Cleaning camera leatherette

<p>I have got a few new cameras on bargain price, but their leatherette is not in the best shape. Just curious what people are using to clean it up. Replacement is of course an option but really distant. May be a shoe cleaning stuff would work?</p>

<p>Hi! KP, I use household detergent or Kerosene to clean the leatherette or vinyl covering. Then I apply shoe blacking, wax based. If there is any discolored patch I apply Black nail polish; it brings it to shape. Then it takes waxing nicely. Regards, sp.</p>

<p>Subbarayan, thanx a lot. Just a regular shoe wax? I should try I have something like Kiwi somewhere in home. Did not polish shoes more than a decade.</p>

<p>Depends on the camera and, from that or otherwise, what the "leatherette" actually is. Some synthetics would react very badly to the solvents in shoe shine, for example. Other synthetics might do just fine.</p>

<p>The catch is, of course, that some of the things that damage and cause deterioration of the covering may not show that effect for a year or two after the application. For immediate effect (like dissolving the stuff) try on an out-of sight place, but best is to find out from others with the same gear what the cover was actually made of and what worked for them.</p>

<p>as above, with the addition of isopropyl alcohol as solvent. also, a soft toothbrush can be quite handy with textured leatherette, especially when you have ten years' worth of someone's make-up to clean :)</p>

<p>OK,<br /> I have got Pentax K1000 and Spotmatic I have no clue what their leatherette is made from. Does not look like a natural I even pull some part away - it is definitely plastic.</p>

<p>KP, Alcohol will dissolve some plastics, taking off the sheen. Only a plastics expert can tell which one is vulnerable. JDM cautioned you, rightly. So be careful with alcohol. Most dirt will go off with soap and water, your hand washing liquid soap or your shaving soap stick or cream should be enough. If there is a lot of grime then you may resort to kerosene. If you brush with soap and water make sure to rinse-wipe with clean water and dry it fast with a blower. Yes, Kiwi wax or car polish like Simoniz will work very well. I use them regularly. Kiwi also has a cream based polish. may not be as good as the wax based one. All the best, sp.</p>

<p>KP,Do they make or sell soap in the US anymore? Or, is it all detergent based cakes? In India all the big multinationals like Lever, P&G make only detergent cakes. Soaps [must contain 70% fat, minimum by law] are made only by some traditional manufacturers and small or cottage industries, [manually]. sp</p>

<p>Soaps, by your Indian definition, are still made and sold in the USA, but as specialty beauty products for premium prices (sometimes imported from India). I'm not sure about the percentage of fat, but Ivory soap is still real soap and soaps sold as "castile" are too.</p>

<p>For real leather, the old "saddle soap" works for me, but not overmuch. The alcohol-based "waterless hand sanitizers" work fine on older, non-plastic leatherettes from Eastern Europe in my own experience. Always put any solvent onto a rag rather than directly on any camera.</p>

<p>I've used a few drops of dishwashing detergent in a cup of warm water on a rag, followed by plain warm water on a rag. The rags are of course, wrung out first. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Jeff, detergents come in several ph values. Many are acidic. Only a few are acid neutral. Chemists in the know tell me to use acid neutral detergents on delicate items. Soaps are safer than detergents, in general. But I guess if you are using only a few drops and wiping that off with plain water it should not harm anything. Besides, you may be cleaning a camera only on occasion, not as a regular routine. sp.</p>

<p>Yep. Just to get built up gunk off. At least 2 or 3 years between. It takes several passes using a cloth to get it all off. I thought of using a small toothbrush but figured I'd just be flicking it everywhere else and have a bigger job.</p>

<p>As a daily working camera technician, this is my routine (secret):</p>

<p>I use a microfiber towel. (The kind you get in a big bundle at a warehouse store like Costco) Squirt a bit of Windex on to the towel, and <strong>gently</strong> rub away any built up residue from the leatherette, leather or vinyl covering. (With the exception of the Contax/Yashica SLR cameras, manufactures made their coverings with durability in mind)</p>

<p>The Windex evaporates quickly, leaving it very clean but ugly at this stage.</p>

<p>With old leather (very old cameras have these) that's worn, making sure it's fully dry, dab some proper color shoe polish/dye, then buff lightly. <strong>NOW </strong>I apply a protectant, such as <em>mink oil</em> to the true leather coverings, or <em>Meguiar's </em>gloss vinyl treatment to the synthetic (Most modern era cameras) coverings. Wipe away any excess and now its simply beautiful and the customers <strong>rave</strong>...</p>