Cleaning steering wheel
 

Hi all , what's the best way of cleaning a beige leather steering wheel (ford), its got years of grime on it,especially around the stitching and it currently covered with a cover(see pic), I just want to try and clean it without it going sticky.

I would use Autoglym leather cleaner, worked well on mine.

If it's really grimy, I don't think leather cleaner will get to the bottom of it. I used Jif cream cleanser and a toothbrush to get into the stitching and grainy bits - worked perfectly. Just be careful because the toothbrush tends to spray it about a bit!

Mike

Dr. Leather wipes, all valeting sites have them for sale, also Ebay, best thing on the market for leather. Cleans and conditions all in one.

I used a bar of Vanish and a nail brush. Brought all the dirt out.

Ordinary washing powder (the kind you put in a washing machine, non-bio) in warm water, and a sponge bob, worked perfectly for mine. Water went grey very quickly, had to change it twice - the wheel came up like new.

I've used a lot of leather cleaners but the least expensive and best was Astonish leather cleaner ; in a small brown plastic bottle ~£2.50 in Home Bargains. Great for lifting grime.

A word of caution with Vanish.
Although I had good results on the steering wheel with Vanish (it was really grubby and worn after 170k+ miles) I also used it on the leather seats, and to be honest, I think it is can be a bit too abrasive. It bought the seats up really clean but I thing they were starting to look a bit pale after a few months. Maybe it took a sealing layer off and maybe I should have treated them after cleaning with some leather feed or balm???????

Yes Vanish is harsh and if your lacquer was wearing thin it would have removed the rest of it. At that point a solvent aerosol leather lacquer would have been best to apply, then you would have sealed it for years to come.

With cleaning a steering wheel you have to be a bit careful as the finish can easily be damaged. But what can you do you have to clean it right. It's all about common sense and knowing if your making things worse or not. Things can be restored but at what point it is too far gone :eek:

You can't go wrong using strong leather cleaners and a mid strength brush to clean the seats and steering wheel. Halfords used to do these but the bay still have them - they are what I use! http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_fr...&_sacat=179459

Leather is delicate, i would suggest using a dedicated leather cleaner, the autoglym one i suggested cleaned my wheel no problem at all.