How Do Get Ink Out of a Leather Couch?

Different Techniques

Rubbing alcohol, used with a cotton swab or cloth and applied to the ink spot will remove a stain; but be very careful, using only very gentle rubbing for 10 to 20 minutes. The same is true of vinegar. Hair spray will also work well, as one of its main ingredients is alcohol. Do not spray the hairspray directly on the stain however, but spray it on a dry cloth instead, then use that cloth to very gently rub the ink stain. One-hundred percent, all-natural witch hazel will work wonders on ink stains when rubbed in gently with a soft cloth; for best results, use the kind that contains at least 14 percent alcohol. Hand sanitizers will sometimes work as well.

Finishing Up

All attempts at ink removal should be immediately followed by an application of leather conditioning cream which can be purchased at furniture stores. If you don't do this, particularly if the stain was difficult to remove or required several attempts at removal, you are likely to find your leather finish breaking down and eventually it will be destroyed. This will make a shiny surface dull and your leather will be unprotected in that area. If your stain removal attempt was successful but the finish and the dye was also removed you can probably get a shoe polish in the correct color and apply that to the bare leather. This must be buffed down afterward so it won't get all over someone's clothing when they use your couch. After buffing, the new color should be the same texture as the old, whether shiny or flat. Also, a high quality leather protector should be applied to all parts of the clean couch to assist cleaning efforts in the future.

Warnings

Do not use baby wipes, as they will cause the leather finish to decompose. Food products of any kind should not be used on leather as they will be sticky, and cause more trouble than they solve by dissolving away the protective finish on the leather's surface. Acetane is the worst possible thing you can use to clean leather as it will remove not only the finish but the pigment as well and left on long enough will probably break down the leather itself. This means no nail polish remover, no matter how tempting it might be to try it.