Last weekend I had the opportunity to try out Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel on an interior that hadn't been given any TLC in quite some time. I really wanted to put a dedicated interior cleaner to the test on a vehicle that had not been properly cleaned in several months.

Ultima definitely set my expectations high not only because their entire product line-up is known to be first rate, but because of their claim that; "Simply spray, agitate and wipe. No other cleaner available today cleans as thoroughly or as safely."

The majority of the cleaning that took place was on leather surfaces. Being a Buick, leather can be found just about everywhere in the interior. We all know that leather looks and feels great when clean, but when dirty it's not so pretty to look at or touch.

While I had the intent to deeply clean the leather seats, I didn't have any leather conditioner so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to test out the Sonus Leather Conditioner to see how well it faired bringing the leather back to life.

To provide the necessary agitation on the surfaces that I planned on cleaning I needed some type of brush. For this I decided to try out the compact, yet effective, Vinyl and Leather Scrub Brush.





I went ahead and started cleaning the driver's side door panel first, and as you can see it was quite filthy, especially at the grab handle.







To get an idea of just how well the Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel works, I went ahead and taped off a section so you could see the results side by side.





There you have it! After a few sprays and a little agitation, you can clearly see the results of how well the Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel cleaned this delicate leather surface.





Now it was time to finish cleaning the rest of the door.





After a little more agitation the entire door is now clean.





Then it was time to do the seats. You can see right from the start how dirty they were.





For this test I also went ahead and taped off half the seat so you can see a clear 50/50 shot.





I sprayed the entire half of the seat down with the Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel and agitated the surface using the Vinyl and Leather Scrub Brush.





After a couple minutes of cleaning I went ahead and applied the Sonus Leather Conditioner to the clean side of the seat.





Instead of using an applicator to apply the leather conditioner I decided to use the palm of my head. I dispensed about a nickel sized amount of the leather conditioner on my hand and gently massaged it in to the leather surface.





As you can see, the right side of the seat is much cleaner than the left side which had not been touched yet. Not only is it much cleaner, but it's also much softer now that it has been conditioned. If you look closely, you can also see that the Sonus Leather Conditioner also took care of some of the cracks in the seat.







Before going any further, I finished cleaning and conditioning the rest of the seat.





Now it was time to clean the center armrest. It actually appears that the leather surface is worn off completely, but it's actually just covered in dirt and grime that accumulated over time.





Just like before, I went ahead and taped off half the armrest so you can see a clear 50/50 shot.







Time to finish cleaning the rest of the armrest. This is where the Vinyl and Leather Scrub Brush really comes in handy. It's not too large and it's very easy to hold.





Big difference right?





Now it was time to clean where your hands are the most - the steering wheel. Just like earlier, I taped off a section so you can get a clear shot of just how well the Ultima works.





After a couple minutes of scrubbing with the Vinyl and Leather Scrub Brush the steering wheel is clean! Well, half of it anyway...







And the dead pedal on the floor before cleaning...





After.





The above pictures represent the dirtiest parts of the car that needed the most attention. Shortly after cleaning the rest of the interior I went ahead and applied Mothers VLR on the dash and door panels (expect a review on that later this week).

Overall I was very impressed with the cleaning ability of the Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel. It had no harsh chemical smell and didn't dry out my skin or the delicate leather surfaces cleaned. The Sonus Leather Conditioner also worked as advertised and even went as far as to get rid of some of the cracks in the leather.

Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel

Pros: Excellent cleaning ability with no harsh chemical smell. Very little agitation needed and a little bit goes a long way.

Cons: Not as cost effective as some other interior cleaners, especially All Purpose Cleaners that can be diluted for interior use.

Summary: Definitely a great dedicated interior cleaner that works well. It's quick, easy to use, and ready to go right out of the box.


While I was there, I also went ahead and applied a quick coat of Liquid Souverän Spray Wax to freshen up the coat of Max Wax that I applied on Christmas day.





Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel

Sonus Leather Conditioner

Vinyl And Leather Scrub Brush

 

Leather finishes on automotive leather upholstery are a multi-strata; the actual hide and the surface finish. The hides used are generally bovine, which must be kept hydrated to maintain tensile strength, suppleness and prevent the hide from cracking and becoming dry. The leather is then protected with a water-based pigmented urethane.

Automotive leather upholstery is typically finished with a coating, which protects the surface from (UV) radiation, as well making it resistant to soiling and wear. Most natural leathers have a water-based pigmentation coating applied to provide colour consistency. There is no such thing as a cow with blue, red or burgundy hides.

The only 'conditioning' required for finished leather upholstery is hydration; oil-based products cannot permeate the finish (urethane pigmentation or covering) that is used in 95% plus of modern automobiles

Always remember you are dealing with the finished coating on the leather and not with the leather hide itself

 

Thanks for the information!

 

The clean versus dirty is a nice comparison.

Another useful comparison is between two different products. Clean following directions a section with product A, then clean with product B wiping up the second product with a clean white cloth. Then reverse the process on another section, B first, then A. Which cloth is dirtier?

Water with a little laundry detergent and scrubbing will really clean things up quite well. That's a good baseline product to compare against. Shouldn't a fancy specialty product clean better than water/laundry detergent?

Maybe I'll just have to do my own comparison test.