Leather Wipes – What's their worth?
Every week we receive calls, letters and emails from the public regarding the results of using “leather wipes”. All are very disappointed with the performance, or rather the lack of it.
Many have not noticed a problem until a furniture technician has called to carry out warranty work and cleans a panel with our cleaner in order to do a repair. The customer then notices how dirty their suite/sofa actually is, even though they have regularly used leather wipes.
Some wipes claim to "clean & protect", others "clean, condition and protect” However, cleaners take dirt OUT and good conditioners put the right oils IN, this cannot be done in one action and by one product. Just as hair shampoo and conditioners are far more effective if used individually by the two separate products.
Wipes seem to be a fashion at present, they are sold on their apparent ease of use and convenience. However, they are extremely expensive, nothing can be recycled and they are a disaster for the environment. "Baby Wipes" which started the fashion, have been heavily criticised recently as being a wasteful and unnecessary product. These, together with disposable nappies are being frowned upon by Green Groups worldwide.
We have done a simple test to see how economical wipes are by measuring the liquid content, NOT on how effective they are. However, we did try them and noticed the liquid content is very important. The cheapest wipe was exhausted before it had covered just one arm of a chair. The next cheapest, and the same size of wipe, didn't even cover two arms before losing wetness and usefulness.
We purchased 7 different branded leather wipes from large supermarket chains and one from a national furniture retailer. Prices varied from £0.79 for 24 to £39.95 for 24. {Jan/March 2009]
Firstly, we weighed them wet, straight out of the packet/box. We then weighed them again after drying them. The moisture loss (liquid content) was measured and recorded. In the table below and in RED print in brackets after each product are the number of wipes and the cost you would need to pay to equal the liquid content of our GT15 Cleaner and GT11 Conditioner.
| Brand | Contents | Size | Price | Liq Cont. | Cost per ml. |
| Lord Sheraton*** | 20 wipes | 20x19cm | £1.64 | 75ml | 2.18p [200@£16.40] |
| Mr Sheen | 24 wipes | 25x20cm | £2.08 | 92ml | 2.26p [195 @ £16.25] |
| Method | 24 wipes | 25x18cm | £3.43 | 144ml | 2.38p [123 @ £17.82] |
| Handy | 50 wipes* | 18x21cm | £0.98 | 140ml | 0.7p [267 @ £5.23] |
| Sainsbury's | 24 wipes | 21x15cm | £1.02 | 77ml | 1.32p [234 @ £9.02] |
| Wilko Auto Wipes | 24 wipes | 21x15cm | £0.79 | 66ml | 1.19p [282 @ £9.07] |
| Simoniz Jumbo | 20 wipes | 29.5x19cm | £2.89 | 90ml | 3.21p [167 @ £24.08] |
| LeatherMaster ** | 24 wipes | 25x25cm | £39.95 | 221ml | £1.655 [83 @ £138.00] |
| Gliptone GT15**** | 500ml Trigger Spray | Price varies | 500ml | 0.9p - 1.8p | |
| Gliptone GT11 Conditioner**** | 250ml Bottle | Price varies | 250ml | 2.8p av. | |
| Total cost per ml for both including delivery to your door 0.4p AND you get 750mls for just £17.67. | |||||
*Average quantity per pack
** Cleaner & Protection Cream wipes from a large national furniture retailer.
***Standard wipes when used for comparison
**** Cost varies between retailers and mail order.
Conditioners
Most wipes say they lightly condition, or help prevent cracking and "Handy" a "polish". However on rubbing them in our hands there was no difference in the softness of our skin. The "Leather Master" wipe left our skin sticky. Many Auto wipes leave a shiny finish and warn customers not to use on leather steering wheels where the slippery result would be dangerous.
Leather, when kept soft will resist wear, creasing and cracking. Gliptone Leather Preserve and Liquid Leather GT11 Conditioner can be applied on a regular basis to keep leather soft, and soften neglected old leather, whereas wipes cannot soften leather. Gliptone Conditioner smells of genuine traditional leather, not citrus, almond and other perfumes. None of the wipes tested smelt of leather, even one that claimed to do so.
The value of a "Wipe" depends on coverage which equals liquid content and the size of the towel. But we noted that some towels of equal wetness exhausted quicker than the other. So type of product within the towel also determines effectiveness.
To order our GT15 Cleaner and GT11 Conditioner Click here or call us on 01706 819365.
Update January 2011: The fashion of wipes seems to be over.
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