Perforated leather seats are seats covered with leather that have tiny holes in them. With this type of material, seat heating and cooling systems can operate perfectly. The car will also be well ventilated to provide optimal comforts for passengers. In a word, perforated leather seats permit “breathability.”

While having perforated leather seats might be nice, it comes with great responsibility. The seats in the car are prone to getting dirty from food drops, dust, grime, specks of dirt, and even pet hairs. This dirt can accumulate over time and block the holes in the seats. For this reason, you must have a cleaning schedule always to clean the seats of your car and not just the exteriors.

For optimal care and maintenance of the perforated leather seats in your car, this article explores simple and quick steps that would help you get rid of the dirt.

Leather car seat

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Step 1: Choose a suitable leather cleaner

Using the wrong leather cleaner on your car seats can cause premature damage. Not all leather cleaners are suitable for your car seats because leather is a very delicate material. Some leather cleaners’ formulas are too harsh, while others are mild. So, instead of purchasing a leather cleaner and applying it all over your car seats immediately, you could test it on a small area first. The performance of the leather cleaner on that small area will determine the use of the cleaner on all your car seats.

Step 2: Use a vacuum cleaner

Vacuum cleaning is the most important step in cleaning your perforated leather seats. With a vacuum cleaner, you can conveniently get rid of the visible dirt on the surface of the seats. To do a thorough job, vacuum all the folded areas and crevices of the seats, the legs, and the headrest. The parts we just mentioned are often forgotten during vacuuming. You can purchase portable vacuum cleaners from Amazon or any tool shop near you if you don’t have one.

Bissell, 1782 Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Hand and Car Vacuum
Images courtesy of Bissel

Step 3: Wipe the seats with a damp towel

Vacuum cleaners cannot cater to greasy stains on your perforated leather seats. Hence, take a dry towel, apply little soap and water, squeeze out the water so that the towel is just damp, and gently scrub off the grease from your car seats. Ensure that you remove all the moisture from the towel to prevent your car seats from getting moist and damaged.

Step 4: Apply leather cleaner

The leather cleaner that you choose in step one is needed in this step. Please read the manufacturers’ instructions on the label of the leather cleaner and apply it according to the instructions. Scrub gently to avoid damaging your car seats

However, if you couldn’t find any leather cleaner that suits your taste, you could make one with ingredients found in your kitchen. Equal portions of vinegar and water can do the trick of serving as a leather cleaner. After mixing the solution, sprinkle little quantities all over your car seats and allow the seats to absorb the solution for a while. Afterward, take a damp cloth and wipe off the solution.

Another homemade mix you can use is baking soda and water—mix baking soda and water in a ratio of 3 to 2 to form a paste. Rub the mixture on your car seats and use a damp towel to wipe off the paste. Olive oil also works, but people don’t use it because they fear getting too much grease on their car seats.

Step 5: Clean seats with a microfiber towel

Now that you’ve gotten rid of most dirt, clean your car seats with a microfiber towel to dry them properly. Microfiber towels were created for this reason which is to absorb moisture without leaving smudges behind. Wipe off every area with the microfiber cloth to give your car seats a thorough cleaning.

Microfibres towel

Step 6: Condition the leather seats

To condition the leather seats mean to make the seats breathable again. Conditioning the leather is very important to restore your car seats’ beauty by making them sleeker and finer. To do so, apply a small quantity of Vaseline all over your car seats with a clean cloth. Allow the Vaseline to sit for three hours before using another clean microfiber cloth to wipe off the excess. After this process, you will see your car seats shining and smelling nice.

Step 7: Clean the seats again

After conditioning, you must clean your seats again with the leather cleaner or homemade leather cleaner. This is done to improve and contain the optimal moisture content and keep your seats feeling fresh, clean, and warm.

Meguiar's spray
Images courtesy of Meguiar’s

Final thoughts

Most car owners are only concerned about maintaining the exteriors of their vehicles than the interiors, which is why they usually end up with clogged perforated leather car seats. This article is for you if you want to enjoy long car rides and promote ventilation in your car. With the steps listed above, you can successfully and conveniently maintain the health of your perforated leather car seats.

If you don’t want to buy leather cleaners, you can use your homemade ingredients as described above. Whichever you choose, make sure you are intentional about cleaning your leather car seats

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Pavlo Prannyk
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