Got Leather?
Written: Jun 03 '03 (Updated Jun 12 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, Effective, Non greasy, Availability.
Cons: Price, could come with larger sheets.
The Bottom Line: If you own leather seats Armor All Leather Wipes are a must have.
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| shoplmart's Full Review: Armor All Leather Wipes |
If your vehicle is equipped with leather seats you undoubtedly know how difficult it can be to remove those stubborn stains from spills, dirt, and those dreaded sweat stains, especially on light colored leather. When I owned my 1989 Mercury Sable with leather seats, I resorted many times to using harsh cleaning products just to get the stains/grime out of my seats. Enter Armor All Leather Wipes; the not so harsh way to clean leather surfaces.
The Product:
Armor All Leather wipes are designed to clean and protect the leather in your vehicle; whether it be your leather seating surfaces, the leather on your dash, doors, etc. Armor All claims that this product will clean leather while protecting it from future abuse (such as spills) at the same time. Armor All also claims that with habitual use of this product your leather seats will remain "looking like new." Armor All Leather Wipes come in a tube containing 20 perforated 7"x9" disposable wipes; enough for approximately 10 usages in a midsized family/luxury car.
Note: This product can be used on all types of leather surfaces, however this product can not be used on suede or unfinished leather
My Experience:
I use these wipes wherever there is treated leather. I started using Armor All Leather Wipes on just the leather seats in my 1989 Sable, however I furthered the use of these wipes to the pleather dash in my Geo Storm, leather steering wheel, some of my leather home furniture, and have even used this product on my shoes (Armor All does not claim that this product is designed for other uses besides automotive). In all cases, Armor All Wipes have done an excellent job removing dirt, grime, sweat stains, etc.
This product is a breeze to use. Unlike many conventional leather cleaning products, Armor All Leather Wipes can be used without any major planning. To explain, instead of having to find a cloth, worrying about over spray, waiting for the product to dry, etc. you can simply just wipe away the grime with one or two sheets (depending on how much leather is in your car, or how dirty the leather is) without all the fuss (this product dries almost instantly). Thanks to the wipe design, cleaning those hard to reach areas such as in-between the seat and the shifter is made simple. This product also works so well that it does not require me to use 100% of my muscles just to get a stain out of the leather. Even though Armor All claims that a second treatment may be necessary, I have never had to go over any leather surface more than once (except for one occasion when grease was spilled on the passenger's seat). Armor All Leather Wipes also scores huge bonus points for not negatively affecting surrounding areas of the leather. For example, If you accidentally wipe a plastic portion of your car the product will not leave a noticeable mark or streak.
So is the product greasy? This was my biggest concern prior to using Armor All Leather Wipes. Luckily the product does not leave any sort of greasy residue after use. Even though treated leather surfaces will get a high gloss for the first few days post treatment, it will not make your leather seats feel like they have been polished with motor oil (so common with many leather cleaners/protectors).
As for 'protection', the product seems to be doing its job. I have no cracks in my Storm's pleather dash, and it had worked wonders on my Mercury Sable's leather seating surfaces; keeping them looking and feeling like new. In-fact when I sold my Mercury Sable the buyer asked me if I had replaced the leather seats, this was after years of those leather seats being neglected by previous owners.
The smell of the product is very light an pleasant. For the first few hours after using Armor All Leather Wipes you may find this light smell to linger in your automobile, however this is usually very short lived. While I personally like the smell of this product, many owners will probably be happy to know that the smell will not linger in their vehicles or wherever it is used for more than a few hours.
Price/Availability:
My only minor gripes about this product would be the price. While Wal-Mart carries this product for $3.99, many stores sell this product for a whopping $5.99, i.e. grocery stores. If you have a large luxury car and like to clean your leather every week, using 2-3 sheets (which is sometimes necessary to clean all leather surfaces in a vehicle) only provides you with a couple months of use. $5.99 every two months seems a little steep for just leather maintenance. It would be thoughtful if Armor All could throw in a few more sheets at no extra cost. If you are looking for this product, it can be purchased at just about anyplace automotive products are sold.
Final Thoughts:
Since many of us (including me) have leather cleaning phobia, Armor All Wipes is a great addition to your car care collection. The product works as advertised, and with superior ease versus conventional leather cleaning products. This Armor All product is recommended 100%.
Note: A huge thanks to Scmrak for adding the entire line of Armor All Wipes to our database!
Liked this review? You also might like to read my review on Armor All Glass Wipes.
-Thanks for reading
Recommended:
Yes
Ease of Application: Good; takes little time to apply
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