I don't like to use Woolite on carpets as the the agitation required to clean produces a lot of foam that's hard to clean off (prefer Folex for hand cleaning carpets) Leather Cleaning Leather brush - this is a palm pump type design, so you can pour the cleaning solution in the handle. Simply pour your favorite interior upholstery cleaner in the dispenser and push down on the rubber lid. The pressure activates a miniature pump which forces the liquid out to the bristles. The brush's thick, soft bristles are flagged (puffed) so it will not scratch delicate leather Top of the Line Auto Detailing Supplies. Methodology- 1.Use a soft brush to remove any dust or grit from the seams and vacuum the seating areas dust 2.Apply a cleaning solution of distilled water /Woolite® or Dreft® 6:1 ratio or higher with a palm pump type brush or a double mesh woven micro fibre, made to be safe and scratch-free for all leather and vinyl finishes - poorboysworld.com 2a. Using a sponge, apply a small amount of Leather Master™ Soft or Strong Cleaner as necessary and gently agitate it until it foams, then remove with a damp micro fibre cloth 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.
1. On top of that you are applying a detergent that is meant to be rinsed fully. IE flush rinsed. into a situation where it is not flush rinsed. As it dry's it will re attract dirt. Because that is what detergents are designed to do. This can over a period of a few details lead to rapid resoiling with some pretty nasty effects. As a supplement to that great info- Household detergent soaps tend to be formulated with a sodium sulphate to enable foaming, this salt content may not be safe to use on leather upholstery, as this can compromise pigmented leather and / or its polyurethane covering. 2. Leather does not react well to wet products. Water is the fastest way to "dry" out the leather of it's natural oils and tannins. making it slick and stiff. When using woolite, yes even on coated or protected, you speed up this process. The leather will look clean, but it will become dry and brittle aiding in the creasing and cracking. Would you expand on this "Water is the fastest way to "dry" out the leather of it's natural oils and tannins. making it slick and stiff. " My take -The complex tanning process of chromed tanned hide’s results in the fat liquoring and oils necessary to keep the hide soft and pliable being locked in and therefore there is no need to supplement them.
To the best of my knowledge water displaces those fats and oils. That is what makes it stiff. When the water has dried the leather shrinks. Remember oj's glove? wet leather shrinks. and once it has shrunk it can only gain a small percentage of that lost size back. The shrinking of the leather also closes the open spaces in the leather. This makes it harder for the new fats, oils, conditioners to be absorbed.
I tried a roughly 1:4 mix of Woolite to distilled water when cleaning the interior of my beater, a 1989 CRX Si. I found it to be pretty ineffective, if I'm honest. The dash, door panels and other plastic bits had been neglected on this car for many years. Don't misunderstand, the Woolite did do something - just nothing more than I think an equal amount of scrubbing with some glass cleaner would have accomplished. I didn't try it on the floormats though. I ended up just throwing those away and replacing them with some Costco rubber all-weather mats anyway. Very nearly a perfect fit on that old car too. What I ended up with is a "bug and tar" sponge and some Einszett Cockpit Premium. The mesh around the sponge helped loosen up any stuck-on gunk, and the 1Z stuff just left everything nice and clean and dry. And I figured I wouldn't have to worry about any detergent residue being left behind using the 1Z stuff. Heh...it's actually one of my favorite parts, especially on that old CRX. Made sitting in the car a lot more pleasurable.
The statement ‘water dries out leather’ I contest because leather once it’s been tanned has fats and oils (part of the tanning process called - fat liquoring) sealed in by the finishing process, it is then pigmented (with a water-based paint) and then further ‘sealed’ with a polyurethane covering. Using water and soap to clean will not ‘dry-out leather (you are not cleaning leather but its covering) I will concede that detergent soap that is not rinsed away will dry out a surface due to the dried soaps capillary action with moisture, this will be further aggravated if the detergent contains a foaming surfactant as these are generally formulated with sodium.
I had read that Ivory Snow is very similar to Woolite (mild ph balanced soap,, clean rinsing) at a lower cost.
I am talking about leathers in general, suede, aniline dyed, protected. It's been 6 years or so since i have taken a leather class through the IICRC. I have signed up for one on the 25th of march here in Seattle. The last training i attended, was pretty adamant that excess water moisture will cause the leather to dry out. This was reinforced when i took the leather masters training. Which is why they use a low moisture method of cleaning the leather. Take for example a set of boots, work boots. Chrome tanned. scuffed up and worn. as they get wet they get stiff. You have to keep them cleaned and conditioned. I see what you are saying about protected leathers. But not every car has protected leathers. 40% of the cars i do are aniline dyed.
I am curious to see how the new IICRC training compares to the one i had years ago. The reason i signed up for the training was your posts. I put a lot of weight into what you have to say. you have given me some things to think about and research, so off to class i go.
Good to know I've provided inspiration for further learning - Each one-Teach one; then the student becomes a teacher Let us know what their latest methods are ...as the materials and production methods that are used on automobiles change; we need to adapt to them and adjust products used and their application methodologies to keep pace with them
Woolite® has a number of issues that do not lend themselves to the long-term quality care of leather upholstery and interior components. Using a detergent that is meant to be flush rinsed (i.e. rinsed until it runs clear) in a situation were this is not possible, is not recommended as when it dries it will attract dirt and contribute to re-soiling; it will also dry out the surface due to dried soaps capillary action with moisture. This product contains alkalis (sodium), which provide foaming, and a solvent (alcohol) as an aid to cleaning; these will further aggravate the drying out process due to their affinity with moisture.
Any updates to this Grouse or TOWGT? I would like to hear if water dries out leather or what Grouse learned at his newest leather class. I was using Lexol, but that seemed average. I picked up Leather Master's Vital, and was looking for some cheaper way to clean the leather than the rest of the Leather Masters line. I brought this thread up because I was researching Woolite, which obviously isn't an option anymore.
One thing that hasn't been brought up in this thread (I had missed it; thanks for resurrecting it!) is the use of steam. On a mildly dirty leather seat, the steam is sufficient all on its own. I recently did a BMW that was a light gray colour and had pretty dirty leather. I sprayed it with Folex although in the future I may use a 1:4 APC or DG leather cleaner if I get a gallon of it, followed up with agitation with a brush and then steam. WOW. The results were amazing and the customer was floored. Steam has so many, many uses. Maybe you have one already and I'm preaching to the choir..if not...that should be on your wish list.
Man in my dreams :doh: I wish they weren't so expensive, which model do you have? If I hadn't just spent close to 2 grand getting started and be paying for college, I would have bought one a month ago :thud:
This is the one I have. I love it b/c it is a vacuum, extractor and steamer all in one. Perfect for our uses.
Scott over on Autopia has cleaned more leather than I'll ever see and he uses Woolite 8:1 to clean. If you look at the owners maunal for Lexus or Caddy - the beat around the bush but esentially say it's ok. I use it this way - get a clean terry cloth towel, bucket of warm water - dip and rinse the towel, spray the Woolite on the towel, scub the seat, rinse the towel , wipe the seat down. rinse again if needed. On REALLY NASTY interiors - I spray the Woolite on the seat and scrub with a soft brush first - then rinse with towel. I have gone through a bucket of water per seat on the gosh awful ones. Grouse has told me personlly that I'm an idiot, and he may be right, who am I to believe, him - or my lying eyes. Ya'll do what makes you happy and I'll do the same .
Yes they do, mainly because a vehicle manufacuturer's advice (not an automotive upholstery supplier recommendation) Research others opinions and products, test them and then make an objective decision based upon factual information not marketing hype or brand loyalty. I have always thought that the more facts and information you have at hand the easier it is to judge what information you are being given. After all, how can you fully understand and properly use any product unless you have all the facts? In the final analysis-is your vehicle , your hard earned money - your choice > >
Well said togwt! After talking this past Saturday with the guy at Majestic Solutions, I decided on two things - 1. I'm going to use MS's Tidal Wave 8:1 for cleaning leather and vinyl, and 2. picked up a gallon of Megs Detailer's line - leather cleaner/conditioner. I still don't see any harm in Woolite 8:1 but it does tend to get a little too sudsy and requires more time rinsing.
