Mildew smell after conditioning leather seats...

[jigen]

So the Focus ST has leather seats. Besides the Z28 (which I don't believe was even real leather) I never owned a car with leather seats.

I picked up a combo pack of leather seat cleaner and conditioner that reviews really well on amazon. The stuff seems like it works well but After a couple hot days and using the conditioner the car will get a faint mildew smell and it would cling to my shirt and pants. Many people say its because I didn't fully dry the conditioner, but I tried and don't see myself being any more efficient with it.

I had to reapply the cleaner to knock out the smell.

Any suggestions on how to keep up with leather seats? I know theres a lot of good knowledge on here.

 

[bdcardinal]

What did you use? I use Lexol with no issues.

 

[jigen]

http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-SPI_...her+conditioner

This is the stuff I used.

 

[jigen]

and while not as effective I am sure, for a quick fix I picked up armorall leather wipes cleaner and conditioner. They work really well.

I like keeping my cars looking nice, but I don't have the time to go crazy with maintaining them and detailing them. Just want to keep the seats looking nice as long as possible.

 

[dparm]

You need to use less product and/or more elbow grease to buff it out. It could also just be that the product is garbage. I have tried a bunch of CG stuff and was never impressed.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
What did you use? I use Lexol with no issues.


Lexol probably has the best smell of all the leather conditioners.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: jigen
and while not as effective I am sure, for a quick fix I picked up armorall leather wipes cleaner and conditioner.


^^Surprisingly,Armor All Leather Care is probably the best stuff I've ever used,and it's CHEAP! Smells great too! I vote it as the best bang for the buck leather care,plus you don't stick to the seats. Here's my interior detailed with it:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3395483/4/Surf_City_Garage_products.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Condition your leather seats VERY often. You'll never have any cracks or tears. It'll last forever if you take care of it.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Condition your leather seats VERY often. You'll never have any cracks or tears. It'll last forever if you take care of it.


Agreed. The drier it gets, the more they need it. Winter can be harder on leather than summer. First thing we do every spring is get out the Leatherique.

On the OP's car, regular Lexol treatments should be fine.

 

[Colt]

Condition leather seats if it makes you feel good(and I do)but with today's coated leather,conditioners don't do much if anything.
Conditioners can't get past the coating into the leather.

 

[aquariuscsm]

All leather is protected/coated,BUT,it's porous. It's not coated like clear coat on a paint job. Leather has to breathe. But if it's completely uncoated,it'd be destroyed the first time you sat on it.

 

[Colt]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
All leather is protected/coated,BUT,it's porous. It's not coated like clear coat on a paint job. Leather has to breathe. But if it's completely uncoated,it'd be destroyed the first time you sat on it.


If a drop of water doesn't penetrate the coating,conditioner won't either.

 

[CharBaby]

My wife notices when I treat the leather in her Lexus. I use leather products that actually smells very much like leather. But, when the car has been baking in the sun and she gets in her car, she says that there is a very foul smelling aroma/odor...Kind'a like vomit(as she describes it!).

 

[Volvohead]

Aquariuscsm is correct. All auto leathers have permeable coatings. Some are more permeable than others. Otherwise, the leather couldn't breath (and you couldn't smell the leather, either). If you leave water on any automotive leather, it will eventually permeate the coating.

On some cheaper auto leathers, a good conditioner will still work, but you have to leave it on much longer. Lighter water-based treatments like Lexol penetrate faster than a conditioning oil on these leathers, but tend to evaporate off faster as well.

George at Leatherique is an expert on auto leathers, and is good about answering questions if you'd rather ask him directly.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: dparm
You need to use less product and/or more elbow grease to buff it out. It could also just be that the product is garbage. I have tried a bunch of CG stuff and was never impressed.


I hate to quote myself here, but I am fairly certain this is the problem.

OP, you need to use much less conditioner and really buff it out well. At this point I suspect you have a very heavy buildup of it, so take some time and thoroughly clean the leather to remove it all.

Alternatively, switch to another product that is easier to buff off. Lexol is fine, but there is better stuff (Leatherique, Leather Master, Einszett).

 

[Nederlander75]

I do mine and always have once every week, every two max and never had this issue. Id guess it's product smell or latent mold/mildew in the seats that got stimulated. I use Meguiars wipes and solution for the most part, but once every couple of months or so I will use a clean solution followed by an actual cream from Furniture Row that we get free for a life time with our leather furniture. That stuff only smells like beef tallow.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: dparm
You need to use less product and/or more elbow grease to buff it out. It could also just be that the product is garbage. I have tried a bunch of CG stuff and was never impressed.


I hate to quote myself here, but I am fairly certain this is the problem.

OP, you need to use much less conditioner and really buff it out well. At this point I suspect you have a very heavy buildup of it, so take some time and thoroughly clean the leather to remove it all.

Alternatively, switch to another product that is easier to buff off. Lexol is fine, but there is better stuff (Leatherique, Leather Master, Einszett).


Or the leather may just be flat-out dirty, and needs to be CLEANED.

Conditioning dirty leather is like smearing moisturizer on sweaty skin after a workout. Yuck.

Some folks swear by woolite and water, and lexol makes a good water based cleaner as well. Leatherique cleans, but is more of a rejuvenator and takes a very long time on some hides but is excellent if you have the time and money for it.

 

[jigen]

This only happened once, and it is a new vehicle. So maybe it had to do with this. Thanks for everyone's feedback!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: Nederlander75
I do mine and always have once every week, every two max and never had this issue. Id guess it's product smell or latent mold/mildew in the seats that got stimulated. I use Meguiars wipes and solution for the most part, but once every couple of months or so I will use a clean solution followed by an actual cream from Furniture Row that we get free for a life time with our leather furniture. That stuff only smells like beef tallow.


^^Same here. Once a week on my leather seats. 20 years old and still look brand new. What`s the Furniture Row stuff?? I`m curious.

 

[Nederlander75]

I haven't looked at up the MSDS but its bottled for Sofa Mart by Great White Bottling, Inc. Its a white cream similar in texture to simple hand lotion but smells very heavy of other beef tallow creams Ive used in the past. You have to really rub it in though or you get white residue.

The cleaner actually has s similar smell, but is clearish while working like a mild detergent being added to warm water.

My brother in law says who is an owns an upholstery shop said that here in CO and most other dryer climates doing leather this often even with just the ghetto store bought Meguiars stuff will keep the leather looking like new and prevent seam tears. I guess that happens most often here as the leather shrinks up and pulls back from the threads.