How to Clean and Maintain Leather Car Seats

Here is a fun fact, cloth car seats were once considered premium compared to leather seats, so carriages had cloth seats and the driver sat on leather. That being said leather last longer than cloth seats and is far much easier to maintain.

Currently, leather is the premium option, and the manufacturing process has greatly advanced so that leather can age without being cared for. That being said, it won’t last as long or look as good as one that is cared for.  Another advantage to leather care is that if you are detailed, it gives you peace of mind that your seats are clean and sterile and no contamination exists.

What is needed

• All-purpose cleaner
• Spray bottles
• Detail brushes
• Leather cream/conditioner
• Steam Cleaner
• Detailing Towels
• Vacuum cleaner

While these items are required there are substitutes that you can use at home. A steam machine might be great to use but if none is available leather can still be cleaned without it. Detailing brushes can be switched to a toothbrush and a shoe brush with soft bristles.

The bare minimum required for cleaning leather is:

• All-purpose cleaner
• Spray bottles
• Brushes
• Leather cream/conditioner

Step 1

Vacuum the seats to get rid of any loose dirt or debris. Always use a brush on the stitched areas to loosen dirt making it easier to clean. A vacuum helps a lot in the first stage but if not available you can manage without it.

Step 2

Mix all-purpose cleaner with water and 50ml of soap for 500ml. I like the mixture soapier so as to reduce using too much moisture and it also lathers easily. Spray the solution without having water build-up, and use a brush to agitate the dirt. Brush in a hash pattern or in circular motions to be more effective with little pressure. Do this for up to 30 seconds and wipe the surface with a clean towel.

If the towel is dirty, repeat the procedure again till the towel wiped surface is clean.

To be efficient work on small areas rather than the whole surface, and divide the working area into two. After a seat is done move to the next one.

Step 3

After all the seats are cleaned, use a steam cleaner on the leather, this helps in cleaning and sterilizing and opens up the leather and becomes supple.

If a steam cleaner is not available, then this step is not necessary.

One advantage of using steam is when working on leather seats with heating and cooling, the steam makes it easier to remove the dirt clogged in the holes as compared to cleaning them with a brush only.

Step 4

Now that the leather is clean and the pores are open, we now apply the leather cream/conditioner which restores and protects the leather. Applying two layers is my preferred option but a single application should suffice.

Although leather is easily maintained my recommendation would be to clean it once a year. There are more advanced products to protect the leather and these are applied after the cleaning process described above.