If there’s one way to quickly upgrade the interior of your vehicle it is with leather seats. The material is more elegant than fabric, plus, it is easier to clean. However, the one major downside to leather seating is, if not properly taken care of, the leather can crack, flake away and completely fall apart. Cracked leather seating not only is unsightly, but it reduces the trade-in value of your vehicle. Thankfully, it isn’t difficult to maintain your leather seats, as long as you follow these simple car maintenance tips:
Block Out Direct Sunlight
Leather cracks and chips away because it dries out. It is your job to prevent the leather from drying out. While heat is one issue you can’t completely avoid (outside of investing in tinted windows, which can help reflect away some of the heat), you can cut down on the amount of direct sunlight reaching the interior of your car.
First, if you can, park in the shade. If you have a garage, make sure to park inside. If covered parking isn’t an option, make sure to have a window shade on hand. This will go in the front window when you are parked and will block the light. This not only protects your leather seating, but the front dash as well (while cutting down on the internal car temperature).
Leather Moisturizer
There are a few ways you can go about adding moisture to your seat leather. The easiest way to do this is to invest in leather wipes. You can purchase packs of leather moisturizing wipes from nearly any grocery store that carries automotive items. These wipes will clean your car seats while moisturizing the seats at the same time. You should use them once a week or so and immediately after any spills.
It is important to avoid using any other cleaners on your leather seating that is not made for leather. Most other cleaners will dry out the leather and lead to cracking.
Seat Covers
You didn’t invest in leather seating to cover the leather up. However, there are times where you will want to take advantage of seat covers or protectors. If you have pets that will be in the car, you’ll want to put down pet seat covers, which will protect against claws and dirt. You will want to vacuum your car seats after pets have been in the car. If you have children, vacuum at least once a week to remove debris that might later on scratch the leather.
These basic car maintenance tips take just a few minutes of your time and will go a long way in extending the life of your seat leather. It doesn’t matter if you just purchased your vehicle or you’ve owned it for several years, the sooner you implement these car maintenance tips the better off your leather seating will be. For more tips on how to properly operate and care for your car, check out these blog posts: