CHEMICAL GUYS Leather Cleaner - Leather Serum

• Products: Leather Cleaner, Leather Serum
• Manufacturer: CHEMICAL GUYS.
• Packaging: 473ml.

CHEMICAL GUYS is a well-known general brand, famous for its shampoos, waxes, and Quick Detailers. It is much less known for its interior products, particularly those dedicated to leather, yet they are very good.

Today we will focus on Leather Cleaner, a leather cleaner, as well as Leather Serum, the synthetic protection treatment. Two major references, essential for the maintenance and protection of your recent leather surfaces.


Presentation:

Leather Cleaner is the mandatory step before applying any type of treatment to your leather. Cleaning leather also cannot be done just any way. You should not use aggressive detergent products as you risk degrading the pH of your leather.

Leather Cleaner has a neutral pH so it will not alter your leather. It comes in a ready-to-use, liquid format, and can be sprayed directly onto surfaces. It will be safe for all types of smooth pigmented leathers (avoid aniline leathers, which are almost never found in the automotive field).

You can simply spray Leather Cleaner onto a part of a leather element in your car and then work it in with a microfiber, but we strongly recommend using a cleaning brush to go even deeper.





The effective action of Leather Cleaner on leather is noticed very quickly — the foam produced comes out quite dark. The smell is not unpleasant. The advantage of having a very liquid product like Leather Cleaner is that you can work it well with the brush and thus cover a larger surface area.



Wiping is very simple; Leather Cleaner does not penetrate the leather too much and there are no long-lasting moisture traces to wipe away. The cleaning result is undeniable. The white leather of the test vehicle (which is not actual animal leather) regains its original whiteness. The look and feel also change completely. You get a feel consistent with the original — nicely silky, with no greasy appearance.



Even on ingrained dirt (grease marks, etc.), Leather Cleaner is very effective.





Don't forget to treat the control elements (steering wheel, gear knob, handbrake, door pulls and handles) which are always heavily used.



Once your leather is perfectly clean, it will of course need to be treated. Our test vehicle being very recent, our choice will therefore be Leather Serum by CHEMICAL GUYS.
Indeed, on recent leathers (less than 3 years old), you will simply use a protective solution and not a nourishing lotion such as Leather Conditioner. This latter product will be used for leathers over 3 years old or those that need to be nourished (prolonged sun exposure, etc.).



Leather Serum is therefore a protection product only. It does not nourish your leather.
It will protect your leather from the sun with a UV-barrier to prevent drying out in particular, and will also limit color transfer.

This product will therefore be very strongly recommended for light, new to recent leathers, and we would even say essential on white leathers like our test vehicle.

Application is very simple. Pour a hazelnut-sized amount of product onto a microfiber applicator. You will notice a creamy texture that will make spreading easier. Also, Leather Serum has a scent that is reminiscent of leather. It is synthetic, of course, but like its counterpart Leather Conditioner, it smells a little like leather.



There is no point in over-applying Leather Serum. A thin layer is enough. You will see a wet-looking surface which is perfectly normal but will disappear on its own. You should not wipe the product off immediately but let it penetrate the leather.





Make sure to particularly cover the control elements and the outer seat bolsters once again. These are heavily used elements subject to abrasion.





If after 10–15 minutes you still see a slight product haze, wipe the excess with a dry microfiber. Leather Serum proves to be a truly good product as it leaves no residue, preserves the natural matte appearance of surfaces, and does not make treated surfaces greasy to the touch. This is typically what one expects from a protection product. You will have both protection and a like-new appearance.


General conclusion:

CHEMICAL GUYS offers us a great combination of products for leather. Always simple and effective products, in ready-to-use format. Usable on all types of leather, Leather Cleaner and Leather Serum will be perfect for your regular maintenance.
The effectiveness of Leather Cleaner is truly impressive regardless of the level of dirt. It will thus suit old leathers with a lot of grime or recent ones before applying a treatment.
Leather Serum is also strongly recommended for its protection and ease of use. No possible mistakes as with ceramic treatments, for example. Here, you spread it and that's it. It couldn't be simpler.

In terms of pricing, both products are well positioned. Comparing to products from a well-known leather specialist brand COLOURLOCK, Leather Cleaner is offered at €14.95 for 473ml, unlike the €18 for 200ml charged by COLOURLOCK for their powerful cleaner. Interesting indeed.
Same for Leather Serum with a listed price of €29.95 for 473ml compared to €15 for 150ml of the COLOURLOCK leather sealant.

An excellent choice, this combination of CHEMICAL GUYS products, for everyone who cares about maintaining their leather interior.

Advantages

+ Effectiveness (Leather Cleaner!).
+ Pricing
+ Scent (Leather Serum).
+ Ease of use.

Disadvantages

- None