We test 16 leather cleaners to see
which can give some extra pizzazz to your trim
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By James Baggott
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November 2005
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When it comes to looking after your car's leather interior,
there's no place to hide. Leave your trim to dry, crack and
fade, and you will slash hundreds off the resale value of
your car.
Special cleaners not only shift the grime from leather,
but they also replenish the natural oils that keep the hide
soft and supple. Starve the material of the vital nutrients
contained in these cleaners for too long, and it may be too
late to rescue your interior.
But which one is the ideal candidate to refresh and
revive your cabin trim? We put 16 cleaning products to the
test on a neglected leather interior to find out.
Verdict: Don't pay much attention to product
names, as some cleaners left a better finish than the
conditioners. The top three all removed grime, so ease of
use and value came to the fore. Mer gives you more for your
money, with Meguiar's Aloe Cleaner coming home in second. |
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1. Mer Leather Cleaner
Price: £7.99
Size: 500ml
It was a close competition for the top spot, but Mer's excellent
cleaner narrowly edged ahead of its rivals. A brilliant all-round
performer, it removed every trace of dirt on the leather, and it
offers good value for money, too. The solution was easy to apply,
the hide felt nourished and it even had a great smell. Over-all, it
was a worthy recipient of our Best Buy award.
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2. Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Aloe Cleaner
Price: £7.99
Size: 444ml
Now this US import really did have a golden touch! The gel lifted an
incredible amount of dirt, was easy to rub in, soaked away quickly
and left a smooth finish. A very worthy Recommended choice.
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3. Meguiar's Gold Class Cleaner/Conditioner
Price: £6.99
Size: 414ml
After some elbow grease with the buffing cloth, this cleaner had our
leather looking like new. You could see the grime being scrubbed
away as you worked, and its ultraviolet protection to help prevent
sun damage was a bonus.
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Furniture Clinic Leather Ultra Cleaner
Price: £8.00
Size: 250ml
The manufacturer claims that this product is designed to cleanse
really dirty leather, but it struggled to spruce up even lightly
soiled sections of our seat. The runny liquid was hard to apply and
it cost a wallet-whacking £3.20 per 100ml.
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Renapur Leather Cleaner
Price: £10.00
Size: 250ml
Costing a whopping £4 per 100ml, this cleaner was the most expensive
on test. It wasn't as good as the price suggested, either, failing
to remove all the grime. It has to be allowed to dry after cleaning
too, but it did leave the leather feeling soft and nourished.
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Sonax Leather Care Transparent
Price: £6.20
Size: 250ml
The pack claims this Sonax cleaner contains rare bee and silicone
wax, but that didn't help it perform in this test. It failed to soak
in very well, left light marks and smelt like hospital hand cleaner
- a scent which remained after it had dried.
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Sonax Leather Care Wipes
Price: £2.90
Size: 10 wipes
These impregnated wipes were nearly dry after cleaning our small
test section, which means you'd need plenty to do an entire
interior. They also broke up as we cleaned, didn't shift all the
dirt and were expensive compared to rivals.
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Cleans UK Leather Cleaner
Price: £9.99
Size: 500ml
A Shock start here, as the foam cleaner exploded from the spray can
and pebble-dashed our seat with cleaner! The spray was hard to keep
in the right place, and when applied had a potent smell similar to
an industrial floor cleaner. However, it certainly got the leather
shining and left it feeling soft and supple.
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Turtle Wax Cleaner & Conditioner Wipes
Price: £3.99
Size: 25 wipes
This pack of wipes was the same price as its main rival from Armor
All (above), but there are more included. It impressed in the
cleaning stakes, with each cloth soaked in solution. They're
convenient, but you need quite a few to clean a whole cabin.
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Zymol Leather Cleaner
Price: £8.00
Size: 225ml
It promised to bring out the natural smell of the leather interior,
and Zymol's cleaner certainly delivered in that respect. But it
doesn't come cheap, and there were some small grubby marks on the
upholstery after buffing. The product also left a slightly greasy
film on the hide.
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Turtle Wax Leather Cleaner & Conditioner
Price: £4.99
Size: 500ml
If you want to protect your wallet as well as your leather, then
Turtle Wax's excellent value cleaner is for you. Not only was it
cheap for 500ml, but it left the interior smelling great. It needed
more buffing to remove all the grime, though.
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Armor All Leather Care
Price: £4.99
Size: 250ml
You shouldn't let the unattractive colour of the bottle put you off
- this is a good cleaner. It soaked into the hide in seconds, and
only needed very light buffing to leave a sparkling finish. However,
it's not cheap compared to some rivals, and also left a little
residue.
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Armor All Leather Wipes
Price: £3.99
Size: 20 wipes
You can't beat wipes for convenience, but don't substitute them for
a cleaning solution. They're fine for a quick spruce up, and these
left our leather smelling fresh and looking clean. However, the hide
didn't feel nourished and some marks were left.
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Gliptone Liquid Leather
Price: £5.50
Size: 250ml
You need to have some time on your hands if you're going to use
Gliptone's cleaner. The resin-like formula needed to be left to soak
for five minutes before wiping off with a damp cloth. It smelt of
TCP too, but it left the leather clean and supple.
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Turtle Wax Platinum Cleaner & Conditioner
Price: £5.99
Size: 500ml
This rich and thick liquid failed to remove all the grime. It was
easy to apply, though - simply pour on, spread over the leather and
buff off. It did take longer than the others to soak in, but had a
nice, natural smell.
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Autoglym Leather Cleaner
Price: £5.99
Size: 500ml
The trigger pack was tricky to use, as you had to be careful the
cleaner didn't go everywhere. It foamed up well, though, and left
the interior smelling fresh. It shifted the grime and didn't leave
any residue, but was hard to apply for detail work.
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