Keeping leather matte and shine-free seems to be one of the trickier parts of car cleaning, and there are plenty of products promising the Earth that somehow don’t seem to quite get the job done.
So here’s a little tip I came across that I thought I’d pass on, as I tried it and it worked very well indeed. Leather, especially in high-contact areas like the steering wheel, gets build-ups of grease and grime and forms a shiny layer on the surface, which when you use a normal cleaner, never quite shifts.
I find a leather cleaner brings the matte back a little bit, but the shine returns almost immediately. What I think is happening here is that the cleaner is removing a layer of the dirt, and the grimy surface below gets roughed up and matte-looking—until you touch it and smooth it all out again.
So here’s the tip: get a bucket of hot water with a bit of all-purpose cleaner in (not so hot you can’t put your hands in it), chuck a bunch of clean, soft cloths in it and grab a soft towel as well. Then wring out each cloth and lay them over or wrap them around the area to be cleaned and leave them for five minutes. After five minutes, remove the cloths and give the wheel a wipe with a fresh damp cloth, then dry with the towel.
Repeat three or four times for leather that’s got some miles on it, and maybe use a bit of leather cleaner in between each go. Make sure it doesn’t dry out before wiping it dry with the towel. You’ll be surprised how dirty the water gets, and may even need to refresh the water and cloths to avoid recontaminating.
After that, a decent leather protector will help stop the grime sticking so easily next time, and then the leather cleaner on its own will be fine to clean for the next few washes. It all seems excessive, but if you buy a used car and want to remove years of shine, it’s a very effective and gentle method of going about it. The Porsche leather is particularly hardy, as well as soft and matte, and deserves to look its best.
Cleaning leather tip
Thank you for this.
I don't like using the various pre-soaked leather wipes, etc.
Once in a while I use the old fashioned Gliptone leather cleaner, where you have to dampen the leather first, then apply the cleaner, which acts like a soap, then wipe off with a damp cloth and let it dry. Similar principle to what you describe. Just takes a bit of time, but worth the effort.
I don't like using the various pre-soaked leather wipes, etc.
Once in a while I use the old fashioned Gliptone leather cleaner, where you have to dampen the leather first, then apply the cleaner, which acts like a soap, then wipe off with a damp cloth and let it dry. Similar principle to what you describe. Just takes a bit of time, but worth the effort.
Our stable:
- 992 Carrera T - manual - Ruby Star Neo - Carrera Excl. wheels (2023)
- BMW 240i xDrive (G42) - Portimao Blue - AC Schnitzer tune
ex: 981 Cayman GTS, Macan S Diesl, Macan Turbo, 991.2 Carrera S, 718 Cayman GTS, i30 N, 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
- 992 Carrera T - manual - Ruby Star Neo - Carrera Excl. wheels (2023)
- BMW 240i xDrive (G42) - Portimao Blue - AC Schnitzer tune
ex: 981 Cayman GTS, Macan S Diesl, Macan Turbo, 991.2 Carrera S, 718 Cayman GTS, i30 N, 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Yes, Gliptone is very good too. Either way, the idea is remove all the grime and not just a layer, and then you’ll get that nice matte finish back againSemerka wrote: ↑Sat Dec 28, 2019 8:03 pm Thank you for this.
I don't like using the various pre-soaked leather wipes, etc.
Once in a while I use the old fashioned Gliptone leather cleaner, where you have to dampen the leather first, then apply the cleaner, which acts like a soap, then wipe off with a damp cloth and let it dry. Similar principle to what you describe. Just takes a bit of time, but worth the effort.
2016 SD, Volcano grey, 21 Turbos, PASM, SportDesign, Privacy glass, LDW and LCA, Heated sports seats with crest and memory, Heated steering wheel (the best), Bi-Xenons with PDLS, Pano roof, PCM, Connect Plus, Park assist with reverse camera
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And Glipstone smells nice too
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Careful with these, they are abrasive and remove layers of the protective coating from the leather. If you go through it’s not pretty!
2016 SD, Volcano grey, 21 Turbos, PASM, SportDesign, Privacy glass, LDW and LCA, Heated sports seats with crest and memory, Heated steering wheel (the best), Bi-Xenons with PDLS, Pano roof, PCM, Connect Plus, Park assist with reverse camera
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We've been here before. You are not cleaning the leather, just the protective coating applied to most leather in cars since the late '90's. I found the easiest ad quickest method is to take a clean shoe polish brush (£3.00 from Tesco not a 'detailing'brush £9.00 from Detailers for the same brush), wipe the leather.steering wheel with a damp cloth and a spray of Autoglym interior shampoo, work it in with the brush, wipe with damp clean cloth, dry with towel. Each to their own I guess.
Dolomite Silver 'S' with red leather 14 way seats, Pano roof, Bose, Air suspension with pasm, Chrono pack, PDLS, Surround view, 911 turbo wheels, heated screen, spare wheel, ioniser,75 lt tank, black tail pipes, black roof rails.
Dr Leather is my favourite. I wipe my seats once every 2 months and you get the new leather car smell all over again!!
Gen 1 Macan Turbo in Carrera White
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Air, 21” wheels ACC Pano SurCam 18w LEDs PS+, Int Light Pack
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You should get that leather smell anyway by just wiping with a damp cloth and occasionally use a weakish soap solution after a good vacuuming.
Dolomite Silver 'S' with red leather 14 way seats, Pano roof, Bose, Air suspension with pasm, Chrono pack, PDLS, Surround view, 911 turbo wheels, heated screen, spare wheel, ioniser,75 lt tank, black tail pipes, black roof rails.
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