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Q1: Besides seats, among the most vulnerable pieces of leather in the car must be the leather that wraps the steering wheel. It comes into direct contact with you all the time when driving and I'm sure there's a lot of friction going on. But how do you keep it in good condition?
I know some of the stuff used to clean interior trim might make the leather shine but the steering would be too slippery to hold.
This is a topic that will be covered in one of the future articles on interior upholstery detailing but to keep it short and simple for now, select a silicone-free leather cleaner with a mild-conditioner.
Different brands have their own formulations so you'll have to test and find a suitable one that you prefer.
Q2: Which type would you recommend to apply products - foam applicator pads or microfibre pads? Can I get them at any hardware store?
It depends on what you would have them used for. For manual polishing work, the polyurethane foam pads being a bit more aggressive would be the preferred material as compared to microfibre pads which typically "loads" up a lot quicker, reducing its polishing ability due to their construction and design.
To understand this better, microfibre towels are made up of a combination of polyester and/or polyamides.
Polyester for its cleaning ability and polyamides for its absorption and quick-drying feature.
The design of microfibres is so fine that it has roughly about 200,000 microfibres in one-single square inch of a microfibre towel. The construction of the fibres allows for an extremely effective cleaning ability and works well on even oily surfaces.
Within the scope of detailing, the same application holds true as a microfibre towel will be used for washing and drying, removing polishes and waxes including cleaning interiors.
Choose the right tools for the right applications. Most hardware stores will have their supplies, the franchise stores usually carry the quality imported ones.
Q3: How should one clean perforated leather seats so as not to clog the pores?
Frequent consistent cleaning using a damp microfibre towel will help keep your leather upholstery in good condition.
As briefly described in the previous question, the design and construction of the microfibres provides a very effective cleaning solution reducing the need for detergents.
Once the interiors are in a neglected state, dirt is more likely to be embedded inside the pores during cleaning.
So make it a habit of giving your leather upholstery a slightly damp wipe-down every week using a microfibre towel.
Alternatively, the use of compressed air can help to clear the trapped dirt/dust.
 
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