This was going to be a product review. A not-very-positive one at that.

Using the Leather Master Cleaner / Cream + their recommended procedure did not produce good results on the old Audi. (I wanted to try the products there before using them in the Porsche.) However, using a Magic Eraser and the Leather Master Strong Cleaner worked unbelievably.
I apologize in advance. I only took two crummy cell phone pics.

First, the car: A 2001 Audi A6 with Cream - very slightly yellow - leather.
The car has less than 100K on the clock. It's been well cared for.
The leather has never been thoroughly cleaned.
However, it's never been abused. No kids or dogs.
There was modest discoloration / dye transfer from blue jeans etc.. It had the expected amount of creasing. No tears, cracks or split seams.
The leather is a hard-finish aniline dye.

Products: Leather Master Strong Cleaner & Protection Cream.

First results, not impressive:
I followed the directions on the LM products. Cleaned the surfaces with a microfiber cloth + water. Then used the LM Cleaner on a sponge. Honestly, the results were seriously underwhelming. Creases were still obvious on the seats, due to the discoloration. The surfaces were still quite 'shiny'. Net/net I concluded that the age + the lack of regular maintenance had left the seats too far gone for amateur detailing.

So, on a whim I decided to try a 'Magic Eraser' + the LM Strong Cleaner.
GLAD I DID. The difference in results using these two techniques is night and day. Huge difference.

Your mileage may vary. But, here's the technique that worked best.

Recommended Procedure (for older hard-finished aniline leather)
1) Thoroughly vacuum the seats, especially the seams / crevasses.
2) Mist the seat with water. Wipe down thoroughly with a damp microfiber towel. Get all of the obvious dust & dirt. Do this for the full passenger compartment.
3) Starting with the driver's seat, mist one section with water. Moisten a regular sponge. Add Leather Master Strong Cleaner to sponge. This is not especially strong stuff. Clean per LM instructions, one section at a time. Wipe down with microfiber towel. Complete the driver's seat first. Examine the results.
4) If the results are less-than-great, repeat step 3 using a Magic Eraser.
5) Cut the MEraser in half. Dampen lightly.
6) Add the LM Cleaner to the ME.
7) Mist a section of the seat with water.
8) Use moderate pressure / circular motion to clean the dampened section with the ME & Cleaner. Wipe down with damp microfiber cloth.
9) Substantially dampen the other half of the MEraser with fresh water only, no cleaner.
10) Mist the seat section. With light pressure 'clean' the same section again quickly using only the ME without cleaner. Wipe with a damp microfiber.
11) Let dry completely.
12) Apply the Protection Cream, per instructions.

Notes & Suggestions.
Clean seat panels will appear lighter after the procedure.
Do not use continuous heavy pressure with the MEraser and cleaner.
Don't dwell on one spot, with much more pressure, than for the surrounding area.
Circular cleaning motion works best except where leather is creased.
Where the leather is creased, wipe parallel along / in the crease.
Rinse out the MErasers after each section.
You'll use about one ME (cut in half) per seat.
The A6 took 1/3 bottle of the 250 ml Cleaner.

I would not use this procedure on a soft-finish leather, or the ventilated seats. If water doesn't stay beaded on the surface of the leather, do not use this method.

I don't have my two pics posted to a photo site. But I'll be happy to email them to anyone who would, so that we can insert them on this thread.

 

I would strongly advise against the use of Magic Eraser for the cleaning of finished leather, this product is abrasive and may compromise the leather finish

Removal of accumulated soiling and layers of aged products - to restore the surface to its original matte finish; use Leather Master™ Strong Cleaner or Optimum Power Clean ™, which can be diluted with distilled water to the required strength; do not apply any liquid cleaning product directly to the surface of finished leather, as it may ‘spot’ clean, leaving a lighter colour.

Apply cleaning products to a folded 100% cotton towel and then apply to the surface using light / medium pressure. Use a medium hard brush to permeate the grain, stitching and seams.

For stubborn dirt -use Leather Master™ Strong Cleaner or Optimum Power Clean ™, which can be diluted with distilled water to the required strength; do not apply any liquid cleaning product directly to the surface of finished leather, as it may ‘spot’ clean leaving a faded area?

Always apply cleaning products to folded 100% cotton micro fibre towel and then apply using light / medium pressure. Use a medium hard brush to permeate the stitching and seams.

For extremely soiled finished leather - use a Griot's 3- inch (speed # 4-5) an Interior Brush for Orbital Polisher Direct Mount DA Polisher Grey Ultra Soft Upholstery Brush - this brush is designed for delicate carpet and upholstery. Each bristle is split in to multiple fine tips (Porter Cable 7424, Griot's Random Orbital Polishers as well as the Cyclo
The brush has a connector (5/16-inch UNF 24 thread) which screws directly into listed orbital polishers. Use with 1z einszett Vinyl Deep Cleaner (Plastik Reiniger) or LeatherMaster™ Strong Cleaner, using very little applied pressure


TOGWT® Autopia Detailing Wiki - “Proper Finished Leather Cleaning and Care” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/136421-proper-finished-leather-cleaning-care.html


If you have any questions about this article or the techniques used, please let me know or feel free to send me a PM

 

Hi Jon -

I should have reminded everybody that the MEraser is very lightly abrasive. You're right to point this out. However I'm not sure I draw the same conclusion as you about the compromising the finish.

Given that (a) the Magic Eraser is such a minimal / fine abrasive, that (b) the alternative is using a stiff brush and that (c) I specifically recommend against dwelling on one spot, I'd suggest that the risk of damage is very very remote. A stiff nylon brush would likely do more damage IMHO.

In the case I described (the Audi), I tried a wide variety of procedures. I used a natural sponge, synthetic sponge, cotton cloth, microfiber cloth, a soft horse hair brush, a boar's hair brush, a medium synthetic brush, a fine 'scrubbie' synthetic (sponge back), and various concentrations of the cleaner. There was no detectable difference in the results. They were all, frankly, poor. I got maybe 20% correction. Actually using only a cloth created problems with residual dye left in the in the creased areas of the leather.

I've inspected the results I got very very closely. The improvement in the color of the seats is remarkable, an 85% - 90% correction. There is no detectable damage to the finish.

Now, I'm certain that I wouldn't recommend using my method if you're trying to preserve a high gloss leather finish. I'm not sure who has a patent leather interior, but don't use the Magic Eraser on it. ) And (as I said) I also wouldn't do this for soft leathers or ventilated seats. But for everything else, which is perhaps 98% of the automotive leather out there, the risk is minimal. Screwing things up would take some real effort. And the results are so far superior to the alternative methods.

BTW, I read your blog posts before I started my project. Terrific stuff. Very helpful in providing a base of knowledge. Thanks.