How to Clean Leather Car Seats

If you love the luxury of leather car seats and spent the money to upgrade your vehicle with them, knowing the steps to leather seat care is important. Keeping your leather seats maintained, especially during Bellaire winters, is the key to keeping your vehicle’s interior looking great while maintaining your car’s resale value. Follow the leather seat care tips from the service department at Serra Traverse City.

How to Clean Leather Car Seats

There’s a good chance you have everything you need for leather seat care at your Kalkaska home.

Things you’ll need: 

• Cleanser: You have several options for a cleanser that’s safe for leather: commercial leather cleaner, saddle soap, mild leather soap, or you can make your own by mixing 1 part white vinegar with 2 parts linseed oil.
• Drying: Microfiber towels
• Debris Removal: Vacuum cleaner, and a soft-bristled brush — NOT a stiff carpet brush

Instructions:

1. Check your owner’s manual to make sure everything you’re using to clean your leather seats is safe.
2. Vacuum the seats to remove all particles, being careful to not scratch the leather with any hard debris. Use the smaller attachments or an air compressor to get into the cracks.
3. Spray your leather cleaner on the microfiber towel to wipe the seats clean and remove surface dirt and oils.
4. Spray leather cleaner onto the seats, unless you have perforated leather. For perforated leather spray cleaner onto the soft-bristled brush and gently scrub the surface with the brush.
5. Wipe the seats with a clean and dry microfiber towel.

How to Condition Leather Car Seats

Especially with the extreme winter temperatures in Lake City, conditioning your leather car seats will help keep them from cracking and drying out. Plus, you’ll enjoy soft, supple leather for years to come when you follow these steps for leather seat care.

1. Use a leather conditioner that only has natural ingredients. Avoid ingredients like petroleum distillates, waxes, and silicones. If you need recommendations, contact our service department.
2. Apply a small amount of conditioner onto a microfiber cloth. Work the conditioner gently into the leather in circles.
3. Let the conditioner soak into the leather for about an hour. Try to keep the seats out of the sunlight during this stage, so the material can fully soak up the conditioner before prematurely drying.
4. Once the seats have fully absorbed the conditioner, gently buff them with a new microfiber cloth.

More Leather Seat Care

• Keep microfiber cloths and leather-safe cleaner on hand to quickly clean up dust, spills, and debris when you notice them before they cause long-term damage.
• Store your vehicle in a garage if at all possible. Prolonged exposure to temperature extremes can cause your leather seats to dry and crack.
• Park in the shade when you’re running errands whenever possible to protect your seats from sun exposure.

Keep Your Vehicle In Top Shape at Serra Traverse City

No matter which make and model you drive, Serra Traverse City is here to help you keep it in great shape for years to come! You can even learn how to calculate your gas mileage while you’re here! Check out our service and parts tips and tricks for more information on easy DIY maintenance you can do from home to keep your vehicle looking and running great!