Dear Mary: I recently purchased a newer vehicle. The dealer tried to sell me a package where they treat the leather seats. Because of the cost, I opted not to purchase the package.

My question is, do you know the type of treatment that car dealers use to treat leather seats? And is it necessary to treat the leather seats? The car is an expensive purchase and I need to know how to take good care of the interior to make it last.

Thank you and thank your for your very enjoyable column. I read it from top to bottom and always learn or find something I can use daily. — Jan G.

Dear Jan: Are the leather seats dirty or are you simply wanting to protect and "treat" them as the dealer suggested? As this is not a new car, I am thinking it may be time to clean the leather just to remove the kind of dirt that naturally builds up from regular use. And yes, I believe that leather needs to be treated regularly to keep it soft and supple.

I checked with a car dealer friend of mine, and he said you are pretty smart. Car dealers aren't magicians. They just use products that work well, and then charge you an arm and a leg to do what you can probably do yourself.

After a bit of arm-twisting, he told me his shop's secret: BooYah Cleaner and Conditioner. He assures me that this one product will clean, condition and protect the leather and leave it soft and supple. If I were you, I would read all of the online reviews first. You'll learn a lot and then you'll know whether this is the product you want to trust on your beautiful car seats.

By the way, I just have to share something with you that I learned some time ago for how to deep clean and restore stained and really dirty leather seats. This is going to be shocking, so brace yourself: Soft-Scrub Lemon Cleanser. I'm serious. I'm talking about the stuff made for kitchens and bathrooms (just DO NOT grab the Soft Scrub with Bleach ... you want only the yellow lemon option).

I'm almost looking forward to having a leather stain or dirt problem so I can get some first-hand experience with this very amazing-if-true way to get rid of the problem and return even very old dried up and ugly leather back to its glory. And of course, I would not mind hearing from anyone out there who has tried this and is willing to report back with their results.

Dear Mary: I read your book "7 Money Rules for Life," which was great. However, what online savings account do you currently recommend now that INGDirect no longer exists? Thank you! — Jason S.

Dear Jason: INGDirect was bought out by Capital One Bank, and they changed the name to Capital One 360 (www.capitalone360.com). It is still an online savings bank, with lots of great features such as the ability to set up automatic deposits, create sub accounts and so forth. You should also take a look at Synchrony Bank (www.myoptimizerplus.com), an online savings bank that is currently offering the best interest rates on savings, which is a paltry 1.00 percent, but still the best available. Capital One 360 is paying .75 percent at this time. Thanks for liking my book. I'm pretty fond of it myself. I have autographed copies available at DebtProofLiving.com.

Mary invites questions at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2099, Cypress, CA 90630. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "The Smart Woman's Guide to Planning for Retirement," released in 2013. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.