How to Clean Perforated Leather Car Seats

A soft touch with a brush and some leather-cleaning products can help prolong the life of your car's seating.

Andy Stonehouse | 

Oct 2, 2024 | 3 min read

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Perforated leather seating adds a special stylistic touch to a vehicle's interior and can be more comfortable in hot weather than traditional leather. However, perforated leather can also be a magnet for small debris, adding a whole new challenge to cleaning and maintaining leather seats.

Perforations Help With Ventilation

Unlike solid leather seating, perforated auto leather features an array of small holes set into the seating surface. This gives perforated leather an almost hand-tooled aesthetic and also serves the function of providing more air ventilation, which can be more comfortable on those hot and sweaty summer days.

In some vehicles, perforated leather seats are also mechanically ventilated and cooled by built-in refrigeration or fans, which helps add more year-round comfort.

All those perforations, however, are also thousands of extra-tiny crevices in the seats for accumulating dirt, sand, or other residue. As a result, perforated leather often requires a different cleaning approach than solid surfaces. You must take care in order to avoid damaging or fraying the perforation patterns.

Vacuum, Scrub, and Wipe Out Those Holes

Invest in a bottle of traditional or foaming leather-cleaning solution specifically designed for car seats, as other cleaning sprays might dry out or damage your leather seating. Check with your vehicle's owner's manual to see if there are any specific suggestions for products for your car. It's also a good idea to stock up on clean brushes and microfiber cloths for applying product and cleanup; some companies also sell soft leather-cleaning brushes.

Start the cleaning process by thoroughly vacuuming the seats, which will help remove any obvious sand, dirt, or dust. Then use a clean toothbrush or soft-bristled brush and go over the entire perforated surface, gently scrubbing to help loosen any additional debris.

You could also consider blasting the holes with compressed air, being careful to avoid scratching the leather surface with the air nozzle, and then vacuum again. A rubber gum stimulator is another idea for digging out caked-in residue.

To clean the seats, apply a leather-cleaning product to a soft-bristle brush or a bamboo cleaning pad and thoroughly work it into the perforations. Gentle, circular scrubbing will usually help get out any excess dirt and residue. Follow this with a clean microfiber cloth to absorb any remaining cleaning product. You can also use a wet vacuum to suck out any remaining product if the seats are still damp.

Don't forget that you can also use the leather cleaner on the nonperforated parts of your leather seating, which may include seat edges, seatbacks, and headrests, as well as the console or armrest covers.

Conditioners Can Prolong the Life of Your Seats

Once the cleaning work has been done, a final touch is to use a specially formulated leather conditioner to help protect the perforated leather and any other leather surfaces from cracking or prematurely aging.

Apply the conditioner to a microfiber cloth and rub it into the seating, making sure not to let too much accumulate in the perforated holes. Finally, wipe off the excess and let the seats air dry.

As always, check with your specific owner's manual to ensure you are using the best cleaning materials and techniques for your vehicle.

Andy Stonehouse

Andy Stonehouse literally fell into the world of auto writing while working as a ski-town journalist, and has not looked back since. A childhood spent dealing with the eccentricities of a 1976 MG Midget has made any subsequent auto experience a more safe and reliable drive. He has been blessed with nearby mountain trails and snowy roads in Colorado to do TV-adventure-styled test drives on a weekly basis.