Recommendations for products please

[offyourmarks]

Hello all

I am a Zymol Detailer, based in the UK - www.offyourmarks.com

I would like to take my leather treatment to the next level

So far i either use Zymol when on a zymol detail and gliptone on a non zymol detail. I only clean and condition the seats using those products

I would like to arm myself with a more comprehensive range to allo greater results

ie - ink removal, crease reduction, lifting tired or flattened leather, improvement in colour

please can someone outline a range i could invest in and also where to purchase from

many thanks in advance

[Roger Koh]

Dear offyourmarks,

Welcome to the forum.
Here is the full arsenal of leather care products to bring your services to the next level.

Leather Doctor® products suffix indicates their pH value.
A pH of 7 is neutral, a pH above 7 indicates alkalinity and a pH below 7 indicates acidity.
However, leather neutral pH value ranges from 3 - 5.
Cleaning products within pH value of 3 - 5 are therefore leather pH neutral.
Products used outside the leather neutral range have to be neutralized as soon as they accomplish their specific tasks.
Alkalinity may result in stickiness, sliminess, bleeding, marks and streaks.
Alkaline cleaning solutions may cause damages to leather finishes, as well as the leather itself.
Dry solvency may remove the fatliquor, leaving the leather dry and stiff.
It may also remove the plasticizer from the finished leather that result in stiffness and micro cracks with continuous usage.
Therefore always use leather pH neutral 3 - 5 cleaning products for leather’s integrity sake.

pH neutralizer such as acidifier2.0™ or basifier8.5™;
is equally essential to rectify extreme exposure outside the leather pH neutral range of 3 - 5.
When leather or suede goes sticky or slimy,
it is often associated with alkaline exposure and can be rectified with acidifier2.0™.

Specialty products include spew removers, antimicrobial, mothproofing and surface wetting agent.
Spews are oily constituents of leather that migrate to the surface grains as white gummy deposits.
Cleaning with spew4.8™ or spew9.6™ removes and blocks future migration.
Antimicrobial treatment by mold3.6™ is vital to control the growth of mold and
other bacteria activities commonly found in leather that is stored away.
Mothproofing with mothProof4.0™ is designed for feather,
wool or hair to repel insect laying larvae that feast on these protein rich fibers.
Surface wetting agent with surfactant3.6™ helps to wet out the surface tension especially on nubuck,
aniline or semi-aniline leather to achieve an even appearance without the blotchiness when dry.

Spots are foreign material adding substance.
Stains may be left after removal of spots.
Spotters are specifically formulated agents to treat isolated spots and stains which do not response to normal cleaning.
Discoloration is a color loss spot that require a color touch-up.
Spotting agents are specially developed such as
blood9.9™, ink7.7™, protein11.0™, spotter4.6™, tannin3.5™, tarnish1.3™, urea2.1™ and deYellow7.0™.

To deodorize is to get rid of unpleasant odor.
It is also important to identify the odor type and its severity before selecting the appropriate removers.
Body odors are a residual combination of perspiration and body oils that require deOdor4.4™
used in conjunction with deGreaser3.1™ or deGreaser4.1™.
Smoke odors, derive from micron size sticky smoke residue that lodged on leather porous surface,
need deSmoke4.8™ in conjunction with either superCleaner4.0™ or ultraCleaner4.5™.
These deodorizers double up as booster for removing these contaminants besides masking and pairing the unpleasant odor.
Effective urea odor removal requires a series of step that include urea2.1™ to neutralize the ammonia and alkali phosphorus salt,
a bio-enzymatic digester deUrea4.7™ to break down its complex molecules; followed by residual removal with protein11.0™.

Preconditioners are preparatory solutions generally used on heavy soiling while degreasers are primarily used on heavy greasy soils.
Both have to allow sufficient “dwell time” for complete soil de-flocculation to occur and
should not be allowed to dry before soil extraction takes place.
degreaser3.1™ is designed for pH or dye sensitive leathers like suede, nubuck, aniline or pure unfinished leather to allow for longer, deeper penetration.
deGreaser4.1™ is designed for the pigmented varieties including napa and semi-aniline.
deGreaser5.0™ is specifically designed to degrease traces of lanolin that yellows woolskin including shearling, sheepskin and hair-on.
When preconditioner for all leather type is necessary for heavy soiling, always start with preCleaner3.7™.
When comes to severe heavy soiling use superCleaner4.0™ on sensitive leathers and ultraCleaner4.5™ on pigmented leather varieties.
cleaner3.8™ always follows after degreasers and preconditioners to remove remaining sticky residues.

For maintenance, cleaner3.8™ is designed to clean and relax all leather types including
unfinished veg-tan, suede, nubuck, aniline and pigmented fashion varieties.
rinse3.0™ always follows to remove remaining residues and to acidify the leather chemistry integrity.
shearling5.5™ is a mild disinfectant and cleaner designed for all woolskin that includes shearling and sheepskin.
And hair-On5.0™ is designed for all hair-on furnishings and rugs.
rinse4.0™ always follow after these protein cleaners to remove remaining residues and to acidify the protein structure integrity.

Conditioners are classed as preprimary, primary, secondary or tertiary.
relaxer3.3™ is a preprimary conditioner developed to soften cardboard stiffness and shrinkage due to heat over exposure prior to fatliquor5.0™.
Fatliquor is the primary conditioner done in the tannery to lubricate the leather structure for flexibility and softness.
All leather types have to undergo this fatliquoring process, some more and some less, to fit its end usage and purpose.
Fatliquor is the life-blood of leather.
fatliquor5.0™ is developed as a spray version of the tannery fatliquoring, it replenishes fatliquor that diminish through ageing and cleaning.
Secondary conditioner like oil or wax is reintroduced into the leather during retannage.
Emulsified oilEffect63™ or waxEffect95™ is oil or wax designed to replenish diminishing pull-up effect.
Tertiary conditioner is designed to enhance the leather’s sensuality with a characteristic tactile feel
and to impart a classic unforgettable leather scent.
butteryFeel76™ is characteristic to all varieties of pigmented leathers including napa, semi-aniline and pigmented.
draggyFeel79™ where “taber abrasion resistance” is a feature is always associated with unfinished veg-tan, bicast, wax pull-up and leather floor.
silkyFeel43™ is a natural feel for nubuck and waxyFeel47™ goes with suede and aniline leathers.
The ultimate of sensuous leather is the scent, which has been sought after through the centuries.
Today leather scents are also available as perfumes and cologne by famous perfume houses.
leatherScent’B™, leatherScent’D™, leatherScent’S™ and leatherScent’W™ are specially designed to be “more leathery than the leather itself”!

You point out about “crease reduction, lifting tired or flattened leather”
These are symptoms of diminishing fatliquor and fatliquor5.0™ is an important consideration.
If the leather is dry stiff relaxer3.3™ will help prior to fatliquoring.

fatliquor5.0™ is leather safe pH 5.0 spray version of the tannery fatliquoring process.
It is developed to replenish the original fatliquor which diminishes through ageing and
cleaning. An anionic (-) charged formulation for superior penetration and polarity bonding
with the cationic (+) leather fibrils. It’s designed with effective leather softening qualities and also
to increase the leather rip-resistance tensile strength too. Fatliquor is the lifeblood of leather.
On application, white milky micro-emulsion fatliquor penetrate deep into the leather as
microscopic droplets. Once impregnated into the leather fibrils and exhausted, the excess
water evaporate leaving no greasy residue on the leather surface. These droplets bind to
the leather fibrils, keep it separated from collapsing, and allow permeability for comfort.
This is unlike non-drying oil that stays on the leather surface that cannot penetrate the
leather or stuffing oil that bleeds. Non-penetrations and bleeds only result in a mere greasy
surface layer with no real physical benefit to the leather. Frequent fatliquoring seasons
some lighter colored suede, nubuck and especially unfinished veg-tan leathers.
Fatliquoring plumps up the leather with fullness and maintain its three dimensional size as
well as providing lubrication to the leather fibrils. It relaxes coarse breaks, provides drapes,
suppleness and prevents cracking. It helps keep the leather at its optimum physical
performance and prevents premature ageing.

relaxer3.3™ is leather safe pH 3.3 aqueous relaxing solution developed to rehydrate
cardboard stiffness and shrinkage due to heat over exposure prior to fatliquoring.
Its penetrating power helps plump the leather fibrillary structure and preconditions it prior
to fatliquor5.0. Use this product in conjunction with other products and procedures in the
Leather Doctor® System.

General Structure for Color Refinishing system is as follows:

1. Restoration Cleaning
ultraCleaner4.5™
cleaner3.8™
rinse3.0™

2. Rehydration
relaxer3.3™

3. Fatliquoring
fatliquor5.0™

4. Impregnation
impregnator26™

5. Sealercoat
adhesion73™

6. Basecoat Color (16 basic colors)
fineColor74™
semiColor64™
primeColor23™

7. Topcoat (Matte or Gloss, Matte plus Gloss equals satin)
fineTop57M™ or fineTop57G™
semiTop56M™ or semiTop56G™
primeTop62M™ or primeTop62G™

8. Cross Linker
crossLinker25™

9. Feel Coat
leatherScent’B™

This is a comprehensive outline of the Leather Doctor® System.
Products are available; let me know your interest.
Further questions are welcome.

Roger Koh
IICRC#942
Leather Cleaning Technician
Master Textile Cleaner
Master Fire & Smoke Restorer
Journeyman Water Restorer