Anyone use steam to clean their leather seats?

Many carpet and leather professional cleaners say not to steam clean them as it dries the leather out and can shrink it

I prefer to leave the car in sunlight for an hour and then bring the car inside and do it with the cleaners, softeners and conditioners

 

Once the steam condenses it changes back to water, just what is requird to hydrate the leather.

Water (re-hyrdation is the only conditioner required ) its also a good idea to apply a protector to make cleaning easier

 

thats why there is Leather Conditioners...

 

Most so-called leather conditioners are unable to permeate the polyurathene covering that is fitted tom95% of to-days vehicles.

Other for use on European vehicles (Rolls Royce, Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston-Martin, Bentley) which are usually upholstered with vat-dyed natural leather.The idea behind mfg offering leather conditioners is extra revenue

 

Not only that but you can't "soften" leather that is coated. You can make it "feel" like it is through a products polymers that lay on top of the coating but the conditioners are not literally softening the leather material....as in aniline leathers of old.

The real leather softening and conditioning is taking place at the tannery. On coated leathers of today you want to keep the film in top shape so for the guys using "Soft Scrub" and the like to clean leather you're abrading away this protective coating.

As long as one is careful to not over saturate the leather, keep the hot steam too close for too long or scrub too hard then a steamer is a great tool.

My method is to apply cleaner to my sponge, work up a foam and apply to leather. I then pass my steamer just above the top of the area just cleaned and lightly agitate again then wipe dry. This helps emulsify the grime and warms the leather up which many claim is when it's best to condition....or protect.

Anthony

 

so your saying scrubing the leather is not a good idea?

 

Well, I tried the clothes steamer, and, as I might have guessed, it didn't do much. It generates plenty of steam I guess, but you can't pressurize it at all. So you end up sort of steaming "at" an item, rather than actually steam cleaning it.

 

Depends on the amount of scrubbing and what one is using as a scrubber. Stiff bristle brushes wouldn't be my choice.

Eraser pads should not be used all the time also as they can be abrasive.

 

I was afraid that might happen with the leather... BUT, did any dirt get lifted up from the leather atleast? Or did it just moisturize the seat with water? Only a couple more days before I try this on my interior and I want to be prepared!

 

Well, yes, technically, I guess some dirt came up. I had wrapped the head of the steamer with a clean microfiber towel, and sure enough, it did pick up a bit of dirt.

I wouldn't say it was any more than I'd have gotten with plain old Lexol leather cleaner and the same towel though.

One final note is that on my particular car, the seats are already quite clean, so there's not a lot of dirt to be gotten rid of. So, it might still be worth a try on a car with dirtier leather seats. Unfortunately, all the other cars I've got access to - until this coming weekend, at least - have cloth seats.

 

If you don't acess to a steamer try Iz einszett 'Plastik-Reiniger' (http//:www.detailersdomain.com)- an intensive, non-corrosive, non-acidic two-phase deep cleaner, that removes grime build-up thoroughly and effortlessly, these chemicals restore your interiors original texture and resiliency; use to clean all coloured and clear water-based acrylic polyurethane covered automotive upholstery; this product is biodegradable, formalin-free and environmentally friendly.

Unlike cloth or leather, the surface of polyurethane generates static, which attracts dust. As a result, it can quickly become grimy, although vinyl and polyurethane covered upholstery is the easiest to clean. Do not use regular household soap and water as they will permanently remove the sheen

 

We have one that does penetrate the urethane coating and softens vinyl and rubber as well
Gotta really heat up the leather first though by leaving the car out in the sun for a while

 

The problem I see with heating is that the urethathene softens, allowing the dirt to be driven deeper into the hide, it will also cause the urathane to stretch possibly weakening the areas around any seams or stitching, possibly causing fracture

 

Thats how the pro's in the UK go about treating leather

 

anyone use the Shark Ultra Steam Blaster?

its for $100 on amazon and just wanted to see if this had enough cleaning power to get deep grime off plastic panels with weird textures

 

For a professional detailer 'time is money' so they are ' get it out the door -results / time ' biased and they are not working on their own cars.

For an enthusiast detailer; they usually want the best for their vehicle and 'time' is not that important.

With that in mind there is often more than one way of detailing a car, you just have to decide which method is for you.

 

Might work, but it depends on how bad the dirt is. Take note, most of the cheap sub $500 steamers aren't that strong, will break down, down have a continuous 200+ degree vapor steam.

It all varies with what you want and how much you're willing to pay.

 

Once again togwt - great info

Clark and rich at Polished bliss use that warming the leather technique and they spend five days on some cars just for paint correction and interiors so they surely must not worry about time

I may stick with working on cool leather as I don't care about time and am a Pro detailer (work for myself)
It's not always easy spending alot more time on cars than typical detailers but thats how I want to work

 

I have the vx-5000 and a therma-kleen which is the vapor chief i love them would never do without a steamer again

I use it for interior as well as exterior saves money an time gets everything much cleaner and alot less money on chemicals i wish i would have gotten them sooner

 

I've also wondered about using a steam cleaner for interior. Could you also use it on exterior parts like plastic and rubber trim?

What do you think about these McCulloch steamers? Heats up to 183.5° Includes: squeegee, 2'' diameter round scrub pad, triangle brush, two wand extensions, steam jet nozzle, upholstery/floor brush with terry cloth cover, funnel, utility brush. $119.99
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Includes 25" L x 1" diameter flexible hose; handheld steam cleaner with electrical cord; nozzle attachment; plastic pour cup with spout; rectangle attachment; round attachment; three round brushes; steam jet nozzle. does'nt say how hot the hand held gets. $35.99
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