Extra-Ordinary Leather Cleaning

When is a leather seat clean? I’m sure many detailers who are not intimately familiar with the conventional leather restoration techniques may often wonder how far they can go with their cleaning process before doing irreparable damage. And yet there is the other camp of the cleaning spectrum where any concoction is fair game. I’ve had countless conversations with well-intentioned detailers where one “magic” cleaner was held above their heads in an imaginary homage to the Soap God, touting the proclamation “This does it all!” I don’t think that it’s quite that simple unless you’re aiming really, really low. Even in the realm of leather cleaners there are many that are designed to remove specific types of contaminants for different types of leathers.

Let’s take a closer look at why the leather, which was supposedly “clean,” is actually still very dirty …

Consider a photograph of leather under a microscope at 60X magnification. A section of leather from an area of a seat untouched by environment such as sunlight, cleaning, wear and tear, etc. Therefore each is virtually like the original state. Versus a photograph from the same seat; however this section was exposed to the environment. There will be cracks and crevices which have formed and how the dirt has collected in these cracks and crevices. Believe it or not, this section may have been cleaned using conventional cleaning methods! Dirt like this acts like sandpaper when you slide across the seats. Chemicals like petroleum-based dressings normally used to condition the leather, hand creams, natural oils from your body, cleaners which are not PH balanced, etc. can also get into these cracks and crevices, causing the leather to deteriorate. Abrasive clothing like jeans, for example, can catch on the edges of these cracks, further damaging the leather.

The vast majority of detailers and interior restoration specialists do not know how to get leather this clean, especially without damaging it. However, all the cracks and crevices are still there, which will immediately begin to collect all the dirt, oils, etc. and be vulnerable to damage like from jeans, as we discussed above. However, there is a process of sealing these cracks and crevices without dyeing or using pigmented coatings, but it needs to be done immediately after the cleaning process.

Why not investigate adding some re-dye services to your cleaning menu? Simple touchup procedures go hand-in-hand with your cleaning regimen with just a little training. Comprehensive re-dye kits are now available greatly simplifying the process.

Customers might be looking for some extraordinary reasons. Giving uncommon results to a high demanding public may be a huge difference.

Kian Amirkhizi and Doug Snow are the founders, primary instructors and owners of MATRI-X, a company that provides professional training and supply for the repair and restoration of leather, vinyl, plastic and velour. Both Amirkhizi and Snow are nationally recognized experts in these disciplines, and have won several national awards. Both continue to operate their own successful restoration/repair businesses in the Los Angeles area.

Your feedback is welcomed, so please do not hesitate to contact them with comments regarding this article at MATRI-X at 888.207.6007. For more information on product suggestions, please contact them online at www.reconsupplies.com.