Leatherique Prestine Clean
Chances are very good that if you have leather interior in your car, it’s probably in need of cleaning and conditioning. Most people realize this, but they simply don’t know what kind of products or processes are safe to use that will effectively clean their leather without potential damage.
Another issue is with the finish. When your car was brand new the leather had a nice, matte finish as it’s supposed to in its natural finished state. Unfortunately many cleaners and conditioners on the market today contain fillers and other additives that leave a shiny, and even sometimes a greasy finish. This is not a desirable result
Before we go into details of what Leatherique Prestine Clean is and how to use it, let’s first take a look at Leatherique the company. Founded by George Pavlisko Sr. back in the 1960’s, Leatherique was developed first and foremost for actual leather restoration; not for commercial gain. In the process Leatherique was born and has continually been heralded as the finest leather restoration and preservation products available. To this day, Leatherique is still owned and managed by George Pavlisko, Jr. Leatherique products are widely used in many of the top personal and private automobile collections and museums around the world, as well as being used by many of the experts in the field of leather care and preservation.
What Prestine Clean is:
Most people just think of Prestine Clean as the second step of the deep cleaning and conditioning process when used with Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil. For more information on the complete 2-step process, please read my tutorial on how to use the Rejuvenator Oil and Prestine Clean system.
What many people might not realize though is that Prestine Clean by itself is a very powerful (yet safe) and versatile all-in-one leather product, meaning that it cleans, conditions, and provides UV protection. Prestine Clean was created so the leather could readily absorb it to maximize the cleaning and conditioning power. After the Prestine Clean soaks deep in to the leather the surfactants help safely separate contaminates from the leather and force them to the surface for removal. Once the process is complete, Prestine Clean will leave your leather with a clean, matte finish that is noticeably soft to the touch. Leatherique Prestine Clean (and Rejuvenator Oil) works equally well on older lacquer coated leather (pre-1990-ish), or newer water based coated leather upholstery.
How to Use Prestine Clean:
Prestine Clean is actually very simple to use. First of all I would recommend either putting it into a spray bottle, or attaching a trigger sprayer to the bottle of Prestine Clean…this just makes it simpler to use.
For seats or other larger areas of leather like door panels or dash, just spray the Prestine Clean directly onto the surface. Once you have it coated, then massage the cleaner into the leather by hand making sure to get it into seams, cracks, and folds. For smaller areas, or places where you don’t want to get overspray, then you can either spray it first into your hands and then rub it into the leather, or spray it onto a soft cloth and work it in that way.
I’ll usually allow it to dwell on the surfaces for 15-30 minutes, and then come back and clean/wipe down the leather with a damp towel. Keep a bucket of warm water nearby so that you can frequently rinse out your towel with all of the dirt and grime that it removes. You’ll be amazed at how dirty the water will get by the end of the application! After I wipe down the section with the damp towel, I’ll lightly buff it with a clean dry towel to restore the natural luster. If the leather is exceptionally dirty, then you’ll want to consider using the complete Leatherique system with a full application of Rejuvenator Oil as well.
How Often Should I Use Prestine Clean?
Unlike other leather conditioners on the market, Prestine Clean won’t build up on the surface so you can use it as often as you feel necessary. A good rule of thumb is to use Prestine Clean once per month for daily drivers to keep the finish clean, soft, and supple. I like to use the two-step, deep cleaning and conditioning of Rejuvenator Oil and Prestine Clean once or twice per year, and then perform a maintenance cleaning and conditioning with Prestine Clean once per month.
Where Should I Use Prestine Clean?
As I said before, Prestine Clean is a versatile all-in-one product…you can use it on leather, leatherette, vinyl, and rubber surfaces of your car. I like to use it on leather seating surfaces, vinyl trim, rubber door seals, rubber window trim, and it even looks great on tires, too. Not only will it keep these surfaces clean and looking nice, but by treating window and door seals in particular, it will keep them soft and flexible to prevent leaks and to keep wind noise at bay. If you drive a convertible where your interior is constantly being bombarded with contaminants and harmful UV rays, you definitely want to make Prestine Clean a part of your normal detailing routine.
Images of Prestine Clean in Use:
This BMW M6 only had 7000 miles on the odometer, but already you could see that the leather was in need of some serious cleaning and conditioning.
Here I am applying the Prestine Clean and massaging into the surface of the leather by hand.
After removal you can see that the leather now has its original soft, matte finish restored.
Here is a very critical area of your car to keep clean and conditioned…the seal around your sunroof! As you can see, it’s looking a bit needy as well.
After Prestine Clean:
And don’t forget to treat your door and window seals to keep them flexible…this will help to keep down wind noise and to provide a better seal.
I find myself using Leatherique Prestine Clean on just about every car that I detail, including my own personal vehicles. It’s very easy to use, it has a long proven history, it’s quite versatile, and it works…well! This is one product that gets the Esoteric Detail stamp of approval every time. 🙂
If you have any additional questions or comments, or if you want to share the results you’ve had with Prestine Clean, please feel free to reply below.