I personally detest Armorall. Occasionally a friend will ask me to help find a used car, which I’m happy to do, but the minute I see the Armorall sheen I avoid touching anything. Greasy! Blah!
Used car dealers all seem to have stock in the armorall company… they all seem to love the stuff.
Saddle Soap works just as well on vinyl as it does on leather You can find it on the shelf with the shoe-polish…If you live in the industrialized world, “Natural” is a meaningless term…
I use Method all purpose cleaner. No nasty chemicals, excellent cleaner, and environmentally safe. You could also try a natural suds cleaner.
While I am skeptical of trendy advertising claims it’s necessary for manufacturers to throw out all the catchy advertising they can to pedal their products and I understand that lanolyn is useful on vinyl and leather so products like this might be suitable
For real leather a good quality saddle soap would be my advice. Cleans and conditions the leather.
Personally, I don't want to inhale those chemicals day after day.Everything is a "chemical." Water, air, etc, all are comprised entirely of chemicals. You and I--made up of chemicals.
If you search the MSDS, you can determine what the active ingredients in Meguiar’s are. You have NOT done so; which is to say, “I have no idea what’s in it; I know I don’t like it,” which is non-sense. If you won’t tell us what chemical you’re avoiding, how can we give you options that don’t have the mystery chemical?
For real leather a good quality saddle soap would be my advice. Cleans and conditions the leather.
My wife has owned several cars with Leather. And I’ve never found anything BETTER then saddle-soap. Some products are as good…but never found one better.
“Meguiars Gold Class Leather Cleaner & Conditioner, G72”
Distillates, petroleum, hydrotreated middle...which, it should be noted, is 100% natural! (Crude is created by nature, of course.)
My personal go-to for leather is Leatherique. $50 or so for the 2-step system on Amazon and it’s lasted me 8 years so far doing the leather in 2 cars and a sofa. My TL is juuuust about to turn 100k miles, and the leather still looks almost new.
Thanks for the helpful responses, but once again, we’ve addressed the cleaning issue, which wasn’t even my question. I took The Same Mountainbike’s advice way back at the beginning of page 1.
Texases- Thanks, you said no conditioner is necessary. I thought that there were problems with plastics cracking in the heat/sun? Is this just misinformation?
The Same Mountainbike - Thanks…if not Armor All, do you use anything?
This forum would be much improved if people with nothing constructive to say would just move on.
I understand the meaning of the terms natural and chemical, but I thought everyone would understand the spirit of the question- which was clarified in a later post as I mentioned not wanting to inhale harmful chemicals every day.
Not everyone can afford leather. Leatherette wouldn’t be my first choice, but for other reasons that is what I ended up with. I don’t control what materials they use.
Not everyone believes that just because something is government approved it is safe. That is a personal choice.
I use Meguiars products and like them but I have nothing constructive to say so I’ll just move on for the good of the nation.
Plastics can crack in the heat/sun, but I doubt any treatment will prevent it. I would just dust, wipe with a damp cloth now and then, use some very dilute soap solution on occasion, followed by a water-only wipe.
Thanks Texases!
This forum would be much improved if people with nothing constructive to say would just move on.
For the record, I wasn’t making fun of your seats. There’s nothing wrong with leatherette. I simply found it ironic that you’re terrified of “harmful chemicals” in cleaning products that you use on a plastic seat that emits harmful vapors.
Please stop telling us how this forum could be improved. People with 6 posts haven’t been around enough to know if the forum is good or not. Lashing out at people because they told you something you didn’t want to hear is something my nephew does, and he’s 5.
If you could not post anything but constructive comments there would not be any forums left in a short time.
Some of the cracking of plastics is due to UV, not heat. And some of those unnatural chemicals contain UV blocking compounds–work kind of like sunblock. Helps a lot if you have to park in the sun.
Thanks Merlott, makes sense!
Nope, Jen, I don’t use anything at all on my interior.
However, if I did and it was on leatherette, I’d be inclined to use only a product recommended by a detailer for that material. Armorall leaves a greasy film, and I don’t like that, but I’m sure there are products made for treating leatherette that are good. I just prefer to go “au naturel”.
I do use Armorall on the black plastic and rubber surfaces outside the car, but only for looks. I’m not convinced it really protects anything.
What does your owners manual have to say about caring for the car’s surfaces? Owners manuals are a good starting point (some would say the final word) on using and maintaining the vehicle.
I’ve preferred Vinylex over Armor All for the dashboard. It seems to work better and doesn’t require frequent applications. For windows I’ve become a big fan of Invisible Glass cleaner. Used with a microfiber cloth it works wonders.