Top Tips For Caring For Your Leather Car Seats

You rewarded yourself when you purchased your Nissan vehicle and chose to enjoy the premium comfort offered by leather seats. However, daily commutes aren't exactly friendly to your seating surfaces -- especially if you have kids or pets that tend to make unsightly messes. Fortunately, we're here with some sound advice on cleaning and maintaining your seats.

First, Clean The Seats Thoroughly

For this, you'll need some supplies. Those include a vacuum cleaner (you can find one at your local car wash, or use a small hand-held vac), a microfiber cloth, a soft bristle brush, leather cleaner, and leather conditioner. From there, it's a simple matter of following these steps:

• This may sound blatantly obvious, but remove any large obstacles and pieces of debris.
• Vacuum the seats thoroughly, making sure to focus on any crevices and crannies where crumbs and debris can hide.
• f this is the first time you're using the cleaning solution, make sure to perform a spot test in a hidden section of the seats to confirm that it's not going to stain or otherwise ruin the surface.
• Once you're sure that the cleaning solution will work as intended, apply some to the microfiber cloth and wipe the seating surfaces down. This will help remove stubborn residues that may remain after the vacuuming.
• Using the brush, gently apply the cleaning solution to the remainder of the seating surfaces and work it into a lather. Take care not to saturate the material, though, and work your way through in small sections.
• Wipe the seats with a slightly damp towel. Make sure they're dry before you move on to the next step, though, to prevent any cracks or wrinkles from forming.
• Finish by applying the leather conditioner, according to the directions on the label. Again, we recommend working with a very small test spot first, before diving into treating all of your seats.

Other Things to Consider

If you choose a leather conditioner that includes some type of sun protection you'll add another layer of protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. Another way to shield your leather seats from those rays is to add sunshades. These go a step beyond simple sun visors, in that they're designed to reflect the heat and UV rays away from your passenger cabin.

Keep some microfiber cloths handy also helps, since you can quickly clean up any spills before they set into the leather surface and cause discolorations. Additionally, making a practice of regularly vacuuming your Nissan vehicle's interior with a soft brush attachment can go a long way in reducing the need for a deep cleaning.

Lastly, consider installing a set of seat covers. While this may seem counterintuitive when you've chosen leather seats, they're a great way to keep the seats in prime condition as your child or puppy grows. Then, once it's safe, you can remove the seat covers and enjoy your premium seating. As a bonus, seat covers come in a variety of designs and materials -- so it's easy to find some that speak to your personal style. They're also a lot easier -- and more affordable -- to replace than the factory leather!