Leather is loosing moisture during years of exposure to the elements. This wil cause it to harden, start cracking and loose that comfortable feeling of natural leather.
I purchased a secondhand 2003 Pajero with leather seats. They were very hard but fortunately did not show serious signs of cracking yet.
The products for treating leather seats that was available from the motor spare parts shops did not give me any real good results. I ended up talking to an old man manufacturing horse riding sadles. He litteraly spend hours on what effects water, dirt and sweat have on leather.
He sold me a botle of Sadle Oil. There were a few different make on the shelf but his comment was that you will get what you pay for (saying: pay the high price and get the best product).
He recomended that I wash the seats with a product like clean green, let the leather dry and only then must I treat the seats with the sadle oil.
The best is to put it on as thick as possible and leave it on as long as possible. You will see, by looking at the seats after an hour, where the oil is absorbed the most.
I've done mine, the first time, on a Saterday morning. The Sunday evening there was still oily traces on the seats which I wiped off with a soft rag. I could not believe the difference.
I've treated the seats like this a few times and it is much softer than when I purchased the Pajero.
It seems to me that the trick is to leave the sadle oil on the seats as long as possible to alow the oil to penetrate the leather.
I can endorse that.
Forget about the Mickey Mouse stuff you buy from spares shops.
Clean with saddle soap,
Apply saddle oil (both available from equestrian shops / co-ops)
leave in hot place,
wipe excess.
... just like Waldo says.
PS I use it for the lounge suite as well.
Forget about the Mickey Mouse stuff you buy from spares shops.
Clean with saddle soap,
Apply saddle oil (both available from equestrian shops / co-ops)
leave in hot place,
wipe excess.
... just like Waldo says.
PS I use it for the lounge suite as well.
Gerhard Fourie
If you want to shoot somebody, make sure you aim at his head, not your own foot.
Me
If you want to shoot somebody, make sure you aim at his head, not your own foot.
Me
Lionbridge Garden and Hardware (Tel: 012 361 4510), Lynnwood, Pretoria will stock Sadle oil. I bougth the oil from Ferreira's in Randburg. Any reasonable sized sadlery should be able to help you.
Regards,
Waldo Fourie
Regards,
Waldo Fourie
I come out of the automotive leather seat industry and must agree with the saddle oil. There is a product call leather care thats all good not to sure who and if they are still availble. Good old fashion sunlight liq and water also cleans ur leather very well. In some cases clean green is a bit harse but only that northing else
