# Maintaining Leather - with what? How? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 19, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151 "2011-01-19T07:08:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sciconf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sciconf](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sciconf)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/1 "2011-01-19T07:08:16Z")
This is for a Bonded leather sofa - how and with what should treat the leather? Any how often should I apply? I gather that it will dry w/o periodic treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/2 "2011-01-19T11:30:05Z")
Go to a good furniture store (not the cheap place) and ask them. They should be able to supply you with the proper products and instructions. ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/3 "2011-01-19T11:50:15Z")
I like saddle soap. Also, Armour All has a good leather treatment. Check with your local cleaning supply and/or hardware store. ---
**Author:** ![mshugna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@mshugna](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mshugna)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/4 "2011-01-19T12:04:58Z")
just google … leather care … and everything you need to know will be their for you to research eg. [http://www.leathermagic.com/Pages/careforleather.htm](http://www.leathermagic.com/Pages/careforleather.htm) ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/5 "2011-01-19T13:10:55Z")
I Like To Think That “Repair and Maintenance” Refers To Car Issues. I Would Rather See “Bonded leather sofa” Questions And Things Of That Nature Be Posted In “General Discussions” Or On The “Sofa Talk” Site. Thanks, CSA ---
**Author:** ![Jeremy\_R\_Hoyt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jeremy_r_hoyt/32/37_2.png) [@Jeremy\_R\_Hoyt](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jeremy_R_Hoyt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/6 "2011-01-19T14:06:36Z")
I like Armour All for some of my leather riding gear, but I wouldn’t want want to use it on my motorcycle seat or my furniture. It’s too slippery. Saddle soap is a good cleaner, but I would also want to use a good conditioner afterwards, like Lexol. See [http://lexol.com/Category\_leather.aspx](http://lexol.com/Category_leather.aspx) for details. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/7 "2011-01-19T14:22:29Z")
for a bonded leather sofa (bonded leather means mostly vinyl and some leather particles blended together and glued onto felt) the most I’d do is rub it with Meguiars leather wipes. Leatherique is the best leather maintainer/restorer, but it’s very expensive and so there’s no point using it unless it’s on “real” leather applications. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/8 "2011-01-19T16:21:20Z")
Lemon Pledge is great for cleaning leather. And the lemon oil in the Pledge prevents the leather from drying out. Tester ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/9 "2011-01-19T16:25:41Z")
Whatever you use, don’t use much, you can’t soak bonded leather, it’ll affect the glues. I’d use some sort of wipe, like Shadowfax mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ad7895/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan2)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/10 "2011-01-19T18:57:52Z")
Reupholstering it with fabric may eventually be a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Dahlcolor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dahlcolor](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Dahlcolor)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/11 "2011-09-26T21:54:22Z")
A drop of dish soap and water Words from the head of reseach for garden state tannery ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/12 "2011-09-26T22:07:30Z")
@Dahlcolor - Well, here’s a question for the head of research - anything you’d recommend for apparent dye transfer from my belts to the (light) leather seat in my car? ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/maintaining-leather-with-what-how/60151/13 "2011-09-27T02:14:46Z")
AS BK said, for real leather, saddle soap is very hard to beat.