Foaming or soak-in leather cleaner?

[Benzadmiral]

On my cream leather driver's seat, I've noticed a few little dots of what may be dark dye from the aging blue jeans I often wear when I wash the car. I've used a rub-in cleaning creme that works well for most things, and scrubbed with a clean dry soap brush, the kind of thing you'd use to clean your fingernails. Some of the tiny dots dissolved, but the rest are stubborn.

Is there some kind of foaming or "let it soak in" leather cleaner that might be able to get into those pores and let me clean them out? I seem to recall Leatherique being mentioned here -- that it soaks in and sort of makes the dirt rise to the surface (?). Is there anything like that, but over-the-counter, or cheaper?

 

[Tdbo]

I had the same problem with my Mustang (has tan leather) and I took some Ivory diswashing soap (important to use Ivory) and mixed it with water and blotted it carefully with a damp cloth. Got most of it out and then I followed up with Lexol cleaner and then applied the protectant. Another thing to try would be a light application of saddle soap.

 

[razel]

There are two types of leather to consider when cleaning. One type are the real ones that soak up water. The other accepts water like plastic. If you have the real type, use laundry detergent. Start with Woolite and work your way to the Tide Free and Clear. I'm often impressed by what laundry detergent does on fabric car upholstery.

As for the plastic type, use a microfiber cloth and Woolite. Becareful though, you can buff the leather surface to a slick sheen if you are too aggressive, but you may have to sometimes. Best of luck.

 

[gwdriver]

Benz- Had the same problem with the tan leather in my wife's GMC Acadia. She got her jeans wet in a rainstorm and they stained the seats badly. Nothing would remove the stains. After exhaustive research I found something that worked. Griot's interior cleaner. Bought it at Advance auto parts. Looks like water in a clear spray bottle. Sprayed it on a old cotton t-shirt, wiped down the seat and it removed all of the blue stain. Amazing stuff, also removed a carpet stain nothing else would work on. Get some and try it!

 

[milehigh]

I'm a fan of Sonax Leather Cleaner. It is a spray on foaming cleaner/conditioner. I use it on all of my details with leather (or leatherette) interiors. I do this professionally and absolutely love it. Have a couple clean microfiber towels handy and you're good to go.

I order mine through Autoality or Autogeek.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Sometimes to remove a stain that's imbedded within the surface's texture,you'll need a good soft brush to gently scrub it. I've always used a "soft rated" toothbrush.