Properly clean your car's leather: the complete guide!

Having a sleek interior with luxurious leather seats is really something special. 

The only downside is that leather requires meticulous care, much more difficult than cleaning fabric car seats or washing the outside of your car, for example!

Every quarter, you’ll need to give your leather seats a thorough clean to avoid ending up with cracked, discoloured seats!

No worries though, if this is your first time, I’ll walk you through all the steps to properly clean and maintain your car's leather seats.

Here’s what you’ll find in this guide:

And for those who would prefer to skip all these tasks, I’ll explain at the end how you can have your leather seats cleaned right at home without even leaving the house!

Step 1: dust off all the leather

Let's start from the beginning, because before you can clean your car’s leather, you’ll need to meticulously dust it off!

This is important because you won’t be able to properly clean dusty leather.

What you’ll need:

• microfiber cloths

• water

How to do it?

The best strategy is to remove your seats and place them in a clean, closed area. This will allow you to move around your car more easily, and make it simpler to clean the seats.

Start with the leather on the dashboard and steering wheel, if applicable.

To dust off everything, it’s quite simple:

1. Use the various attachments on your vacuum cleaner to remove crumbs and other debris stuck between the creases.

2. Take a microfiber cloth, dampen it slightly with water, and gently wipe down all the leather surfaces in the car, finishing with the seats.

3. Let the leather dry before moving on to the next step in the cleaning process.

Step 2: deep clean your car’s leather step by step

You’re ready to get into the action: let's clean the entire interior thoroughly!

The guide that follows is a great way to learn the basic cleaning routine for leather, which you should ideally do every month.

Here, I’ll talk about which products to use, how to remove stains, clean your steering wheel and seats… everything you need to make your leather spotless!

Which products to use for cleaning your car’s leather?

At Yoojo, we love old-fashioned cleaning tricks, but be careful, despite what you might read online, leather is a living material that needs to breathe… you can’t just use anything on it!

Technically, it’s recommended to give your leather a good clean at least once a month, and since it’s not that frequent, I suggest you invest in specialised products. 

They’re made specifically for leather, so you can be sure you won’t damage your interior, and considering how long they’ll last, it’s a worthwhile investment.

Basically, for cleaning leather seats, you’ll need:

• several microfiber cloths

• leather degreasing soap

• a soft-bristle brush

• a foamer

• a protective and nourishing lotion

• leather sealer

• an applicator pad for the sealer

Ready? 

Let’s start cleaning!

Help! I stained the leather in my car!

If you love eating fast food in the car, you’ll know this problem well: sauce stains, pizza grease, and cola spills… we’ve all been there!

First of all, leather is much more absorbent than it looks, so it’s important to tackle the stain right away.

Always avoid scrubbing, and immediately start by absorbing as much of the stain as you can. A microfiber cloth is perfect for this, so I recommend always keeping one in your car.

There aren’t really any DIY miracle products for leather stains, so I suggest always having a leather stain remover in your boot... it can be a lifesaver!

For greasy stains:

Made the mistake of eating in your car? Touched the leather seat with greasy hands after checking the engine? 

Grab a microfiber cloth as fast as you can to soak up as much as possible.

Then, you’ll need to dry out the grease:

• either by applying a thin layer of powdered clay

• or by applying a thin layer of cornflour.

Leave it for 10-20 minutes then vacuum it up, taking care not to touch the leather too much to avoid scratching it!

Finally, give it a once-over with your leather cleaner to ensure the grease is completely gone.

For blood stains:

Quick action is crucial here… if you wait too long, the leather will absorb the blood stain and it will become impossible to remove.

Blot with a microfiber cloth, using a clean section with each dab.

If the stain remains, you can apply a leather degreaser to finish the job.

For all other stains:

Always start by absorbing without spreading, and if the stain persists, use your special leather cleaner (you know, the one you should always keep in your boot).

There are no real tricks for removing stains from car leather… speed is your best friend, and special leather stain removers are your only solution!

Next, I’ll explain how to properly clean your car’s leather in the section below.

Cleaning your leather steering wheel

The leather steering wheel is a bit special because you place your hands on it every time you drive, and it tends to become slightly sticky over time.

To clean it, you’ll need a soft-bristle brush, leather degreaser, protective lotion, and several microfiber cloths.

Here’s how to clean it step by step:

1. Place a towel over your dashboard to avoid spills.

2. Apply a few drops of degreaser on your brush and gently scrub in small circular motions on the steering wheel.

3. Use microfiber cloths to wipe the steering wheel, and don’t hesitate to repeat if the steering wheel still feels sticky.

4. Apply the protective lotion to slow down future grime buildup on the steering wheel.

Cleaning a leather seat: the pro techniques

Now it’s time to tackle the biggest part: cleaning the leather seats like an expert.

By now, you should have all the materials we mentioned earlier ready to go, so let's get started!

So, I asked the best interior car cleaners you can book on Yoojo (check them out here) to give me their best tips. 

Quick reminder of what you need:

• Vacuum cleaner

• Several microfiber cloths

• A soft-bristle brush

• Applicator pad

• Leather cleaner

• Leather conditioner

Cleaning steps:

If you haven’t already, vacuum your seats using a soft-bristle attachment. This is crucial, as even a small grain of sand could scratch your leather during cleaning.

Next, it’s time to scrub the seats.

If you haven’t cleaned your leather in years, opt for a strong leather cleaner along with the soft-bristle brush. If your seats are relatively clean, use a mild cleaner and the microfiber cloths.

In either case, apply the cleaner to the brush or cloth and start scrubbing in small circles over one part of the leather. You should see the cleaner change colour as it lifts dirt… great! Wipe it off with the microfiber cloth and move to the next section.

Repeat the process until your seats are thoroughly cleaned. Yes, it’s time-consuming, so make sure you’ve set aside a few hours for this!

It’s too long? Get your car cleaned at home with Yoojo

Condition the leather to protect it:

Once your car’s leather is clean, it’s important to condition it. This helps prevent aging and cracking, while also keeping it cleaner for longer.

Apply a few drops of leather conditioner to the applicator pad. Unlike cleaning, you won’t use circular motions; instead, make strokes from top to bottom, then left to right.

Once again, start with a small area and use a microfiber cloth to wipe off any excess product that hasn’t been absorbed by the leather.

Continue onto another section of the seat and repeat the process until all the leather is conditioned.

Discover our home car wash services

Special care for white leather

Opted for the elegance of white leather in your car? It’s a great choice, but be careful—it needs extra attention!

First of all, know that you’ll need to clean it much more often than black leather. A good cleaning every month is highly recommended. You’ll also need to buy special products made for white leather, which are less aggressive than standard products.

The first time you use a white leather product, test it on a small, hidden area to see if the leather reacts well. If there’s no issue, you can proceed with cleaning the seats.

The process is similar to other leathers, except that white leather is very fragile. It’s crucial to clean very gently!

Step 3: Maintaining your car’s leather

Leather is a living material that requires constant care. Between the friction from your clothes, UV rays, temperature changes, and all the dirt that finds its way into your car, it’s essential to properly maintain your leather seats to avoid fading and cracking.

To do this, you have two complementary options:

Grease the leather with nourishing oil

⏳ DO IT: every 3 months

Each type of leather naturally contains a fine layer of oil meant to protect the skin. Over time, this oil wears off, leaving the leather stiff and brittle.

You’ll find this type of oil in specialized stores and can use it easily after cleaning the leather with a clean washcloth.

Be careful, the oil may take time to absorb. Do this step on a day when you won’t be using your car.

Use a leather-protecting varnish

⏳ DO IT: once a year

The final step is to varnish your leather seats once a year. This protective film will help your leather stay protected and retain its natural colour for longer.

This type of varnish comes in matte, glossy, or satin finishes… choose according to your seat type.

Apply it with a varnish sponge after thoroughly cleaning the leather.

Like the oil, the varnish will take time to absorb, so do this step when you don’t need to use your car.

❌ Mistakes to avoid and products not to use

There’s a lot of advice floating around online, some good and some bad!

At Yoojo, we love DIY and old-school cleaning tips, but when it comes to car leather, it’s essential to invest in specialized products if you don’t want to end up with seats that make you want to cry. These products aren’t expensive for the value they provide.

Be careful of bad advice that could damage your leather more than clean it.

Should you get your car leather cleaned by a professional?

If you’ve read this entire guide, you’ve probably realized that maintaining leather is time-consuming. Every time you clean, you’ll spend at least 2 hours, and often much more if you’re also nourishing, waxing, or varnishing the leather.

If you’d rather use that time for yourself, we invite you to discover our home car wash service.

You can make a request tailored to your specific needs, which is very practical:

• Request the cleaning of your car's bodywork

• Request a complete interior cleaning of your car

• Request your car to be polished

• Dusting

• Stain removal

• Seat cleaning

• etc…