Care and Maintenace of Covered Leather - Article

[TOGWT]

Leather:
Many people are unaware of the fact that since the late ‘80s early ‘90s newer domestic cars do not use natural leather hides anymore. Approximately 80% of vehicle manufacturers have used covered leather for their interior upholstery. It’s made from natural hides, chrome tanned and uniquely treated with a light pigmented urethane paint coating or a vinyl covering to make it more viable for automotive seating. It retains the softness of natural top-grain leather but resists fading in direct sunlight, which besides body oil is leathers worst enemy. This type of automotive upholstery finish should really not be considered as leather hide but treated as a vinyl.

Spills wipe off with a moistened cloth, the urethane resin or the vinyl covering require a limited amount of oil to stop it from drying out (just like a paint system's clear coat) coated leather is permeable and the urethane requires replacement of its moisture, heat will allow it to penetrate.

Identifying characteristics- covered leather has a uniform colour and grain patterns; will not scratch easily; water drops will not change its colour.

Cleaning- it is very difficult to remove the ‘natural’ oils from leather especially using detergent cleaners so replacing them is totally unnecessary and possibly detrimental to any leather hides. Modern chrome tanned upholstery leather is a very sophisticated product and the notion that it is something straight from nature that has to be fed and nourished is totally incorrect, the oils and fats in chrome tanned leather are introduced after the processes have reduced the skin to pure collagen fibre. The fat liquoring process carefully introduces fats/oils of a specific type back into the leather to coat the fibres; these are balanced to produce the desired end product and are very stable and very difficult to remove.

Trying to add more fat/oil etc is totally unnecessary and is of no benefit. On an absorbent leather products used for ‘conditioning’ and ‘feeding’ will soak into the leather upsetting the balance and over time change it to the detriment of the leather. If the leather is covered with a polyethylene coating, and therefore non-absorbent, then these products have no where to go so will sit on the surface, getting slightly sticky and attracting more dirt.

Cleaning Methodology-
1.Use a soft horse hair brush (Groit's Leather & Interior Brush) to remove any dust or grit from the seams and vacuum the seating areas dust
2.Apply a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 6:1 ratio or higher) on to an applicator pad (this Mesh towel is double woven micro fibre, made to be safe and scratch-free for all leather and vinyl finishes - poorboysworld.com
3.Apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back). To remove stubborn dirt or grime gently agitate the surface with a boar's hair cleaning brush (this will not harm the leather) then use a clean, damp Micro fibre towel to rinse.
4.To bring back a matte finish and safely remove prior use products, use a solution of distilled water and a mild liquid soap (Woolite® or Dreft® 4:1 ratio or stronger) on to an applicator pad
5.It may be necessary to repeat the cleaning process to get it back to a matte finish.

Note:
a) Most leather cleaners also contain oils (for lubrication) over use will make the leather surface 'shine' as the oils cannot permeate the polyurethane covering

b) Leather that has become cracked from inadequate or inappropriate care usually cannot be restored to its original state by most available products / methods (although the covering can be removed by sanding and re-applied)

Maintenance cleaning- use a mild liquid soap cleaning solution (Distilled water /Woolite® or Dreft® 10:1 ratio) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time

© 2004 – 2007 all rights reserved - Jon Miller aka TOGWT™

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[TOGWT]

This product can be used as a Protection for both Covered and Natural leathers

Leather Protection – This product provides a water-based protection for all leather types (covered or natural, except Nubuck). It places an invisible, breathable barrier between you and your leather. Protect your leather first, and then follow a routine of cleaning and re-protection, this way you are not actually cleaning the original surface, but cleaning from the surface of the protection - Leather Master Protection Cream - leather repair kit, vinyl repair kit, leather cleaner, leather cleaning, leather dye & paint

Note: you should also apply an ultra violet (UV) protection

[TOGWT]

I should have followed my normal standard and referenced sources, apologises-

Information resources –
Post in Detailing World -http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=43754&page=2
Article on the Leather Training & Technical Dept Ltd website -http://www.lttsolutions.net
IICRC Reference Guide for Professional Upholstery Cleaning (IICRC S300)
Articles on Leatherique website, Leatherique - Leatherique
Top of the line website - Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies

[TOGWT]

Before using a cleaning 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.