Cleaning Leather

shushey · 24th May 2017, 08:38

I am trying to clean up a rather neglected sandstone leather interior on my newly acquired tourer. I have used most of a tub of leather cleaner/restorer and an awful lot of elbow grease. I am not getting it deeply cleaned though. I wonder if I could rub in some white vinegar to deep clean and then feed the leather with the cream. What do you think?

hogweed · 24th May 2017, 09:02

Don’t think vinegar’s a fantastic idea… though I’ve found that all the specialist leather cleaner out there are pretty useless. I ended up using fairy liquid and a nylon pot scrubber (gently!)

Obviously I can’t see your car, but areas on mine (this was my old M3, not the Rover) turned out to have the coating actually worn away (BEFORE the pot scrubber!), so it looked really dirty, but was in fact the base leather showing through.

You can buy little pots of dye to re-do it, if you’re patient enough, but this guy (John) is the world’s greatest genius when it comes to leather, so if you give up in despair and ever find yourself down his way (Brum), I’ll attach examples of what he did for me… oh, and I think he sells the dyes if you went to have a go.

madeupname · 24th May 2017, 13:13

I use Vanish Oxy-Action on a dishcloth to get the muck off. Not got round to the treatment phase yet. And a lad at work was told WD40 works too. It does, and leaves it feeling softer, but doesn't shift muck very well.

roverbarmy · 24th May 2017, 13:32

+1 on fairy liquid and a nail brush. Make sure to feed it properly when it dries.

SCP440 · 24th May 2017, 16:17

What ever you clean it with I would recommend Neatsfoot oil is the best way to moisturise it when you have finished. It can transform leather from hard as cardboard to almost like new. It is used on saddles and should be about £6 for a pot, apply with a sponge and leave to soak in on a hot day, several coats is usually enough. Don't look at what it is made from especially if you have any veggies in the house.

Autoglym leather cleaner is very good but not cheap and has been suggested a soft brush to get into the grain better.

Rogue · 24th May 2017, 16:24

I used Autoglym on my steering wheel today and it seemed to do a good job.

Ozjensen · 24th May 2017, 18:18

Neatsfoot Oil is excellent - I use it on all my Rovers and Jensens in Australia and it keeps the leather soft and supple even in that hot climate. Pour it on liberally and let it soak in over a few days. Can order it via ebay and Amazon here. Use your hands to smear it on - and you will have soft skin too!

mbrenn · 25th May 2017, 18:02

I have successfully cleaned and restored really grubby sandstone seats with Astonish leather cleaner £2 a bottle having used fancier stuff Autoglym to no avail. I used a soft cotton cloth and a soft brush to gently agitate then wipe off. If leather paint is cracked you can touch it up with Stubie's paint (see traders here) or similar and later use Gliptone leather polish to finish it off for perfect results. Best of luck

myrover2013 · 25th May 2017, 19:22

I used Sugar Soap, it is fantastic, then i use neatsfoot oil

Arctic · 28th May 2017, 21:45

Vanish soap bar warm water and a soft nail brush, couple of hours elbow grease and they will look like new, then leather balm them works wonders, ask Mark (Max1 ) he knows

24th May 2017, 08:38	#1
shushey Newbie Rover 75 tourer Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Northallerton Posts: 23 Thanks: 25 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cleaning Leather I am trying to clean up a rather neglected sandstone leather interior on my newly acquired tourer. I have used most of a tub of leather cleaner/restorer and an awful lot of elbow grease. I am not getting it deeply cleaned though. I wonder if I could rub in some white vinegar to deep clean and then feed the leather with the cream. What do you think?

24th May 2017, 13:13	#3
madeupname Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Connie Mk2 1.8 (Mo) Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Sheffield Posts: 1,531 Thanks: 875 Thanked 335 Times in 289 Posts	I use Vanish Oxy-Action on a dishcloth to get the muck off. Not got round to the treatment phase yet. And a lad at work was told WD40 works too. It does, and leaves it feeling softer, but doesn't shift muck very well. __________________ Mo was born Tuesday, 22nd June 2004 @ 08:32:41 This vehicle was the 99,307th 75 to run off the production line, out of 112,381 This vehicle was the 5,377th 75 1.8 Connoisseur to be made out of 6,033 This vehicle was the 783rd 75 in Firefrost Red (code: CEV) to be made out of 2,089 Firefrost Red 75s

24th May 2017, 13:32	#4
roverbarmy This is my second home Roverless + 1.7D Sportage Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: East Norfolk Posts: 7,050 Thanks: 729 Thanked 2,021 Times in 1,449 Posts	+1 on fairy liquid and a nail brush. Make sure to feed it properly when it dries. __________________ Oil in my veins!

24th May 2017, 16:24	#6
Rogue I really should get out more....... 75 CDT SE 160 Saloon Join Date: May 2017 Location: Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich Posts: 2,653 Thanks: 1,386 Thanked 1,096 Times in 774 Posts	I used Autoglym on my steering wheel today and it seemed to do a good job. __________________ Glutton for punishment --- Previously ... 2.6 SD1 x 2, 3.5 SD1, 820S, 820Si x2, 216 Gsi, 220T saloon, 414, 45 1.4 x2 and now a Cowley 75 CDT

25th May 2017, 19:22	#9
myrover2013 Posted a thing or two ROVER 75 CONNOISSEUR SE in copper leaf red Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: NORWICH Posts: 1,527 Thanks: 510 Thanked 134 Times in 111 Posts	I used Sugar Soap, it is fantastic, then i use neatsfoot oil __________________ http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...h.jpg~original

24th May 2017, 16:17	#5
SCP440 I really should get out more....... MG ZT-T 260 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Witney Posts: 2,504 Thanks: 6 Thanked 910 Times in 571 Posts	What ever you clean it with I would recommend Neatsfoot oil is the best way to moisturise it when you have finished. It can transform leather from hard as cardboard to almost like new. It is used on saddles and should be about £6 for a pot, apply with a sponge and leave to soak in on a hot day, several coats is usually enough. Don't look at what it is made from especially if you have any veggies in the house. Autoglym leather cleaner is very good but not cheap and has been suggested a soft brush to get into the grain better.

24th May 2017, 18:18	#7
Ozjensen Regular poster Rover 75 V8 Saloon #755 now sold Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: London Posts: 79 Thanks: 28 Thanked 21 Times in 15 Posts	Neatsfoot Oil is excellent - I use it on all my Rovers and Jensens in Australia and it keeps the leather soft and supple even in that hot climate. Pour it on liberally and let it soak in over a few days. Can order it via ebay and Amazon here. Use your hands to smear it on - and you will have soft skin too!

25th May 2017, 18:02	#8
mbrenn Loves to post Rover 75 Saloons Conn SE 2.0L V6 (2001) & Conn 2.0L CDTi (2003) Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Dungannon Posts: 489 Thanks: 109 Thanked 110 Times in 100 Posts	I have successfully cleaned and restored really grubby sandstone seats with Astonish leather cleaner £2 a bottle having used fancier stuff Autoglym to no avail. I used a soft cotton cloth and a soft brush to gently agitate then wipe off. If leather paint is cracked you can touch it up with Stubie's paint (see traders here) or similar and later use Gliptone leather polish to finish it off for perfect results. Best of luck

28th May 2017, 21:45	#10
Arctic Give to Learn Freelander 2 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: West Midlands Posts: 18,716 Thanks: 1,155 Thanked 6,407 Times in 3,874 Posts	Vanish soap bar warm water and a soft nail brush, couple of hours elbow grease and they will look like new, then leather balm them works wonders, ask Mark (Max1 ) he knows __________________ Arctic Givology Learn to Give Everything is Achievable ad altiora tendo. Check out our Nano meet dates http://www.midlandsnanomeets.co.uk/ http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/index.php?thepage=howto " You do the work , we supply the expertise "