Hi,
I've recently bought a 2016 Mazda 3 Black Edition which has seats upholstered with what's described by Mazda as suede on the main facings
with leather on the edges (bolsters?).
Anyway, the car has only done 25,000 miles and the interior is very good apart from the suede on the drivers seat which looks worn in a couple of
small areas but I suspect it's actually just dirty and the nap on the suede has become crushed making it look a little shiny.
I'm not at all sure how to clean it and what I've found on-line is a bit contradictory. Does anyone have any advice on how and with what
to clean / revitalize it with?
John,
I would try Groom or a similar foaming product. If the 25k is genuine then the most likely thing wrong with the suede is that it's basically
dirty, has accepted a quantity of bodily fluids! (
) If you can "lift" that ground in grime out I suspect the suede (or PU suede or
whatever it is) will return to it's former shape & colour
I would obviously try a small area first & go through the full cleaning process allowing it to dry after, better to knacker a small bit than the
whole area, tho' I've never seen any fabric that didn't look better after scrubbing with Groom
Well normally with suede (I usually wear suede boots) you use a small copper wire brush and gently brush it to loosen up the fibers and get it back to
normal.
Unlike russbost's "bodily fluids" theory, suede just seems to turn to a matted almost leather like finish if it's just rubbed very
often, it's not a good finish for high wear area's.
However, mass produced car seats are usually some mutant textile mixture and may have never seen a cow! So I would tread very carefully. But I too
would use Groom and very gentle wire brushing. Work on only one panel at a time and get the whole panel damp not just a small patch or you'll end
up with a water stain when it dries.
Many years ago a way to clean grease from sheepskin jackets (Arthur Daley) was to lightly rub in some fullers earth leave it for a while then brush it with a stiff brush. Worked quite well, can you still get fullers earth though?
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
(I usually wear suede boots)
quote:
Originally posted by Dingz
can you still get fullers earth though?
Thanks for all the advice.
I contacted the manufactures of Groom but they said it wasn't recommended for Leather as it can cause it to dry out and possibly crack.
Although they hadn't specifically tried it on Suede they thought it may well have similar issues to leather so suggested I avoid it.
After much searching I've now ordered some Alcantara and Suede cleaner from Autobrite Direct. Gets good reviews on some detailing forums but
I'm not sure it isn't just a mixture of water and a mild detergent.
Apparently you apply it to a micrifibre cloth and then use this to clean the suede.
I'll let you know how it works.
John.