This is really the only way to go for cleaning it works well they sell it everywhere even Walmart. To take the cleaning to the next level you need to buy a horse hair leather cleaning brush.

You get a bucket of hot water then you dunk the brush and shake off the excess. Spray the cleaner on the brush and then gently scrub the seats. The cleaner will get a nice foam and the hot water will open the pores to help get the dirt out.

Gently wipe with a damp cloth after scrubbing the seats to get off any residue left or pulled up from the cleaner. After you do the interior go back and apply the conditioner. This will allow your seats to stay soft and supple for a very long time.

Quick note on this if your leather is hard as a rock you may need a more heavy duty leather softener/conditioner to try to bring it back (depending on how dry if it is super taunt then it may not come back). If your leather has any tears or rips this will help keep the leather soft but will not prevent any more damage. Only re-dying the leather will help and or replacement.

Video to show how to use the horse hair brush.

 

I use Meguiar’s quick interior detailer for the plastic\wood pieces. Fairly mild cleaner just to lift dust\grease off.


And I have leather masters products for the leather seats\trim.


I have microfiber towels I use for all of this process, along with some 1 and 2 inch soft paint brushes for foaming\agitating dirt within the leather.

 

i've heard a recommendation for saddle-soap, like the equine community uses on their saddles to keep them soft and pliable..

 

Good leather is high on my list when car shopping. I purchased a nice Volvo 850 several years back. Great vehicle, but crap leather. I thought I could live with it, but couldn’t. My wife warned me beforehand, but no, I had to have it. Eventually I got a kit from Leather Magic and reworked the driver’s seat. It turned out okay, but I swore I would never deal with that again.

I use Lexol Original Formula Leather Cleaner and Original Formula Leather Conditioner. I spray the cleaner on a white, damp cloth and apply it to one section at a time. I have a separate cloth and bucket of clean water to rinse off each section. I then quickly towel dry each section. I change the rinse water a couple of times. I let everything dry for 30 minutes or so and apply the conditioner with a white cloth. I let it sit for 5 minutes or so and go over each seat with a clean, white towel. The owner’s manual recommends a 5% solution of neutral detergent for wool. That was 20 years ago and I’m sure that has changed by now, so I use Lexol. Water is the enemy when it comes to leather. I wring my rag out as dry as I possibly can and wipe over each section as soon as I can with a dry towel. The manual doesn’t mention anything about conditioning the leather (if it does, I missed it). Sun is another enemy of leather. I made a scarf for the top part of the back seat. I throw it over the top part of the seat if it has to sit out in the sun for any length of time. I use sun shades for the windshield of all my vehicles. My garage is full at the moment so the Lexus is in the side drive under a car cover most of the time. I’ve used Lexol for many years now with great results and it doesn’t smell weird.

 

A scarf, Oh no, I'm turning into my grandmother

 

Lexol has worked well for me the past 20+ years. May not get all the of the dirtiest stuff off but for maintenance and conditioning I find it acceptable.

Having tint on the windows filters the UV out too. If one is opposed to dark windows there are films that allow high light transmission like the Llumar Air Blue in 80 and 90. The 80 is probably the most common.

 

Great thread, glad I found it. Will have to check out the Lexol products on our leathers.