LEATHERS CLEANERS & CONDITIONERS
If your car has a leather interior, it will pay you to keep the product in good condition and looking its best. 27 of the best leather care products are put through their paces.
Leather seats are luxurious things although need to be looked after. They can lift any interior. Like our skin they can dry out in the sun if not moisturised and although more stain resistant than material or velour seats they can become damaged by moisture and general wear and tear from clothing such as denim jeans, which is officially known as ‘dye transfer’.
Keeping leather well cared for is quite subjective as very often people have a method they have used for years and if it works then why change it? There also seems to be some oddball items used too, such as beeswax, which some swear by.
All the leather products we’ve tested here (27 of them – 13 cleaners and 14 conditioners – have either been used by the Car Mechanics team or recommended to us so as such there are no duds here and I would be happy to use any of them on my car.
Although it can sound daunting to keep leather seats and trim in perfect condition it really isn’t, but care is needed as the last thing you want are seats that feel clammy or sticky to the touch. Although you can use leather care products that are designed for domestic furniture or equestrian saddles on car seats, in the main, they’re not formulated for the purpose.
Leather balm that smells quite pungent is often intended for use on shoes and so have a lot of grease in them to aid with waterproofing, which isn’t ideal for car use, although lanolin and Aloe Vera are good ingredients as they help moisturise and keep leather supple.
