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Some Tips on Deep Cleaning Old Leather
08-21-04, 08:13 AM
#48
Lead Lap
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Originally posted by T.L.W.
I was thinking about trying this tomorrow
but heres my question
i used mink oil today to clean
should i still do this ??
I was thinking about trying this tomorrow
but heres my question
i used mink oil today to clean
should i still do this ??
09-01-04, 11:10 PM
#49
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Originally posted by lextek
This is de ja vu (sp?) Years ago I would use soft scrub and wash a car that had really dull paint, then follow up with rubbing compund and wax. The soft scrub played a major role in bringing back the dull paint to life, and it was great in the interior as well, as evidenced by this thread.
The secret is out lol.
Lextek.
This is de ja vu (sp?) Years ago I would use soft scrub and wash a car that had really dull paint, then follow up with rubbing compund and wax. The soft scrub played a major role in bringing back the dull paint to life, and it was great in the interior as well, as evidenced by this thread.
The secret is out lol.
Lextek.
08-23-06, 08:04 AM
#52
Warning Softscrub Damages Leather
Hey CL Members I am editing this Old post because this pertains to my old 1991 LS400. I have sence wrecked this car and bought my 1998 LS400. This trick does an amazing job but I would would only reccomend it for older leather. Be very very careful on say a 98 and newer.
Hey guys for once some advice from me instead of all my questions.
You will not believe this but I have now proven the technique on my third car.
How to do a Deep cleaning on your old or really dirty leather with Soft Scrub!
Yes I said Soft Scrub. (The Lemon sent and grease cutting type)
I use to have a Chrysler Sebring Convertible and was ready to do a full detail of the interior when my neighbor who is a car dealer popped over. I was about to clean my leather with Eagle one products (as I always did). He asked me to stop and asked if I trusted him and was open to a suggestion. My car had tan leather and was always getting really dusty and dirty from having the top down. He said the Leather cleaner wont really get the deep dirt out and told me to get some soft scrub from my wife! I told him he was on drugs! He said trust me.
Anyways he worked on my drivers seat and holy smokes the leather was totally rejuvenated. He said dealers use this trick all the time to really clean old dirty cars and make them look like new. Well I ended up doing all my leather and it Looked amazing. The I followed it up with my regular leather cleaner to get up any left over soft scrub and then conditioner as usual.
I was scared of some kind of long term effect on the leather but a year later with top down driving no ill effects. The leather looked and felt like new untill last Sunday when I finnaly sold the car with 98k on it.
Ok so the second car I did this to was my wife's RX300. We were driving back home during Christmas when some how a Windex bottle has a small leak and soaked an wrapped present. When I got home my wife's leather was stained red. The Leather cleaner did nothing to the red stain. Once again I pulled out the soft scrub and sure enough the stain was gone. I must admit either the texture of that little piece of leather was different from the rest or the soft scrub change the texture some, but the god awful red stain was completely gone. If you look at the car now 6 moths later you could never tell where I used the soft scrub. The texture went back to normal with time.
Ok so finally the reason I'm writing and how it pertains to a LS400. I just bought my 1991 LS400 about 5 weeks ago and finally last Friday I got a chance to detail it. All this time I thought my leather had been color died because if felt hard to the touch and had many dirty wrinkles. The leather look good but felt kind of hard and tuff. The driver seat was of course the worst with many lines which looked like cracks and just lot of imbedded dirt. After doing the entire leather with soft scrub my leather was totally rejuvenated and supple again. The leather was never died it just had 11 years of dirt mixed in with who knows what kind of cleaners and conditioners built up on it. Some parts I kept going over until all the so called crack totally disappeared and was just clean leather with some texture line but no cracks or dark lines. I got so excited and proceeded to use my leather cleaner (Lexus Brand now) when I was done. Finally after cleaning all the leather I really soaked (within reason) the leather with mostiouirser (Lexus Brand) to soak in.
I figured I would be wiping the excess mostiouirser a couple of hours later but instead the old leather really soaked it up. Anyways now two days later my leather NO Sh_T feels as soft and looks as beautifully as my wife 99 RX300. Of course her leather is a different texture and color but come on it no longer looks like 11 year old leather but an honest soft beautiful supple leather. I can not waith to drive my friends to luch tomarrow they will not beleive the change.
Well anyways the technique if very simple put some small drops or a very small line (1 inch) of soft scrub on a small part of your leather. Now using a nylon bristled brush that has been just dipped in clean water, make some gently swirls over the leather. You do not want it soaked by any means just moist to slightly wet and foamy. Work on a very small area at a time and wipe it off as you go with a clean white towel. I say white for two reason one so you can see how much dirt you get up and second for some crazy reason if your towel decides to bleed color it does not get on your leather. As you go along keep putting small abount of soft srcub at a time and keep wetting you brush in clean water. You will see that wight towel get dirty as you go along.
My car now does not have one sigle stain or mark in the entire car. The single ony sign of cracking or ageing is on the driver seat. Before it looked as if I had some very small cracks in other areas and a lot of smudges and dirt. Now all are gone and the feel of the leather is like a soft leather couch.
Sorry for the VERY long post but thought all the info would be helpful.
I'm sure I may get some of you saying that I'm crazy and that I'm damaging my leather. Well I can say is that I have done it on three different cars all different ages and makes and each time it work with NO side effects and always gave me amazing results. Just work a small area at a time and wipe of with a dry towel as you go to see your progress.
PS I also had some minor grease and dirt stains on my tan carpet and floor mats. Well I use a product called Tuff Stuff in a big spray can with a Yellow top. All, I mean every sinlge smuged stain or mark is gone from all of my fabric (even the speaker grills when peole shoes tend to rub). Spray it on, let it soak for 30sec and again lightly srub with a nylone brush.
I have no idea what material our cars are made of but I have a new respect for Lexus. The quality of our interiors is so good it amazing. There is no reason to have a dirty LS400 if you try.
Good Luck
Jerry
Hey guys for once some advice from me instead of all my questions.
You will not believe this but I have now proven the technique on my third car.
How to do a Deep cleaning on your old or really dirty leather with Soft Scrub!
Yes I said Soft Scrub. (The Lemon sent and grease cutting type)
I use to have a Chrysler Sebring Convertible and was ready to do a full detail of the interior when my neighbor who is a car dealer popped over. I was about to clean my leather with Eagle one products (as I always did). He asked me to stop and asked if I trusted him and was open to a suggestion. My car had tan leather and was always getting really dusty and dirty from having the top down. He said the Leather cleaner wont really get the deep dirt out and told me to get some soft scrub from my wife! I told him he was on drugs! He said trust me.
Anyways he worked on my drivers seat and holy smokes the leather was totally rejuvenated. He said dealers use this trick all the time to really clean old dirty cars and make them look like new. Well I ended up doing all my leather and it Looked amazing. The I followed it up with my regular leather cleaner to get up any left over soft scrub and then conditioner as usual.
I was scared of some kind of long term effect on the leather but a year later with top down driving no ill effects. The leather looked and felt like new untill last Sunday when I finnaly sold the car with 98k on it.
Ok so the second car I did this to was my wife's RX300. We were driving back home during Christmas when some how a Windex bottle has a small leak and soaked an wrapped present. When I got home my wife's leather was stained red. The Leather cleaner did nothing to the red stain. Once again I pulled out the soft scrub and sure enough the stain was gone. I must admit either the texture of that little piece of leather was different from the rest or the soft scrub change the texture some, but the god awful red stain was completely gone. If you look at the car now 6 moths later you could never tell where I used the soft scrub. The texture went back to normal with time.
Ok so finally the reason I'm writing and how it pertains to a LS400. I just bought my 1991 LS400 about 5 weeks ago and finally last Friday I got a chance to detail it. All this time I thought my leather had been color died because if felt hard to the touch and had many dirty wrinkles. The leather look good but felt kind of hard and tuff. The driver seat was of course the worst with many lines which looked like cracks and just lot of imbedded dirt. After doing the entire leather with soft scrub my leather was totally rejuvenated and supple again. The leather was never died it just had 11 years of dirt mixed in with who knows what kind of cleaners and conditioners built up on it. Some parts I kept going over until all the so called crack totally disappeared and was just clean leather with some texture line but no cracks or dark lines. I got so excited and proceeded to use my leather cleaner (Lexus Brand now) when I was done. Finally after cleaning all the leather I really soaked (within reason) the leather with mostiouirser (Lexus Brand) to soak in.
I figured I would be wiping the excess mostiouirser a couple of hours later but instead the old leather really soaked it up. Anyways now two days later my leather NO Sh_T feels as soft and looks as beautifully as my wife 99 RX300. Of course her leather is a different texture and color but come on it no longer looks like 11 year old leather but an honest soft beautiful supple leather. I can not waith to drive my friends to luch tomarrow they will not beleive the change.
Well anyways the technique if very simple put some small drops or a very small line (1 inch) of soft scrub on a small part of your leather. Now using a nylon bristled brush that has been just dipped in clean water, make some gently swirls over the leather. You do not want it soaked by any means just moist to slightly wet and foamy. Work on a very small area at a time and wipe it off as you go with a clean white towel. I say white for two reason one so you can see how much dirt you get up and second for some crazy reason if your towel decides to bleed color it does not get on your leather. As you go along keep putting small abount of soft srcub at a time and keep wetting you brush in clean water. You will see that wight towel get dirty as you go along.
My car now does not have one sigle stain or mark in the entire car. The single ony sign of cracking or ageing is on the driver seat. Before it looked as if I had some very small cracks in other areas and a lot of smudges and dirt. Now all are gone and the feel of the leather is like a soft leather couch.
Sorry for the VERY long post but thought all the info would be helpful.
I'm sure I may get some of you saying that I'm crazy and that I'm damaging my leather. Well I can say is that I have done it on three different cars all different ages and makes and each time it work with NO side effects and always gave me amazing results. Just work a small area at a time and wipe of with a dry towel as you go to see your progress.
PS I also had some minor grease and dirt stains on my tan carpet and floor mats. Well I use a product called Tuff Stuff in a big spray can with a Yellow top. All, I mean every sinlge smuged stain or mark is gone from all of my fabric (even the speaker grills when peole shoes tend to rub). Spray it on, let it soak for 30sec and again lightly srub with a nylone brush.
I have no idea what material our cars are made of but I have a new respect for Lexus. The quality of our interiors is so good it amazing. There is no reason to have a dirty LS400 if you try.
Good Luck
Jerry
i used this tried and proven method to the T in my 98 gs400 (diamond white pearl with ivory interior). the only problem is, i never got further then my armrest. i did exactly as you described, softscrub lemon (with NO BLEACH) and the slightly wet nylon soft brush and white towl, and the color was completely stripped from my armrest. no i was not rubbing hard, it wasnt even THAT dirty, but now my armrest is destroyed, two months later now and i still have a dark uncolored spot in the center of my arm rest where i tried the solution then had to stop because it destroyed it-at first when i gently rubbed the armrest with the soft scrub and the brush and wiped it with the towl what i thought i was cleaning up with the white towl was dirt, nope, it was the coloring right off my leather... YES i should have tried the cleaning somewhere NOT so noticeable so for that i blame myself, but for the amount this was talked up and sworn upon to do no damage, i mistakenly took that for granted and plowed right in to a viewable part of the interior... oh well, definitely not trying it on the rest of the car, off to leatherseats.com i go. WARNING TO ANYONE WHO READ THIS THREAD AND HAS NOT TRIED THIS YET, IF YOURE GOING TO TAKE THE RISK DO NOT DO IT SOMEWHERE OUT IN THE OPEN IN YOUR CAR CONTRARY TO CLAIMS MADE HERE THIS CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR EXPENSIVE LEXUS LEATHER INTERIOR.
08-24-06, 05:05 AM
#54
It's pretty simple really, whenever you use a cleaner with something chemically harsh or mildly abrasive, you are going to clean the surface REALLY well, because you'll be removing ( along with the dirt) some of the surface material.
Now, on almost all automotive leathers there is a CLEAR POLYURETHANE coating. This topcoat sealer protects the color dye from abrasion from your blue jeans and getting in and out, the sun load, salt from sweat, water, etc. etc.
Over time, your belt or your jeans can abrade the clear sealer away. This is why some cars will exhibit the bolsters and backrest areas to have lost the dyed color. It's been rubbed through to the raw leather hide.
The Soft Scrub method is a bit like using a Mr Clean Magic Eraser- cleans super well! But it's removing more than just dirt too!
You have a choice to use a strong cleaner or a mild, safe cleaner on leather. The former will do wonders on the dirt, at the expense of the clear poly coating and the leather itself. The latter (a dedicated leather cleaner) will often disappoint at cleaning, but, it will not harm your leather.
Once you have no clear poly sealer on them, you're done. The dye will come off pretty easily, even a leather cleaner can remove it at that point.
Cheers.
Now, on almost all automotive leathers there is a CLEAR POLYURETHANE coating. This topcoat sealer protects the color dye from abrasion from your blue jeans and getting in and out, the sun load, salt from sweat, water, etc. etc.
Over time, your belt or your jeans can abrade the clear sealer away. This is why some cars will exhibit the bolsters and backrest areas to have lost the dyed color. It's been rubbed through to the raw leather hide.
The Soft Scrub method is a bit like using a Mr Clean Magic Eraser- cleans super well! But it's removing more than just dirt too!
You have a choice to use a strong cleaner or a mild, safe cleaner on leather. The former will do wonders on the dirt, at the expense of the clear poly coating and the leather itself. The latter (a dedicated leather cleaner) will often disappoint at cleaning, but, it will not harm your leather.
Once you have no clear poly sealer on them, you're done. The dye will come off pretty easily, even a leather cleaner can remove it at that point.
Cheers.
09-05-06, 02:27 PM
#55
Lead Lap
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upstateGS4
Buddy, I am very very sorry this thread hurt you car. I know this wont help you now but even in your cut and paste you can clearly see (look at the very first paragraph) I said "Be very very careful on say a 98 and newer. " I also said "I would would only recommend it for older leather."
The leather in our newer cars is very different that the original leather. Much much softer now and the dye does not seem to be as deep.
I did the same as you did on my wifes RX300's driver armrest. I took the dye right off but not with Softscrub but with Lexus leather cleaner. That stuff is week as heck but still the leather color dye just wiped off. For my next service they re-died it for me no charge. they even did it again this year for me at again no charge. If you regularly take you car to the dealer for all your service its these kinds of perks you get.
Horta
Buddy, I am very very sorry this thread hurt you car. I know this wont help you now but even in your cut and paste you can clearly see (look at the very first paragraph) I said "Be very very careful on say a 98 and newer. " I also said "I would would only recommend it for older leather."
The leather in our newer cars is very different that the original leather. Much much softer now and the dye does not seem to be as deep.
I did the same as you did on my wifes RX300's driver armrest. I took the dye right off but not with Softscrub but with Lexus leather cleaner. That stuff is week as heck but still the leather color dye just wiped off. For my next service they re-died it for me no charge. they even did it again this year for me at again no charge. If you regularly take you car to the dealer for all your service its these kinds of perks you get.
Horta
09-05-06, 03:17 PM
#56
upstateGS4
Buddy, I am very very sorry this thread hurt you car. I know this wont help you now but even in your cut and paste you can clearly see (look at the very first paragraph) I said "Be very very careful on say a 98 and newer. " I also said "I would would only recommend it for older leather."
The leather in our newer cars is very different that the original leather. Much much softer now and the dye does not seem to be as deep.
I did the same as you did on my wifes RX300's driver armrest. I took the dye right off but not with Softscrub but with Lexus leather cleaner. That stuff is week as heck but still the leather color dye just wiped off. For my next service they re-died it for me no charge. they even did it again this year for me at again no charge. If you regularly take you car to the dealer for all your service its these kinds of perks you get.
Horta
Buddy, I am very very sorry this thread hurt you car. I know this wont help you now but even in your cut and paste you can clearly see (look at the very first paragraph) I said "Be very very careful on say a 98 and newer. " I also said "I would would only recommend it for older leather."
The leather in our newer cars is very different that the original leather. Much much softer now and the dye does not seem to be as deep.
I did the same as you did on my wifes RX300's driver armrest. I took the dye right off but not with Softscrub but with Lexus leather cleaner. That stuff is week as heck but still the leather color dye just wiped off. For my next service they re-died it for me no charge. they even did it again this year for me at again no charge. If you regularly take you car to the dealer for all your service its these kinds of perks you get.
Horta
its ok man, i should have checked it out first somewhere less obvious then the armrest... it was just the first thing i tackled because it was the dirtiest... i guess i didnt see the part where it said careful on 98+..i thought the work that was being done was on our 2nd gen models since others seemed to be chiming in saying it was working on their newer cars... im not sure what i should do now to get the front seats clean, they are really bad but i dont want to damage them trying to clean them anymore then they already are know what i mean? got any other ideas? obviously you wont be held responsible, i posted in that thread because i had to warn other 2nd gen gs owners that might not have fully read the original thread with the warning...
mike
09-06-06, 06:39 AM
#57
Lead Lap
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OK for my 98 LS. What I do is use the Lexus Leather care (its Maguires, just re-badged). I get the cleaner spray it directly on the seat and with my freshly cleaned fingers I spread the cleaner around kind of working it into the groves of the leather. Do not use your nails!!! Just work it in gently and let it sit 30 to 45 seconds, NO MORE. Then with a clean white cotton towel wipe of the cleaner. You will see the towel get disgusting. Then move on to the next section. I would do no more than a 5 or 6 inch square area at a time. If you not satisfied you can go back to the starting point and do it again but give it time to dry some in between. the leather looks different when freshly wet.
PLEASE be careful and do not put too much pressure. If your in a rush you will want to soak it down more and rub it in harder. THIS WILL bring up the leather dye as it did in my wifes 99 RX300 armrest (I had to have it re-dyed, dealer did it for free).
I use this technique on both of my newer cars and keeps them clean. After your satisfied with the cleaning I rub by hand the leather conditioner. Pretend you giving a lotion massage to your lover and just rub it in all over the leather. Put it on nice and thick (not Gross thick) but enough you can see it. The close the car all up in the garage or out of the sun and let it sit for 5 hours or overnight if you can.
The next day just wipe off the excess with a clean towel. Your leather will be nice and supple to the touch and will be thoroughly moisturized, but not wet and messy. Just don't leave the car in the sun with the leather conditioner on it.
Jerry
PLEASE be careful and do not put too much pressure. If your in a rush you will want to soak it down more and rub it in harder. THIS WILL bring up the leather dye as it did in my wifes 99 RX300 armrest (I had to have it re-dyed, dealer did it for free).
I use this technique on both of my newer cars and keeps them clean. After your satisfied with the cleaning I rub by hand the leather conditioner. Pretend you giving a lotion massage to your lover and just rub it in all over the leather. Put it on nice and thick (not Gross thick) but enough you can see it. The close the car all up in the garage or out of the sun and let it sit for 5 hours or overnight if you can.
The next day just wipe off the excess with a clean towel. Your leather will be nice and supple to the touch and will be thoroughly moisturized, but not wet and messy. Just don't leave the car in the sun with the leather conditioner on it.
Jerry
09-06-06, 07:56 AM
#58
i did the soft scrub way on my 98 gs3, no probs.
the seats were WET!!! i was mixing the soft scrub in with water and getting it into a froth and using a plastic brush to apply and scrub the leather seats. no probs at all.
after i was done scrubbing, i simply wiped with a wet cotton towel and followed it up with a dry cotton towel.
easy!
the seats were WET!!! i was mixing the soft scrub in with water and getting it into a froth and using a plastic brush to apply and scrub the leather seats. no probs at all.
after i was done scrubbing, i simply wiped with a wet cotton towel and followed it up with a dry cotton towel.
easy!
09-07-06, 07:23 PM
#59
All,
I tried this method to clean my very very dirty 01 GS430 grey leather drivers seat and I also tried the Lexus cleaner on the passenger seat. at first I was amased how clean the soft scrub cleaned the driver seat until I tried the Lexus cleaner on the passenger seat, it was just as clean as the driver seat. I just sprayed let it soak it fo 30sec or so and wiped it off with a clean towel. so I just cleaned the rest of my interior with the Lexus cleaner, it was much faster than using soft scrub. dont get me wrong the soft scrub cleaned the seat as well but the Lexus cleaner was faster and had the same or better results. and then I went over the whole interior with the Lexus conditioner twice.
I tried this method to clean my very very dirty 01 GS430 grey leather drivers seat and I also tried the Lexus cleaner on the passenger seat. at first I was amased how clean the soft scrub cleaned the driver seat until I tried the Lexus cleaner on the passenger seat, it was just as clean as the driver seat. I just sprayed let it soak it fo 30sec or so and wiped it off with a clean towel. so I just cleaned the rest of my interior with the Lexus cleaner, it was much faster than using soft scrub. dont get me wrong the soft scrub cleaned the seat as well but the Lexus cleaner was faster and had the same or better results. and then I went over the whole interior with the Lexus conditioner twice.
09-07-06, 07:54 PM
#60
i did the soft scrub way on my 98 gs3, no probs.
the seats were WET!!! i was mixing the soft scrub in with water and getting it into a froth and using a plastic brush to apply and scrub the leather seats. no probs at all.
after i was done scrubbing, i simply wiped with a wet cotton towel and followed it up with a dry cotton towel.
easy!
the seats were WET!!! i was mixing the soft scrub in with water and getting it into a froth and using a plastic brush to apply and scrub the leather seats. no probs at all.
after i was done scrubbing, i simply wiped with a wet cotton towel and followed it up with a dry cotton towel.
easy!