kutscher

The local detail shop recommended that I start using this product on our leather. What does everyone think? They claim it is the best >>?

Guitarman

I have used it in the past with good results, but I quit using it recently when I did a little digging ( through a MSDS search) and found it contained a small amount ( 3 %) of potassium hydroxide , which is also known as ;

*Caustic potash solutions
*Potassium hydrate solutions
*Lye
*Potassa
*KOH

Prior to my MSDS inquiry, I had only read about it's gentleness, from the company itself and others. The company line is that the product contains "no harsh chemicals", Unfortunately, potassium hydroxide is HARSH, and caustic to leather. Here is one website's comments on potassium hydroxide;

Ok, now....Playing the Devil's Advocate here...since most all automotive leather is polyurethane or polyvinyl coated, it probably never actually GETS to the leather itself, and it does work on vinyl, which the company lists as the soap being effective on ( vinyl floors etc.), and cleans well. I won't be the one to tell you it's going to do any damage, because on the leathers, I've used it on it hasn't, BUT...I would hereby NOT recommend it when there are OTHER SAFER OPTIONS out there to choose, i.e.Lexol cleaner, Woolite etc.

The bottom line is, it's probably fine for coated leathers, but then, that poly clear coating on your Lexus leather also needs special care, and the fact that Murphy's contains even a TINY amount of LYE, isn't a good thing IMO. Murphy's site here ....

http://www.murphyoilsoap.com/app/Mur...rt/FAQs.cvsp#1


....says ; In the end, it's up to the individual to decide. If you've used it a while and have great results, you'll likely keep using it and be ok. For me, I'm a bit of a "chemist wanna be" and I like to dig a bit deeper, because as is evident here, and typical, we cannot rely on the word of the manufacturer and their lables to list EVERY ingredient in a product. They don't. The MSDS requires them to identify anything of a danger .Since Murphy's product isn't specifically engineered for leather or treated leather, I would rather see people using a dedicated vinyl or leather cleaner. In the end, it's a tiny amount of a caustic chemical, and remember- human perspiration in itself is also BAD for leather (salt) so I don't want to blow this out of proportion where everyone will condemn the product, just that the fact it's in there should be noted.

P.S. A MSDS is a "Material Safety Data Sheet" that anyone can obtain if they write to the company, essentially a document that provides information about a given chemical product. It includes the name, composition (chemicals in the product), hazards, first aid measures, fire fighting measures, information regarding the proper steps to take with spills, handling and storage, personal protection to be used, physical and chemical properties, and information about stability & reactivity, toxicology, disposal, transporting, and regulatory requirements

lkirchner

Short and sweet---I would not use it. Use a good leather conditioner.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

This is also a resource I use for MSDS info:

http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/

Guitarman

Good link, thanks RA.

brandonb

Hey I just wanted to let you know that lye is not bad for leather, it is used as a cleaner, in fact saddle soap, which is used exclusively for the purpose of cleaning leather, contains lye. Lye in large amounts is bad for leather, but when using murphy's oil soap you should use two drops of soap for every two cups of water, so it's really a miniscule amount of lye you are using. I hope this info helps you in the future.

Nospinzone

Hmmm, I don't know. We have hardwood floors in out house and a very knowledgeable shop installed some of the floors and finished some other existing floors. They said to absolutely avoid using Murphys Oil Soap. I'm guessing that if it shouldn't be used on hardwood floors, it shouldn't be used on leather.

LeX2K

Murphys Oil Soap is good on some types of wood, but anything that has a urethane type finish can't see it being the right product for the job.