5 Tips for Caring for Leather Car Seats

Leather seats add a lot of class to any car but require special maintenance. Here are some tips for maintaining your car seats and ensuring their longevity.

1. Restore the Leather Seats:

Do not give up leather car seats just because the material is stiff and brittle.

• There are several types of products to restore damaged leather, including cleaners that prepare the leather if you ever need to apply a new dye, coatings that cover scuffs, snags, and other small holes.
• There are also dyes that can re-color leather.

2. Avoid the Leather from Drying out or Cracking:

Leather car seats last a long time and do not require a lot of maintenance. After a few years, however, the seats can get dirty:

• Use a leather cleaner to remove dirt and stains;
• Apply a leather protector formulated for pigmented leather or grain leather (the leather used for most car seats);
• The protectors will resist stains and make it easier to clean the seats;
• Choose a protector that includes fabric softeners to keep your leather supple.

3. Clean Dirty Seats:

You can clean your car seats with household cleaning products:

• Use them sparingly, however, to avoid saturating the fabric;
• Use a clean cloth to wipe off the foam;
• On velour seats, brush the fibers gently to avoid matting and to preserve the original texture of the fabric.

4. Protect the Seat Fabric:

Spray the fabric of car seats and carpets with a fabric protector. This product will protect them from dirt and stains and make cleaning easier.

• Be sure to clean the fabric thoroughly before using any of these products and then test the product on an inconspicuous area to make sure the treatment will not discolor the fabric.

5. Place a Towel Under the Infant Seats:

All kinds of food and fluid scraps can build up under a baby seat and permanently stain leather seats.

• Place a thick plastic sheet and an absorbent towel under the seat to prevent damage, then reattach the seat according to the manufacturer's instructions.