Autofiber Scrub Ninja: Amazon
Once in a while, you come across a product that’s a game-changer in the car care industry. Right now, I’m really impressed with the Autofiber Scrub Ninja, which is used as an interior cleaning tool, but it shines when it comes to cleaning leather. I first heard about this when someone asked for a recommendation for tools to clean leather with. Since then, I’ve been hearing non-stop rave reviews about this product.
Now, the Scrub Ninja is actually a scrubbing pad that can be used for many interior parts such as upholstery, plastic, and vinyl (in addition to leather). However, it does really well with cleaning leather because in my opinion, I don’t believe there is another tool that does what the Scrub Ninja does.
On one side is a nylon bristle surface that gently scrubs and cleans away hidden dirt and other gunk on the leather. The other side is microfiber and can be used for general cleaning where you don’t want to damage delicate surfaces.
The Scrub Ninja is more aggressive than cleaning with a microfiber towel, but is gentler than a melamine sponge (i.e. Magic Eraser). The reason why this is such great product for use on leather is because if you’re looking for a tool to use with leather cleaner, this product is strong enough to clean dirty leather but won’t damage it.
If you’ve ever cleaned leather (especially older leather that needs more TLC), you might realize that cleaning with leather cleaner and a microfiber towel sometimes just doesn’t cut it. The next step up for more aggressive cleaning might be to use a brush, but from my experience these might work well, but they leave a mess of stray hairs all over the place, which you have to clean up.
On the other hand, if you have more stubborn stains, you might resort to using a melamine sponge like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Although it can remove some extremely difficult-to-remove stains from leather, it can also damage the leather and leave behind a roughened surface. I would not recommend using a melamine sponge unless you absolutely need to remove said stain. Just know that your leather material is likely getting damaged as a result of doing so (although you might not notice it looking from afar.)
Before resorting to such aggressive methods, you can try a step-up from a microfiber towel: a synthetic scrubber pad like the Autofiber Scrub Ninja. The scrub ninja works way faster than if you were to use a leather cleaning brush or god-forbid an interior detailing brush.
After scrubbing these leather seats with leather cleaner and a Scrub Ninja, then wiping it with a microfiber towel, they look incredibly clean. The surface is also smooth to the touch and you don’t have to worry about the leather getting damaged. This is important because you want your leather to be cleaned, but still soft.
I wondered why these Scrub Ninjas didn’t just come with scrub pads on both sides of the sponge, but I realized after using them that having a soft microfiber side was actually useful.
Imagine you’re scrubbing away the leather on your door panels, steering wheel, and other leather parts. What happens when you get to delicate plastics like the instrument cluster and infotainment screen? Rather than swapping over to a microfiber towel, it’s convenient to simply turn the pad over and continue to clean.
Can you get your leather clean using a microfiber towel or brushes alone? Of course, but it might take you a while to get there. A steamer can even work, but after I’ve discovered these Autofiber Scrub Ninja Sponges, I don’t think I’d reach for anything else. It speeds up your leather cleaning, ensures you don’t damage the leather, and does an excellent job at cleaning moderately dirtied surfaces.
Autofiber Scrub Ninja: Amazon
