Neatsfoot Oil and Saddle Soap

[tastade]

Has anyone used neatsfoot oil and saddle soap to care for their leather interior? If so, how did it work and what brands did you use? Might be a much cheaper alternative to expensive leather care products and equally as good.

Saddle soap is a glycerin mixture, similar to what museums use to restore old leather making it pliable again, and what horse riders use to keep their saddles in good shape. Neatsfoot oil is a conditioning oil used to prevent moisture from penetrating the leather causing mold growth and allow the fibers to slip on each other (keeping it flexible). I was just curious as to how well they worked for car interiors (and my couch in the house).

I actually think most of the leather care products you buy today have a glycerin based cleaner and a neatsfoot based conditioning oil. But they might add other items like beeswax to help give it a shiny look, etc. Any comments?

[pdxmotorhead]

Either buy the BMW stuff at the dealer or
Go directly to the Porsche dealer or a similar, Buy a product called "Hide Food" its the right blend of stuff for the German car leather. If your leather is silicone tanned and preserved you use silicone based cleaner and sealer, if its naturally tanned it needs a organic based preservative. If you cross them up it can rot the stiching in the leather as well as the leather itself.

Dave

[tastade]

Almost all leather conditioners are a blend of oils and fats and possibly waxes and a transport agent. The two most common oils are lanolin and neatsfoot, both replace fats into the leather that act as lubrication for the collagen fibers. Many leather conditioners are a mix of the two oils. Any of the conditioners can probably damage the stitching (notice how most say not to get excessive quanitites on the stitching).

Hide Food is a Lanolin based product with wax (to make the surface nice looking) and a transport agent like kerosene to make sure the oils penetrate deep into the leather (don't worry, the kerosene evaporates completely). Hide Food was also designed for top grain high quality leathers. The only problem I see is that the wax can build up and prevent the leather from breathing and become hard over time. If I had a Roll's or a Bently I would probably use this product, because I am sure it delivers nice looking results.

However, I was looking for a cheap suitable replacement that was equal quality. I will try the products out and let you guys know how they work. Just remember not to over treat your leather or it will get dark and nasty. It only needs so much oil.

As you probably know, almost any cleaner or conditioner in this country is just a name slapped on a relatively common and much cheaper product. For example, OxyClean just mixes with water to make a hydrogen peroxide bleach, substitute Scrubbing Bubbles with white vinegar solution, etc. These are a few quick example recipes: http://organizedhome.com/content-8.html that I haven't tested, just based off a quick google search for cleaner substitutes. My point is there is often a much cheaper substitute that is equally as good.

[tastade]

I used black shoe dye to re-color my worn leather seat bolster. It was black to begin with, but wore to a greyish worn look. The black leather shoe dye brought it back to a dark grey or black. It doesn't look as good as new, but it looks much better. I would like to find a better dye, this was just the sponge applicator bottle of kiwi from about any place that sells shoes.

I used a slightly different product for the the oil, I found Lexol-nf, which is a neatsfoot oil that doesn't darken, so it will work with my tan leather couch, and it also seemed to make the seat nice and pliable and soft. Most importantly this product doesn't contain wax (that I could find), which can build up and cause the leather to become brittle with time.

For cleaning I would suggest the Lexol PH balanced cleaner, it has a better PH value than the afformentioned saddle soap. The two of these combined around $20 for 1 liter of each (enough to last a long, long time), which is insanely cheap based on what other leather conditioners cost.

These products are purchaseable at most farm and tractor supply companies and other places that sell equestrian gear and other leather goods that need to be conditioned on a regular basis.

[El magnifico]

What about the nanotechnology leather cleaner stuff.


Yay or nay?

[tastade]

It is probably fine, but I wouldn't pay a lot for it based on the term "nanotechnology." Companies always use the latest buzzword to advertise their products to make them sound more exciting or better.

Here are a few examples.

Titanium. What is so great about titanium? Nothing, it can make light weight strong alloy metals, but what does a credit card or a jacket have to do with titanium? Nothing, but people associate it with expensive or tough. Does this mean anything when they use this to advertise a product? No, but it will encourage people to buy it. Silver, gold, and platinum are the same.

Turbo: Everything in the 80's was called turbo this or turbo that, even some stuff today, Gillette Mach3 Turbo. A turbo is a specific device, a turbine, that is turned by either air/fluid flow or by a shaft. What does this have to do with a razor? Nothing, but it sounds cool.

Space Age Material: Well this is meaningless, the space age has been around for over 40 years now. Do you want a space age computer from the 60's? Probably not.

Teflon: Why does an oil filter have teflon in it? I don't want teflon in my engine, as far as I am concerned teflon in my engine is a contaminate. If it is on my fry pan, that is okay. People associate the slipperiness of the fry pan with increased lubrication, but this is wrong. The oil itself will provide perfect lubrication unless it becomes contaminated with metal shavings, like teflon, or it becomes caustic to the metal from breaking down. The oil companies know which additives are beneficial and they put them in the oil.

Nanotechnology: Usually a term applied to using silicon transistor technologies to build microscopic moving parts, like silicon gears. In general this term means you are working with sub-micrometer scales. In a leather product? Who knows, it might mean that they just mix some chemicals together, as the elements in those chemicals are probably at a nano-scale. But this is true with any of the products. I wouldn't buy based on this. As I mentioned earlier, kerosene is a common transport agent to get the conditioner to the leather. The molecules of kerosene are small enough to be considered "nanotechnology." Maybe they just use kerosene (or an equivalent synthetic) and slap the name on it.

[El magnifico]

My dad got me to wipe my interior (dashboard etc) and leather on the seats with olive oil.

Yes. Thats right. Pure olive oil. He insisted it would saturate and protect everything better than most cleaners.

At first everything was TOO shiny and I was afraid it would hurt the leather, but after it completely dried I will say there is a nice soft sheen on the interior, though I dont know what the long term effects may be.

Any insight on this? Olive oil? Yay or nay?

[tastade]

There is no reason you cant use olive oil for a leather conditioner (search google for: olive oil leather), any oil should do the trick. However, I think it might be a little greasy to use on non-leather surfaces. It would make me hungry for Italian food.

The reason I use the Lexol is that it is primarily oil, it really doesn't have cleaners in it. What you want to avoid are waxed based products because the wax builds up and becomes hard and brittle (they do make for a nice finish though). Only use cleaners on leather if it needs it because it is dirty or has a lot of wax buildup, otherwise just use oils intended for leather.

As I said, olive oil will work, but if it spoils your car might smell really bad. My recommendation: Use an oil intended for leather, like neatsfoot or mineral oil.

Let us know what you think in a month. Also, did you use extra virgin or light? I would use light because it has been filtered more, has less smell, and is less likely to become rancid.

[kelso]

i am not 100% sure about using olive oil but isnt htat used for cooking? are you trying to cook your interior? your glass is acting as a magnifying glass and trapping heat inside your car and i personally think using a UV protectant that is created for your vehicle is a smarter choice. i am a detailer and i try to use the best products i can. for leather i usually use wolfgang leather conditioner massaged in by hand. for the rest of the interior i use either aerospace 303 protectant or DP interior protectant. both of these products block out UV rays that cause fading, crackin, drying out etc...
as a detailer i just have to recommend you use something DESIGNED to have the best effect on your interior. with that said, i have read a lot of people say you shouldnt use the hide care products, i cant remember why but ive just never used them anyways so i didnt look into it

[tastade]

The glass doesn't act as a magnifying glass, as it is not a lens. A magnifying glass looks like () from a profile view, where the glass is parallel on the outside and inside ||. It heats up the inside of the car because the sun puts out infrared energy that warms up the surfaces of the interior. The glass and body of the car prevent this heat from escaping so it keeps getting hotter and hotter inside.

Laminated tempered glass already blocks 95% of the UV, the dash doesn't really need much in the way of UV protection. I don't think I have ever seen a car with a faded interior unless the windows or sun-roof have been left open for extended periords while the car is parked. I think the best care for the dashboard is regular dusting, and cleaning with a mild soap. Any product on the dash board will evaporate and make the inside of the windows filmy. I hate cleaning the inside of my windows.

I don't see any reason to use a product DESIGNED to work on leather, as leather is a natural material. I would rather use a natural product that works on the leather. Leather tanning has been around for thousands of years, it is not like you need high tech substances to care for it. As stated though, I would suggest against olive oil as it could become rancid (mold), which could smell really bad.

The whole point of this thread was to avoid expensive leather care products. All leather really needs for care is an oil to lubricate the colligen fibers, and a reasonable cleaner to clean it. Let me say I have no problem with detailing the interior as you do, as I am sure the results are nice looking, it is just not what the intent of this thread was for.

[El magnifico]

I would just like to say that its been a week or so since I wiped the dash and interior with oliveoil and so far there has been no mold or foul odor. The dash is still gleaming as though the olive oil just dried

[tastade]

What kind of olive oil did you use? Extra virgin or Light? I imagine the light would also be less likely to mold as it is filtered more. Also, it might not mold at all. There are a lot of people using olive oil to care for their leather products. Just be sure not to apply it to frequenty, leather doesn't need a whole lot of conditioner. Only add as it dries out. If you get too much you are more likely to see mold and bacteria growth.

[cali-ti]

LOL ... from properautocare.com's website:

LEXOL-nf non-greasy neatsfoot formula will maintain all automotive leathers.

Long a favorite in the equestrian market to maintain saddles and tack, LEXOL-nf Neatsfoot Oil can be used to condition all leathers used in the automotive industry except suede or rough-finished leathers. It leaves no greasy, oily after-feel and no sticky residue to trap dirt in the leather's pores. The lubricants in LEXOL-nf penetrate easily into wet or dry leather bonding themselves to the fibers to maintain strength, flexibility and durability.

LEXOL-nf's unique characteristic is that it looks like oil, feels like oil, but when applied to leather, it penetrates quickly and leaves no oily residue on the surface. It doesn't stain clothing or adjoining materials and-unlike ordinary neatsfoof oil-is readily absorbed into wet leather.

According to Phil Meyers of LEXOL, there is no advantage or disadvantage of LEXOL-nf over LEXOL Leather Conditioner. Click here to see a factory tour of LEXOL and an interview with Dr. Don Jenkins and Phil Meyers: Leather cleaning & conditioning explained. LEXOL-nf and LEXOL Leather Conditioner accomplish the same end result but use different conditioning oils. LEXOL-nf is made with a highly modified oil derived from lard. The conditioning oil in Lexol Leather Conditioner is a synthetic Sperm Whale Oil.

Both LEXOL-nf and LEXOL Leather Conditioner will maintain the strength, beauty, utility and flexibility of leather - old and new - and restore resiliency to old or neglected leather that has become brittle.

so the question is, do you want lard-based or synthetic sperm whale oil? hmmmm ... that's a tough one!

good article on lexol and how to clean and condition leather: http://www.properautocare.com/leclcoex.html

[jggonzalez]

Originally Posted by kelso

i am a detailer and i try to use the best products i can. for leather i usually use wolfgang leather conditioner massaged in by hand. for the rest of the interior i use either aerospace 303 protectant or DP interior protectant. both of these products block out UV rays that cause fading, crackin, drying out etc...

I use Aerospace 303 on my dash, door interior, etc. Would it also protect the leather trim? What about treating the leather with Lexol and then a coating of Aerospace 303 a day later for UV protection?