wat is the best cleaner/restorer for leather?

Leatherique

Leatherique.

Leather Care / Cleaning / Maintenance–my first question when asked for recommendations on leather care / maintenance is; what kind of leather finish is it? There are three main types: Natural (Uncovered) Covered and Unfinished (Nubuck)

Before using a leather care product a detailer needs to know the material they are working on, and wither the product chosen is compatible with the material and will not damage it. Diagnosis is the key, not guess work. Before deciding on what products to use you need to ascertain what type of leather finish you have and wither the leather has a polyurethane covering, or is (un-coated) natural leather, as the cleaning / maintenance varies as to type; although they all require a water-based product to re-hydrate, a suede type leather like Nubuck is the exception.

Many of the newer vehicles do not use natural leather hides anymore Approximately 80% of vehicle manufacturers are using (thermoplastic) polyurethane covered pigmented leather for their interior upholstery. Pigmented leather simply means that the finished leather or polyurethane covering has been coloured (you’ve never seen grey cows have you?)

Automotive leather upholstery is made from natural chrome tanned hides, and some are then further sealed by a durable polyethylene covering to make it more viable for automotive seating protecting the hide from abrasion from clothing as well as the dust / dirt introduced by the vehicle’s AC system. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, which besides body oil is leathers worst enemy.

The complex tanning process of chromed tanned hide’s results in the fat liquoring and oils necessary to keep the hide soft and pliable being locked in and therefore there is no need to supplement them. Traditional type conditioner’s cannot penetrate the finished hide, but rather sit on the surface until they are removed by contact with clothing or evaporate. The same is true of most oil-based conditioners, but they will also have an adverse effect on polyurethane.

Water-based leather acre products will permeate the finished leather or the polyurethane covering as its molecules are much smaller; oil has larger molecules than water and are unable to penetrate

I had always advocated the oil-based leather care products as the most advanced but after attending various seminar's and some intensive hands-on as well as theoretical training in leather care (inc tanning, care, restoration and preservation) I would like to share the knowledge / experience gained to help dispel the hype and myths surrounding automotive leather care / maintenance; we all need to continually learn, and share what we learn about products and changing processes. As things change; we need to change along with them.

Honest opinion or merely advertising? Commercialism brings with it concerns of honesty and true representation. In other words, it’s difficult to know what is true when someone is motivated by income, i.e. directly targeted at product sales, more so than an unbiased opinion

My best advise; research other options and products, test them and then make an objective decision based upon factual information not hype or brand loyalty. After all, how can you fully understand and properly use any product unless you have all the facts? I would also strongly suggest that you verify any information that I or anyone else shares with you.

I am neither a vendor, nor a salesperson pretending to be an educator, I'm a detailer / author, and therefore there is no reason for me to hype products to gain market share; just to provide a factual and honest source of information; These articles are written to help detailer’s make informed decisions when selecting leather care products for automobiles - http://www.detailuniversity.com/

Leatherique

Leatherique

where can can u buy leatherique? i went out today to get some but couldn't find any.

Autogeek is an official retailer. You can't go wrong with Lexol which can be bought locally.

Leatherique is the only thing I use.

It's been suggested I go with Leatherique by multiple members on this board for two spots on my driver's seat.

For the purposes of everyday cleaning, I have been very happy with BMW Leather Cleaner.

It's been suggested I go with Leatherique by multiple members on this board for two spots on my driver's seat.

For the purposes of everyday cleaning, I have been very happy with BMW Leather Cleaner.

Zaino also make a nice everyday cleaner. Smells like new leather too! But leatherique is indeed the best restorative cleaner I have used.

It's been suggested I go with Leatherique by multiple members on this board for two spots on my driver's seat.

For the purposes of everyday cleaning, I have been very happy with BMW Leather Cleaner.

These are an excellent water-based leather care product (re-badged Iz einszett Lenerpflege)