Updated on August 19, 2022
Want to know how to protect leather car seats? While leather is aesthetically appealing, there are some challenges that come along with utilizing this type of material in a vehicle. Since they are so finicky, you should take special care when cleaning and protecting your seats.
One of the best ways to protect leather car seats is by parking in the shade. Exposure to sunlight can greatly impact the quality of the leather.
When conditioning your seats, always choose an inconspicuous area to do a spot test to ensure the product won’t damage the leather. Another great way to protect your seats is to condition them regularly and use a conditioner that is UV safe.
Seat Protection
Leather is a fantastic material, especially if you want to seem stylish and like you’re swimming in riches. When someone enters a car with leather seats, they instantly wonder what the value of the vehicle is.
When you have these luxury seats in your vehicle, it is important to care for them properly so they continue to look great and impress your passengers.
Avoid Sunlight
The first thing you can do to keep your seats protected is to park your car in the shade as much as possible. Utilizing a garage or carport during the day will minimize the risk of UV damage.
You can even use a conditioner that contains UV protecting agents to reduce the chances of fading and drying from the sun.
Clean Regularly
If you want to keep your leather in great condition, you should do your best to keep the seats clean. Before you wash your seats, always start with vacuuming to remove any dust, hair, crumbs, or other debris that is in your seats.
Caring For Leather Car Seats
Because the interior of your car is exposed to humidity, sunlight, and both hot and cold temperatures, leather seats are prone to fading, cracking, and drying out. Luckily, keeping your seats clean and conditioned are great ideas for protecting leather. You should wash your seats once a month and condition them every 3 months.
Washing
- Always do a spot test before you use a new soap or conditioner all over your seats. Choose an inconspicuous spot so it can be hidden if there are any adverse effects.
- Vacuum before you wash your seats so nothing will scratch the surface of the leather as you scrub.
- Either mix your own cleaning solution or go with a store-bought soap. Make sure to look for a soap that has natural ingredients, is dye-free, and non-toxic as well.
- Wash with a microfiber cloth, using small circular motions. Don’t move too quickly and stick to small sections.
- Wipe clean with a dry microfiber cloth.
Conditioning
- First, you should choose a conditioner for your seats. For cars, it’s never a bad idea to choose a conditioner with UV protection to reduce the risk of sun damage on your seats.
- Using a soft cotton or microfiber cloth, apply the conditioner to the leather, moving in small circles. Massage the conditioner into the seats. If additional coats are needed, wait 20 minutes in between coats.
- Let your seats rest out of the sun for at least an hour.
- Buff the seats with a dry microfiber cloth.