Q — The leather in my car is very hard from many years in the Florida heat and the seams are starting to pull apart. I tried some leather creams and treatments but the leather is still hard and the little perforated holes in the seat cushions got clogged with the treatment. I paid my son and his friend $10.00 just to clean all those little holes with toothpicks. Got any ideas? Bill
For this cure, you will need to practice patience. Remember it took years to dry out so don’t expect it to soften up overnight. I have had old leather come back to life with repetitive coats of “neatsfoot oil”. You can buy it at the hardware store but I get mine at the local saddlery (Horse people definitely know how to take care of leather.)
It will take a while for the treatment to soak in so plan to do it when you know that you won’t be using the car for a day or so. Paint it on with a natural bristle paint brush. You will notice how it soaks into the leather at different rates. Expect to recoat the neediest areas and wipe the excess off the places where it does not soak in. In some cases, you might discover that it does not soak in at. It is possible that your leather seats may actually be part vinyl. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt vinyl.
After a few applications you will begin to notice the difference and in a few months, your hard seats will soften up again. Incidentally, if you want to apply a more intensive heavier coat, you can cover the seats with plastic for a day or so. This also allows you to drive the car if you can’t wait for it to soak in. –MC