BimmFiniti

I ordered my first bottle of Leathermaster Strong Cleaner and Leather Vital just last week based on strong positive feedback from the forum.

I just tried the strong cleaner today and I was completely underwhelmed. Did I get a defective batch? Am I applying it wrong? Is this stuff bogus?

Strong Cleaner instructions say to apply to a sponge, squeeze the sponge until it foams, wipe the leather with the foam and then wipe off any excess foam.

Well... using a brand new sponge only slightly dampened, I got absolutely no foam. Lots of sqeezing; nothing. Tried multiple, liberal squirts of cleaner; nothing. Used it anyway on some dirty spots; did absolutely nothing.

Has anyone else seen this? Is this product for real? Am I doing something wrong (don't see how based on v. simple instructions)?

Based on this experience, the cleaner seems useless and I'm afraid to use the Leather Vital. I hope I'm wrong. Any advice?

detailersdomain

yup i going to say your using it completely incorrectly.

you used a little bit of product.

I would say to use much more than you are now, you have to get the product to foam up to a lather to get things going.

its not bogus this company supplies to some of the biggest guys out there in fine leather goods.

we have had nothing but great feedback on it, give it a try again, if it doesn't work I will make sure you are satisfied provide you bought the product from us.

RL911

Sorry, don't have any advice on your product. I use Lexol cleaner and conditioner, works good and it's available OTC. A lot of people like leatherique...here a link to an Acura forum discussing it. BTW, the Acura forum for wash & wax is one of the best around for detailing...people on it know really their stuff and are passionate about...I've learned a lot from them!

http://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=731920

Marine Blue

I was also a bit disappointed with the instructions.

Using their instructions foaming is minimal at best. Here is what I did:

Dampen a sponge and apply the cleaner until its soaked. Wipe a small area of the leather with the sponge and spread the product. Use a leather brush to scrub the surface. Don't worry about making to much foam, its not necessary. Wipe with a dampened Microfiber.

You will need to limit cleaning to two panels at a time to prevent the cleaner from drying.

Trust me, this will work really well and leave the leather looking amazing.

TOGWT

+1 for LM Strong Effect Cleaner, arguably the most effective leather cleaner on the market. I only buy this as opposed to Leather Soft Cleaner, as the ‘Strong’ can be diluted, best of both worlds

BimmFiniti

Thanks, Phil. I did buy it at Detailer's Domain.

I'll give it another shot using alot more product, although I've already used ~1/8 of the bottle with no apparent effect.

BimmFiniti

Thanks for the advice. What's unique about a leather brush? Can you scrub with a cloth or something else instead?

Marine Blue

The leather brush is soft enoug that it won't damage the surface of the leather but strong enough to remove the embedded dirt/oil. I've heard that microfibers grab the surface too much and you can potentially remove the color. A cotton cloth may be ok but the brush really allows you to get into the cracks and stitching without damage. The Swissvax brush is what I've been using with great success.

Marine Blue

I've used about 2/3 on two cars. The first was a Honda Pilot which used about 1/4 and the second was my 928. The 928 has leather everywhere including the hatch, headliner, pillars, handles etc so its more than the average. The conditioners on the other hand goes a long ways and I haven't used half yet.

Stealth 993

The stuff is great! Some of the best cleaner out there!!

Now, the type of sponge makes a big difference. Get a smaller sponge with big pores. Then use at least 1 oz to get prime it, then squeeze it a few times, it will foam. If it doesn't totally foam up, it will still work great.

If you are local to me, I'd be happy to show you how to use it.

TOGWT

[I've heard that microfibers grab the surface too much and you can potentially remove the color.]

This is correct if the upholstery is Aniline pigmented leather, with polyurathane covered leather micro fibre towels ar fine.

odgaard

go and get a kiwi shoe brush from walmart and use it to scrub on the leather. its boars hair, soft and lathers up the product like crazy

BimmFiniti

I really wonder if I got a "bum bottle" of this stuff? I haven't had a chance to it again based on this feedback, but I have not seen any evidence of any foaming and I was using quite a lot of product on a single seat bolster. I saw some other forum discussing a change in the product from clear to a pink-tinted liquid (which is what I received). Is everyone using the pink-tinted stuff?

Thanks for all the feedback, guys!

Stealth 993

I got the clear stuff.

Marine Blue

I didn't get any foaming either and I can't remember if mine is pink or clear. I'll check tonight when I get back.

Regardless, if you ignore the foaming issue and use it with a brush I think you will find the results are very good. Don't give up on it until you try the brush, its worked consistently well on the two cars I've used it on.