. Look for a formula that is free of silicone and wax. These ingredients break down the natural oils in leather.

Apply immediately after purchasing your new leather item, and every two or three months with regular use.

**Inexpensive leather cleaners and conditioners will contain petroleum distillates, silicon or silicon oils, and gloss agents that deliver an inferior, greasy finish that does nothing for the leather, and transfers to anything that the leather comes in contact with. These chemicals are harmful to your leather.

* Avoid using cleaning fluid, shoe cream, saddle soap and mink oil. These products contain ingredients that may damage leather.

**It’s a popular notion that saddle soap is a good cleaner and conditioner. It is neither. Saddle soap originates from the 1800s as a product used in the final stages of tanning hides. A currier used the emulsion of oil in soap (saddle soap) to work into the leather to soften and condition it. The reason it doesn’t make a good conditioner is because it’s alkaline, not pH balanced. There are better modern emulsions which penetrate, soften and condition with greater ease and stability.

Alkalinity can abrade both the hide itself and the stitching which binds it. With all the great leather care products available at market; there is simply no reason to opt for saddle soap.

* Test any protection and cleaning products on a hidden area of the leather.
* Don't keep heavy objects, such as key chains, in your pockets. Doing so will stretch the leather.
* Avoid applying hair sprays and perfumes while wearing leather.
* Don't attach pins, adhesive badges or tape to leather.
* Repair hems with a small amount of rubber cement.

Cleaning

* Gently blot liquid stains with a clean cloth.
* Winter salt stains your leather, wipe with a clean, damp cloth and dry naturally.
* Visit a professional leather cleaner for more serious stains. Normal dry cleaning methods will remove essential oils, causing the leather to crack, fade and shrink. A cleaner who specializes in leather care will use a different method to clean and condition the leather. Even this special process may cause slight variations in color, texture, and shape; so it is important to clean matching garments together.

Care When Wet

* If your leather becomes wet, allow it to dry at room temperature. (Never put leather in the dryer.) Then apply a Protectant. Buff suede with a soft towel to restore the nap.

Storage
* Store your leather coat or jacket on a wide wooden, plastic or padded hanger to help maintain its shape.
* Store leather in a well-ventilated, cool, dry place. Avoid hot areas, such as attics; or damp areas, such as cellars.
* Cover your leather with breathable cloth, like cotton sheets, when storing. Plastic bags or coverings will cause excessive drying.
* Wrinkles and creases in leather should hang out. If ironing is necessary, place heavy brown paper over the leather and use a cool to medium iron. Take care not to overheat the leather, which will cause it to shine.
* Avoid exposing leather to direct sunlight or heat for prolonged periods of time.

Now, all that said, I settled on getting a set from eBay of Lexol cleaner and conditioner. I'm planning to try it out with one of my older jackets before I use any of it on the suit.

I'm still searching for a waterproofing agent. I'm thinking I may go with the product that Wilson's sells because they claim no bad stuff in it.

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

The following are my notes for updating the KB article:
When choosing a brush, choose one that is firm, but not too stiff. Gently brush your arm. If it gets irritated, hurts or turns red you have the wrong brush or too stiff a stroke. The key is to "agitate" the pores of the leather, not swap the deck.

Make sure to get every crease, nook and cranny. Be extra sure of areas around stitching, or contact patches (the sleeve of a jacket, or seat bottom of a seat).

After the cleaning phase, make sure all the leather cleaner is removed from the surface. Get a brand new damp cloth and wipe the entire surface again. Any soapy/haziness means that there is still cleaning product on the surface. This may interfere with the protectent or conditioners.

I allow the leather to dry for at least 24 hours after cleaning. Go back and fix any areas that still look dirty or that require attention. In case of damage, get the article repaired before moving on.

Some phases of the process may cause the applicator surface to pick up leather dye. This is totally normal, and nothing to be concerned about. If you are worried about the color fastness of the material, test an inconspicuous spot before doing the entire piece.

Pictures.

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

So I took my 05 Titan LE with grey interior to the local hand car wash and had them do a leather treatment (cleaning). I won't do that again. I went to get in and it looked as if they sprayed armoral all over the seats. Very oily and it had a bad stink to it. I took it home and used a wet high quality towel and scrubed that crap off. Left the windows down and aired it out. It had an undesirable smell for about two weeks. Maybee I'll try lexol.

The lexol is good stuff. It's easy to work with too.

The car wash probably used the premoistened towellettes with "leather care" written on the side. I havn't examined those, but I beleive them to be an inferior product.

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

Dang this is the most thorough leather care write up I think I've ever seen. Wish I would have known this a couple of decades ago, might have saved my a lot of $.

Ain't that the truth.

The set of leathers I have now cost over $600.

With some simple care at least once a year, they should easily last me 10 years (unless I out grow them horizontally first!).

The same will hold true for car seats.....

Once the leather is damaged it's usually too late to do something about it!

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

You know what, they may have used a questionable product, or they may not have.


The final step for my Lexol process, if applied more than once or in thicker coats will make the leather shine more.

The use of the wet cloth may have removed conditioner or protectant.

If you had to do it over, I would suggest progressing from a dry, to a damp, and lastly a wet cloth.

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

I could use some proof reading, and any inputs you folks might have!!!

http://www.titantruckz.com/kb/index.php?article=36

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

Pretty cool, just one thing where can you get that lexol. This is the first I've ever heard or seen of it and it might be nice to include in the article since some people are lazy. I think I just called myself lazy?

This is the exact kit I bought from eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexol...spagenameZWDVW

eBay is also a good source for bulk chemical refill... they sell the bottles of this junk for around $10/ liter. I bought the kit 'cause it had everything I needed.

Other online retailers were *much* more expensive.

Looks like they come in quick wipe bottles too for the lazy man...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexol...spagenameZWDVW

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4