Do you have a leather car seat? If so, you will want to read this article. There is a lot of misinformation on what you can and cannot use on your leather car seats and I’m going to address one of those common questions in this article.
Is Vaseline Good for Leather Car Seats? Vaseline can be used to make your leather car seats soft & supple, and also enhance the color of your leather car seats. It can also be used to make your leather car seats water-resistant while giving your leather car seats a shine. Vaseline, however, has a downside of sometimes causing rot and weakening the stitches on the leather car seats.
To learn more about the pros and cons of using vaseline on your leather car seats, keep reading this article.
The Pros And Cons Of Using Vaseline On Leather Car Seats
Vaseline comes in handy when you have a cut or scrape that needs to be protected. It can also be used on your skin for chapped lips and dry hands during the winter months.
However, some people are concerned about putting something like vaseline on their leather car seats because they think it will break down the material over time.
So I’m going to take you through the pros and cons of using vaseline on your leather car seats. Let’s get into it.
The Pros Of Using Vaseline On Leather Car Seats
1. Vaseline Is Great For Oil-Tanned Leather Car Seats
Vaseline has a lot of benefits for both people and furniture. One great benefit it can have for leather car seats, specifically, oil-tanned ones are that it will help protect them from water spots or stains when you get in from rain or snow.
Chances are the type of leather you have installed on your car seats is made from oil-tanned leather as they are very common in the automobile industry.
The oil-tanning process involves leather that is first chrome-tanned and then coated with extra oils and waxes.
This process makes the leather more resistant which is why it is commonly used for leather car seats.
Any chance you have to apply vaseline on your leather car seats is going to be an opportunity to reinforce or increase the resistance of the leather car seat.
It does this by coating the leather material so nothing can penetrate into the surface which would ruin its color and eventually crack the leather over time if left untreated.
2. Vaseline Will Cleanse The Leather Car Seats
Vaseline also has cleansing agents that would help to remove any residue or dirt that may have gathered on the surface of your leather car seats.
This is because one of the main ingredients in vaseline is petroleum distillates which is fantastic when it comes to removing organic compounds such as oils or grease.
The best part is vaseline can enter into the pores of the leather car seats and then cleans them of any dirt or grime.
This is a great way to remove anything that has been left behind after you spilled some food or drink in your vehicle leather seats which would otherwise destroy the good condition of your expensive leather material.
Vaseline not only cleans the leather car seats but also helps with repelling stains from coffee, juice, wine, and other substances which could ruin the leather car seats.
The cleansing agents in the vaseline will do their job by removing substances so nothing sticks onto the clean surface.
3. Vaseline Can Be Used To Put A Shine On Your Leather Car Seats
Most leather car seats will come with a subtle shine over their surface when they are new or have just been cleaning, conditioned, protected, or polished. This sort of shine tends to dull with time.
Using vaseline is a super cheap way to restore the shine on your leather car seats and make them look brand new.
The cleansing agents in the vaseline will do their job by removing substances so nothing sticks onto the clean surface.
Helpful to those who live with children, pets, and those who are clumsy around food. Besides removing substances, vaseline can also be used to put a shine on the leather car seats.
Simply take some of the vaseline and apply it with a rag or cloth And then you buff it up in a circular motion to create the shine. This is great for people who are looking for ways to protect their expensive vehicles without spending too much money when buying products.
4. Vaseline Can Remove Scratches From Leather Car Seats
Vaseline is also good for removing scratches from leather car seats. It can restore the original appearance of your car seat by filling in any imperfections and smoothing out scuff marks on the surface of your leather car seats.
Vaseline is able to do this for your leather car seats because it has properties that allow the vaseline to reach deep into the fibers of the leather and then rejuvenates it to restore any minor scratches or scuffs on your leather car seats.
This will allow the leather car seats to be more resistant to water damage. Vaseline has a softening effect that helps remove scuffs while ensuring you do not have dirt or grime left behind after applying it.
Using vaselines as an alternative source of protection for your leather car seats will ensure they are repelled because the oils produced when you apply vaseline creates a protective barrier over the surface of your leather car seat allowing nothing to penetrate it.
5. Vaseline Will Make Your Leather Car Seats Soft And Supple
Leather as a material contains essential oils that lubricate the fibers of the leather so that it remains supple and soft.
But these essential oils get seeped away gradually as you constantly use your car and the more your leather car seats get exposed to weather conditions.
Vaseline is a petroleum jelly that can be used as an alternative surface protector on your leather car seats.
Applying vaseline to the surface of your leather car seat will keep it soft and supple, which in turn provides protection against stains and water damage and also prevents your leather car seats from drying up.
If you are looking for a way to maintain your leather car seats without having to spend money at the auto shop, then vaseline may just fit what you’re looking for!
6. Vaseline Can Be Used To Enhance The Color Of Your leather Car Seats
Leather car seats will always lose some of their colorings over time-especially when exposed to UV rays. Applying vaseline over your leather car seats will help keep the color of it intact and vibrant for a longer period of time.
Also using vaseline is a great way to darken the color of your leather car seats that have seen their best days and make them solid and shiny again.
It does not matter what type of leather you have on your car seats, vaseline will help restore the color of your leather seats without the added efforts of applying dyes or any expensive products.
7. Vaseline Can Make Your Leather Car Seats Waterproof
Vaseline can not only help with the color of your leather car seats, but it also helps to make them waterproof. It does this by creating a barrier between the seat and water or moisture which in return will keep any kind of liquid from penetrating into the seat material.
This is great for those rainy days where you are driving home from work or school or even if someone spills their coffee on your seat while you were stopped at a red light!
There’s nothing worse than having that wet feeling when everything else has dried up leaving that gross sticky residue behind.
Vaselines help to prevent that too! You’ll be left with just one clean leather car seat without all of the extra effort involved in scrubbing away dirt and gr
The Cons Of Using Vaseline On Leather Car Seats
1. Vaseline Application On Leather Does NOT Last
When you apply Vaseline on your leather car seats it is almost immediately going to get absorbed and disappear.
Vaseline will not stay within the fibers of the leather to continue lubricating it for a soft and supple feel like the way a product like leather honey would do for your leather items.
So you will find you’re self going against the recommended 3 times a year when it comes to conditioning leather.
All the good things I have mentioned about vaseline when you apply it to your leather car seats are only temporary.
Meaning vaseline cannot permanently keep your car seats clean, dry, and protected without you reapplying them over and over and over again.
And by doing so, it can cause your leather car seats fibers to be weakened. More on this later.
2. Vaseline Can Promote Rot On Leather Car Seats
The use of vaseline on leather car seats will promote rot. The petroleum-based chemicals used in the oil can weaken and break down your leather’s fibers over time, which in turn leads to a dry cracking surface with an unclean finish.
This is because the oils from the vaseline are not able to absorb into the leather like it does for human hands or other surfaces that don’t have as much natural protection against moisture loss such as rubber tires.
But the rot does not happen immediately. It can take a while before the damage becomes noticeable.
3. Vaseline Cannot Penetrate Deeply Into The Leather
Whenever you condition or oil your leather items it is always important for the oil or condition to have the quality of being able to seep in deeply into the leather fibers.
It is this way that the leather is going to benefit from the treatment you are giving to it.
But due to the nature of vaseline, it cannot penetrate deeply. This means that the effect is going to be limited and so it will not last very long before you need to repeat the process again.
4. Vaseline May Sometimes Weaken The Leather Seat
While using vaseline on your car leather seats may have a lot of benefits it can in some cases gradually break down the fibers and cause them to lose their tensile strength.
The way this happens is that the fibers in the leather become swollen as it expands and then gradually causing the leather car seats to lose their ability to hold up. The leather seats become saggy and develop dents pretty quickly.
If vaseline use is not limited or the leather is not properly treated it can lead to leather cracking and peeling which can be irreparable.
The damage will not stay only with the leather material but will also move on to weaken the stitchings on the leather car seats. One way around this is not to use too much vaseline on your leather seats too frequently.
How To Use Vaseline On Leather Car Seats
Step 1
- Dust off any particles or debris from your leather car seat.
Step 2
- Put a liberal amount of vaseline on a microfiber cloth and start to rub it on your leather car seats maintaining a circular motion.
- Continue to apply vaseline until it is wet and all of the areas that need protecting have been covered.
Step 3
- Allow time for the vaseline to dry before driving your car, this can take up to an hour but usually takes less than thirty minutes.
- This will ensure that you don’t damage your leather seats with any dirt or dust when getting into them later on because they were not protected properly when they are still drying.
Step 4 (Optional)
- If there are any scratches you want to cover just use some more Vaseline and spread it over those areas too!