




We tested the top cleaners to determine which will bring your leather seats to the next level.
Nothing adds a splash of class to your vehicle's interior like leather seats. They look and feel great, last a long time, and help resale value down the road. You want to keep those leather thrones looking as spiffy as possible, and luckily they're easy to clean. A simple vacuum session is a good start, and a wipe with almost any interior cleaner can't hurt.
However, leather seats do need some extra care to keep them looking and feeling their best. Cleaning your seats with leather-specific products can help remove a build-up of body oils, stains, and other grime, while also working to prevent cracking, discoloration, and other wear. For best results, always use leather conditioner in conjunction with leather cleaner. Some of the products in this list include conditioning properties, while others do not. Always double-check labels and purchase accordingly.
So if you really want that cowhide to pop, leather cleaner is what you need. But which one should you buy? There are many different brands to choose from, so we assembled 10 of the most popular to find out which ones work best.
Denizens of the Road & Track garage naturally keep their interiors clean, so it took some digging to find a vehicle with appropriately grubby leather seats. We decided on an old off-roading gladiator, a 2004 Land Rover Discovery, nicknamed "Timex," used in a beater test years ago. The tan interior leather was quite grubby, and our eyes grew wide with anticipation as we peered into the cabin. This would work well.
We taped off 10 sections along the rear seat to give the cleaners a level playing field. We also wanted to test out various types of stains on the leather seats in addition to the accumulated crud, so we picked up some brown crayons and lipstick and added a scribble of each to the various sections.
To test each product's ease of use and cleaning time, we kept the testing process simple: spray each cleaner onto its square, wait 10 seconds, rub for one minute with clean microfiber, and wipe clean. We took notes on each cleaner and determined which ones truly cleaned up the mess.
Here are our choices for the best car leather cleaners.
Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners for 2023
From: Car and Driver