Your dirty hands, sweat, body oils, or clean hands with hand lotion end up making your beautiful steering wheel arguably the dirtiest place in your car.
When you neglect it, it will crack, peel, lose that smooth, soft, supple feel and look just plain terrible.
Fortunately, we're here to tell you that cleaning and maintaining a leather-wrapped steering wheel is quick and really, really easy.
In fact, it only takes 2 simple steps.
STEP 1
The first thing is to remove all that dirt and grime from the surface.
Take a damp cotton cloth and add a dab of leather cleaner (even those for shoes would work) and then gently wash the leather. BE GENTLE.
You don't need to rub it in hard and instead just gently bathe the leather. After rinsing the cotton cloth in a little water, wipe away the excess cleaner before proceeding to dry it off with a soft towel.
STEP 2
The next thing you need to do is replenish the oils in the leather in order to maintain that soft, flexible, and durable feeling.
For this, you use a leather conditioner. Now here’s the trick: the best tool/material for applying conditioner is … your bare hands.
Squeeze a coin-sized amount of conditioner into the palm of your hand, and gently massage it into the leather for a minute or so. If the conditioner is doing its job it may even end up softening your hands at the same time.
Then allow the oils in the conditioner to be absorbed into the leather for about 30 minutes before rubbing away excess material with a CLEAN towel.
Routine Maintenance: Quick Wipes
For routine cleaning we recommend the convenience that comes from pre-packaged quick wipes.
These actually eliminate the need for storing all of those spray bottles and towels. The best part of these pre-packaged quick wipes is that they have just the right amount of cleaner and conditioner in them so you can worry less about wiping off excess conditioner.
Quick Notes:
You should always try to make cleaning your steering wheel a regular habit, even if it isn't leather.
Your steering wheel is always being used and is sensitive to the elements (sun damage especially). Regular cleaning will also help to prevent dirt from getting a chance to build up.
This is a great habit to get into if you want to make sure your steering wheel won’t just continue to look good but will feel good in your grip as well.
Keep in mind that if you're specifically dealing with leather steering wheels, some leather conditioning products can actually end up making your leather steering wheel feel slippery for a few hours.
This makes for really unsafe driving. If you don't have the time to spare in order to allow the conditioner to dry, instead try buffing it with a towel.
FAQs on cleaning your Car
How do you get mould off of a steering wheel?
Removing mould from a steering wheel sometimes requires the use of dangerous chemicals that aren't very suitable for the interior of your vehicle. Before doing anything, make sure to be in a well-ventilated area for respiratory protection. Also, make sure to use protective gloves to protect your skin as well.
How can I remove scratches from a leather steering wheel?
The first step would be to rub the surface of the steering wheel with a soft cloth dipped in white vinegar. This will allow the vinegar to soak for a couple of minutes. Apply some leather dye or leather filler to the scratches with your fingers. This helps blend the scratches and make them invisible to the eye. Buff the steering wheel with colourless shoe polish, which will protect the leather from future scratches. Allow everything to sink in for about 24 hours for the best results.