Hi Guys, A buddy recently inherited a 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V 2-Door hardtop “Bill Blass Edition” from his mom, and it has mildew on the white leather from sitting in the desert for 20 years. It is in good shape over all, and needs to be cleaned and rejuvenated. He has been unable to find something to get rid of the mildew. Can you help? Thanks a lot John R.

Hi John, and thanks for submitting your question.

Since this car has been sitting for so long, he probably also has a serious issue with the softness of the leather as well so we’re going to tackle both items at once.

The first step would be to apply a liberal amount of Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil. This will soak deep into the hide, and help to expel the mold. Now you’ll want to clean the surfaces with Hydrogen Peroxide and a toothbrush to kill the mold spores.

Now apply another coat of Rejuvenator, and then finish the process with Prestine Clean (or another cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide if the mold is black and persistent). If multiple treatments with the Hydrogen Peroxide are necessary, just be sure to finalize the process with Prestine Clean.

If the leather surfaces are exceptionally dry and hard, multiple applications of the Leatherique system may be required over several weeks to fully restore the conditioning and softness of the hide.

For a complete guide on how to use the Leatherique system, please refer to our comprehensive tutorial.

I hope this helps!