Carolyn loves leather. Almost everything she owns is made from leather. The hundreds of belts in her collection are all leather. Her fashionable bags are leather, too. She wears leather shoes every single day, even when playing tennis. The handles of her tennis rackets are topped with a leather layer. No matter how sultry the atmosphere gets, she wears leather jackets. Her obsession to leather doesn’t stop there. Her car seats are leather, too, and she is especially fond of them. She guards them with her life by not allowing anyone to sit on them unless he or she is wearing cotton bottoms. A little dirt buildup and Carolyn will surely spray a leather cleaner to the area right away.
Today, Carolyn finds her world crumbing on her upon seeing her leather car seats stained. She has no idea what has happened. The car doors are all locked. It is parked in a shade. Windshield sunscreens are also placed properly. What went wrong?
It has to be the car leather cleaner she has been using. Today, you can find a myriad of leather cleaners on the market. Choosing the right one can be a little tricky because they all claim to provide absolute cleaning performance but they feature different ingredients and they come in various forms. But no matter how varied they can be, you can pick the right cleaner if you know what a good cleaner should have and should not.
Ph Balance
The ideal car leather cleaner has a low Ph formula. Too much acidity can severely damage your leather. A Ph-balanced cleaner helps in keeping the original softness of the material. It also prevents the leather from drying out and becoming brittle.
Ingredients
Some leather cleaning products can cause marks, wrinkles and variation in color. These are usually caused by silicon or silicon oil, petroleum distillates and gloss agents. These harmful ingredients are found in some leather cleaners. You should choose cleaners that contain none of these chemicals. Glycerin-enriched products, on the other hand, helps in keeping your leather in its good shape.
If you have already chosen a car leather cleaning product, do not use it right away. You have to check for colorfastness first. Before using the cleaner, apply some on a hidden area to see if it causes discoloration. If it does, do not use the product. If it doesn’t, you can use it but you have to read the label carefully to make sure you’re doing it the right way. Do not apply in gargantuan amounts.
Even if you’re not as obsessed as Carolyn, you have to remember these things in order to keep your leather in good condition. Leather is a very stylish and adorable material but its beauty needs proper attention and care.