Yahoo Autos Autocar product test: What is the best leather cleaner?
Leather cleaner can transform the look and feel of older leather interiors, and help to keep leather feeling supple and ageing well, too. But there’s a broad range of products out there offering to do just that, so which one’s best?
We had a tired but serviceable 20-year old leather interior to test out products on, complete in a pale grey finish that shows up grime and stains quite badly, and we also had a well used leatherette interior to see how the products fared on faux leather.
We followed the application process detailed by each product manufacturer, and used the product’s specific applicators if they were supplied with them. Otherwise, it was a job for a clean microfibre or sponge. We assessed how easily the product removes dirt and general tarnish, as well as how good the leather feels and smells afterwards.
As ever, we also take into account the costs involved.
So, who came out on top?
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Best buy - Leather Repair Company Deep Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
Price: £26.95 (1000ml)
Applicators included? Yes
The Leather Repair Company supplies its leather cleaner as a package with a 500ml bottle of cleaner and 500ml of conditioner. It foams up nicely and shows results almost immediately as you work the foamy cleaner into the upholstery. It even works well around awkward seams and stitching, especially if you use a brush to really work it in as the instructions suggest, and we found it just as effective on leatherette.
Most stubborn stains also came off without too much effort and, even if you don’t use the conditioner (which we’re not reviewing here), the leather feels supple and smells of proper, old-fashioned leather. It’s not the cheapest, but for the quantity and quality of product that you do get, this is our favourite choice whether you’re looking to refresh a grubby interior or simply maintain some already good condition leather.
Autocar says: 5 stars
Recommended - Leather Master
Price: £15.99 (500ml)
Comes with applicator? Yes
The Leather Master also comes complete with separate cleaner and conditioner. It’s almost odourless, and it foams up well on the sponge that it comes with, making light work of most marks and any greasy residue on the leather. It’s virtually as good as the Leather Repair Company cleaner for removing worn-in smudges with minimal effort, and it leaves the leather looking and feeling fresh and soft.
Autocar says: 4 stars
Best budget buy - Primal Instinct Interior Leather Cleaner
Price: £5.69 (500ml)
Comes with applicator? No
Primal Instinct is a straightforward cleaner that’s great value. Apparently it leaves a ‘true American leather scent’, which turns out to smell like all other leather according to our tester’s nose, which is just fine. It gets grubby marks and grime out of leather without needing much working in, and it’s also effective on leatherette and harder leather surfaces such as dashboards. Others here leave the leather feeling more conditioned, but as a cleaner this is very hard to fault for the price.
Autocar says: 4 stars
Other options: Diamond Shine System 2 in 1 Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
Price: £16.10 (500ml)
Comes with applicator? Yes
As the bottle says, this is a conditioner and cleaner all in one, and it does a great job of making your leather look, feel and smell fresh. Simply spray it on and use the supplied pad to work it in, and you’ll see any marks and ingrained dirt gradually coming out of the upholstery. It’s not quite as effective as our more highly rated cleaners when it comes to stubborn stains, but this is still one of the most effective products here.
Autocar says: 4 stars
Autoglym LC500 Leather Cleaner
Price: £6.49 (500ml)
Comes with applicator? No
