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Old 02-25-2010, 10:29 PM
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Cleaning some rough seats

Hey guys I got some rear seats out of a 05 truck today and they have been out in the weather for a year, the truck has had all the windows broken an so its been exposed to the rain something bad and was mildewed a bit I have taken some Miguires to it today and cleaned a great bit of it up but some of the deeper stuff I have had issues with it. What do you all recommend for these old Lariat Leather seats?


 
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Old 02-26-2010, 12:01 AM
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look at some of the mothers stuff. i had a 79 f150 with ink on the seats and the stuff by mothers or meguires (spelling) will work just fine. you could also try some leather cream once you get all the dirt out.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 05:05 AM
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OT: Will these bolt right in? I assume you wanted them for the head rests?
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 08:34 AM
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Yep they bolt in, and the only reason I bought them is because they fold up and the metal platform comes out into a great storage deck.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by jdecker88
Hey guys I got some rear seats out of a 05 truck today and they have been out in the weather for a year, the truck has had all the windows broken an so its been exposed to the rain something bad and was mildewed a bit I have taken some Miguires to it today and cleaned a great bit of it up but some of the deeper stuff I have had issues with it. What do you all recommend for these old Lariat Leather seats?






Little tip: Hit "enter" between each picture, then you won't have them all scrolling sideways across your screen.

I like the storage option a lot.
How much were those seats, if you don't mind me asking?
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 09:03 AM
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Cleaning

A couple of things I have read about and tried in the past that will clean leather.

For gentle cleaning, any glycerin based soap - pears, neutragena, etc., saddlesoap, leather cleaners.

For medium cleaning and probably where I would start: A bar of Ivory soap or diluted Tide laundry detergent.

For deep cleaning: hand cleaner with Lanolin. You could also use dishwashing soap.

For extremely deep cleaning, hand cleaner with a little pumice. The orange stuff is supposed to work good.

Use a soft scrub brush or a Black and Decker made a rechargeable rotating scrub brush and lots of towels.

After cleaning the leather and letting the seats dry for a day or so, apply a leather conditioner like Lexol. The hotter the leather, the more it will absorb the Lexol.

Remember, leather is a natural hide, somewhat comparable to our own skin. In theory, you can use products that you would use on your own skin but remember, you want to make sure you don't remove the dye from your leather. The harsher the soap/chemical, the more natural oil is removed from the leather and that will cause it to crack and flake off. I know you have to clean all of the mold and mildew off but try the gentlest stuff first and work your way up. I would start with the bar of Ivory soap and see where it goes.

Good luck.

Neil
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 10:55 AM
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JD, have you tried using some Dawn dish soap and water? When my seats get real nasty that's what I use to clean them, then use some leather conditioner after that. Dish soap works pretty well.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 11:49 AM
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Trash that piece of junk and buy my seats. That would be my advise. lol
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 12:04 PM
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custom seat covers? Or new skins on them? I guess it could always be the last resort
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 01:43 PM
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another place to look is any local feed store or ranch supply store, I was just at the local ranch supply and they have a section of nothing but leather cleaners and conditioners. Horse tack sees a lot of weather so there should be something there.

Neil's suggestions are all sound and should work for you as well.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 08:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Kwikkordead
Little tip: Hit "enter" between each picture, then you won't have them all scrolling sideways across your screen.

I like the storage option a lot.
How much were those seats, if you don't mind me asking?
it shows up good on mine pretty well just side by side.

Yes the storage is AWESOME and I got them for a $100 out the door but I am trying to clean them

Originally Posted by Neil64
A couple of things I have read about and tried in the past that will clean leather.

For gentle cleaning, any glycerin based soap - pears, neutragena, etc., saddlesoap, leather cleaners.

For medium cleaning and probably where I would start: A bar of Ivory soap or diluted Tide laundry detergent.

For deep cleaning: hand cleaner with Lanolin. You could also use dishwashing soap.

For extremely deep cleaning, hand cleaner with a little pumice. The orange stuff is supposed to work good.

Use a soft scrub brush or a Black and Decker made a rechargeable rotating scrub brush and lots of towels.

After cleaning the leather and letting the seats dry for a day or so, apply a leather conditioner like Lexol. The hotter the leather, the more it will absorb the Lexol.

Remember, leather is a natural hide, somewhat comparable to our own skin. In theory, you can use products that you would use on your own skin but remember, you want to make sure you don't remove the dye from your leather. The harsher the soap/chemical, the more natural oil is removed from the leather and that will cause it to crack and flake off. I know you have to clean all of the mold and mildew off but try the gentlest stuff first and work your way up. I would start with the bar of Ivory soap and see where it goes.

Good luck.

Neil
I will go with the soap and start working my way up the migquires did well but didn't get the hard stuff I am going after some Ivory or Dawn here in a bit. I will get some stuff from the saddle shop down the road tomorrow. I have noticed that the ford "leather" isn;t really leather its fake it seems like it is easy to clean oil and grease off them. Thats why I like it Ford Leather is durable and easy to keep clean alot better on the farm then clothe. BTW what does that B&D thing look like I was about to take my slow random orbit buffer with a poofy pad and clean it LMAO
Originally Posted by spdmpo
JD, have you tried using some Dawn dish soap and water? When my seats get real nasty that's what I use to clean them, then use some leather conditioner after that. Dish soap works pretty well.
Originally Posted by jeff7825
Trash that piece of junk and buy my seats. That would be my advise. lol
True... but those PRETTY King ranch seats wouldn't last long with my nasty butt. UNLESS I could get them for 200 bucks .

Originally Posted by Mike F250
custom seat covers? Or new skins on them? I guess it could always be the last resort
Trying to keep it CHEAP the seats are in GREAT shape no cracking at all.

Originally Posted by clem1226
another place to look is any local feed store or ranch supply store, I was just at the local ranch supply and they have a section of nothing but leather cleaners and conditioners. Horse tack sees a lot of weather so there should be something there.

Neil's suggestions are all sound and should work for you as well.
Thats the plan thanks for the suggestion!
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by jeff7825
Trash that piece of junk and buy my seats. That would be my advise. lol
Looking for some seats,PM me if you have some for a CC.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 09:55 PM
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B&D Scrubber

Amazon.com: Black & Decker S300 ScumBuster Cordless Wet Scrubber: Kitchen & Dining

The brush that we have is pretty stiff. I wonder if the new models come with a softer brush.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 10:14 PM
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Nothing to do with cleaning, but I have some new OEM seat bolts if you want them to install in the center bolt holes since the older seats only use the outside mounting holes.
 
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Old 02-26-2010, 10:17 PM
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Is there a mounting spot for those Jeff? BTW doesthe seat belt connectors come out with the old seats if so I need to stop by morristown on the way back tomorrow.
 


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