Leather is made from a living thing unless it's fake or plastic leather made to look like genuine leather but isn't. It's the hide and skin of an animal, which means that it has properties you won't find from plant fiber like cotton or synthetic materials like vinyl and plastic.
Leather is more like a sponge thanks to all its pores when it was still animal skin. While your leather material upholstery for your car ceiling or seats is new, this sponge is filled with emollient oils.
This makes it soft and pliable, like a wet sponge. The salts of the human body, ultraviolet rays, and other factors can remove these oils from your sponge-like leather, ruining it.
Leather Cleaning and Conditioning
- Leather Is Tough But Only to a Certain Point: Leather is tough. This is why it's used in leather seats of any given car or the belt of your pants. However, once its emollient oils are removed from it, it ends up shrinking and becoming as brittle as cardboard. Once leather ends up brittle, it will crack instead of bend a la a dry sponge. You should therefore clean your leather up daily with products like KevianClean Leather Cleaner or some sort of leather conditioner.
- Finding the Right Leather Cleaner: The best leather cleaners are those that don't dry out the leather itself or else it defeats the purpose of maintenance and ensuring longevity. You need to clean out your leather every time because dirtiness can dry leather out to the point of brittleness. Gunk, sweat, and various other agents can lead to leather destruction when push comes to shove. Other substances can also harm your leather if left on the surface for too long, necessitating cleanup.
- The Importance of Leather Conditioner: Leather conditioner is what you use to keep your leather supple and bendable. Without it, its emollient oils will dissipate after much usage, especially if you let your leather to become dirty and dry. Leather without oils tends to be brittle, which means it's easier to crack with every use. Moisten your leather with conditioner to keep it soft and smooth. It's also your best bet when it comes to lengthening the lifespan of your upholstery.
- Testing Countless Cleaners and Conditioners: You should go for conditioners that are easily absorbed into the fibers of the leather while leaving a non-greasy soft patina when push comes to shove. The best conditioners are those that help restore even neglected leather. Cleaners that keep the leather supple are also the best, particularly those that have conditioner in them too. Both the conditioner and the cleaner should be able to penetrate deep into the leather's interior matrix to soften and preserve the material.