I have a 2015 RDX with the Technology Package, Parchment interior. The perforated portion of the back seat seems to have been stained, possibly because of the dye from our clothes. I've tried rubbing it out with just a paper towel and water, and not much of it came out. Would you guys recommend any products that I can use on the leather to remove the stain before I get it detailed?

I've attached a picture of the stain.

 

I have dark stains from my jeans as well. I tried to rub them off, but it's tough. Would rubbing alcohol be safe to use on our seats?

 

No, no and NO!

Get online and buy the proper product. I'm a fan of Leather Master because they have specific products created for each problem and leather type.

Color transfer is removed with something like this.

Thereafter you'll want to use the strong cleaner and finish off with barrier cream to keep dye transfer at bay.

The place I linked to may not be the cheapest (try detailer's domain or the like) but it has decent descriptions of what each product does. If you're ordering, then I'd suggest getting a bottle of the conditioner and a little bottle of ink remover - you'll want that on hand if you do get ink on your seats.

For the OP, the strong cleaner should pull those stains up - it doesn't look like dye transfer.

 

Thanks ceb. I also noticed dark stains from our pants on my driver's side leather and dirt on almost all of the seats. I don't know if I have the time to clean all of this. If I take it to my Acura dealer for a detailing, as the Crystal Black Pearl exterior is covered in scratches and swirl marks that I'd like to get rid of as well, will they be able to remove stains from my leather? Does anyone know what products they use? And is it likely that they will provide a loaner? I'm very busy on weekdays, the only days their detailing guy is available, and my dealership is the only one in town, so it's pretty busy most of the time.

 

I've used Meguiar’s Quik Interior Detailer. This worked for me on my grey leather seats (LEXUS IS350).

 

Do NOT got to the dealership for detailing. Most are clueless and will just pour some glaze on the paint. It'll look great for about two weeks.

Go to your regional forum and ask for recommendations on a detailer. A full detail with minor paint correction will take about one full day on an RDX.

 

Zaino has a leather cleaner and conditioner, works very well, takes blue jean stains out nicely. Zainostore.com.

 

At my shop, we have leather cleaners but what seems to work really well with removing jean blue dye transfer or other messes is ZEP carpet stain remover and a magic eraser. Just spray the Zep on the leather, rub with magic eraser and wipe away with a clean microfiber. Brings back the original color. I do recommend conditioning after though it's not a must.

Here's a picture of a customer's seat I was restoring. The entire bottom cushion looked like the right side.

 

Sure, and you can use a brillo pad and gasoline as well. The magic eraser is abrasive and the ZEP is a pretty harsh chemical.


While it might look fine right now, I suspect that it will start to look very worn and dirty very quickly. Automotive leathers are coated leathers and harsh chemicals and abrasives will damage that coating

 

Was the left side (Rh side of the car) treated? It still looks dirty to me. The other side is just plain disgusting. Although I would never recommend it, I see no problem with you using your cleaning technique on this particular car. The owner of it is a pig.

 

Methinks both the RH and the center were cleaned. The center portion gets the least use so it probably cleaned up with little scrubbing using the harsh ZEP. The passenger side probably required lots of scrubbing and the off color may actually show the damage that was done to the leather's finish where the chemicals already went through the finish and stained the leather.


But I agree, pouring gasoline on it and setting it on fire would have been fine for this car too.

 

good lord how does a car seat even get that disgusting?

 

Dye transfer and greasy fingers.

 

That was as good as that seat gets. No it doesn't show wear or stain marks from the Zep or we'd be out of business. It's been used on a lot of high end cars at my work from ferrari's to brand new range rovers to flood damaged cars.

But do as you please to remove that stain.

 

At this point the seat may be toast but Leatherique would certainly help.

FWIW, AutoGeek has a sale on leather cleaners this weekend.

 

I use Leatherique and agree that they have a good product. The Rejuvenator Oil works wonders on my Mustang seats which are semi-analine leather.
The Pristine Clean is a cleaner conditioner that works on leather, vinyl and rubber. It is suitable for use on the coated leather seats like those found in the Acura and the vast majority of cars claiming to have leather seats these days.

 

Leather conditioners can't really penetrate the leather's vinyl coating.
However after using abrasive cleaners which may have stripped some of the coating,a conditioner may help.

 

It isn't a "vinyl" coating.

 

This site below calls the coating vinyl.
I'll go with a clear plastic polyurethane like coating.

I use a water based product like Protectant 303 to get some matte shine and UV protection.
On light color leather I've used Leather Master Protection Cream which helps block stains and jean blue transfer making cleaning easier.


Leather Car Upholstery Care: Myths and Facts

 

Found this on Autopia forum.

Polyurethane (covered leather) does not completely seal leather per se; it’s a thermoplastic and therefore remains pliable to follow the flexing of the leather upholstery. The finishes have to remain somewhat porous (to allow hydration) A water-based product accomplishes this with an emulsion of micro droplets of oil (for surface lubrication) and water that permeate the leather finish and / or the polyurethane as the emulsions molecular structure is smaller than the molecules of the finished leather or the polyurethane covering. Hydration is important to ensure that the leather hide does not dry out as this would make the leather more liable to absorb stains / spillages. Once these are absorbed they can be impossible to remove."


Leather is a natural product and its surface contains pores, this helps the leather to breathe.
The surface of the leather, if looked at under a microscope, will show an uneven surface and when leather becomes soiled, the soiling embeds itself into the 'valleys' of the leather. Gentle agitation is what is required for cleaning, by rubbing hard on the leather surface; you will only push the dirt deeper into the leather.


"Why does the cream [my comment was about Leather Master] have oils?"
The oils are used as a surface lubricatant to ensure the leather / urethane surface is not abraded. Gentle agitation is what is required for cleaning, by rubbing hard on the leather surface; you will only push the dirt deeper into the leather.

Coated and uncoated leather care? - Page 2

 

The polyurethane coating is mildly hygroscopic but it's not really going to absorb much of anything that's spilled on it or rubbed on it.
Polyurethane was chosen because it's durable, flexible at temperature extremes, has good abrasion resistance and most importantly it's ability to repel ass sweat.

 

Depends on how long it's been on the leather. First thing I try is a little Woolite or Baby detergent, like Dreft, in water. If that doesn't work then order a specialized product for removing dye.

On a tangent, this is why I like textile seats. All you gotta do is shampoo them, plus they're cheaper. You'll save enough to buy a whole new seat in the future, if need be (which I did, once). Wife likes leather tho. My understanding is that automotive leather has so much plastic in it that it's closer to a synthetic product than a natural one. Otherwise it would wear much differently, like an old pair of boots or an old leather jacket, which I might actually prefer, if it were a thick enough leather.