How to Treat Stains on Leather

Here are basic guidelines for treating stains on leather clothing, shoes and furniture, and they apply to all gradations of the material. However, cleaning can alter the color or appearance of leather, so when in doubt, consult a leather-cleaning professional.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Mildew stains. Mix 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) rubbing alcohol with 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) water. Moisten a cloth with the mixture and wipe the affected area. Leave to dry.

2. Ink stains. Spray the affected area with hairspray, then wipe it off with a clean cloth. Ink can be extremely difficult to remove, so you may need to consult a leather-cleaning professional.

3. Water stains. Allow a soaked leather garment to dry slowly and naturally. Keep the item away from heat sources, and restore its softness with a leather conditioner after it's dry. For soaked leather shoes, insert shoe trees and let air-dry.

4. Grease stains. Blot excess grease with a clean cloth. Sprinkle talcum powder or cornstarch on the affected area. Let sit for at least 4 hours, then wipe off the powder.

5. Protein (Blood, Urine) Stains. Blot excess moisture with a clean, damp cloth. Allow item to dry slowly, away from a heat source.

6. Gum. Rub with a plastic bag of ice cubes to harden the gum, and then pull off the gum. For any residual gum, heat the area with a hair dryer and rub off the gum with a clean cloth.

7. Salt Stains. Mix a solution of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water. Moisten a cloth with the vinegar solution and dab on the affected area.

8. Discoloration. For leather garments, gloves and bags that are discolored, use a leather spray designed to restore color. These products are sold at shoe repair shops; choose the color that most closely matches.

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[USAARM]

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[moscarv]

on 2/14/2009 My leather bag has hair spray stain on. how can I remove them?

[victor1902]

on 1/13/2009 How do i remove ink stains on my leather sofa? Please email [e-mail] with suggestions.
Thanks

[chella]

on 10/15/2008 HELP! I was wearing a new shirt that has black and red dye patterns all over the sides and front. While carrying my very light beige leather purse around, the ink ended up transferring all over the side of the bag that was touching my shirt. It looks to be smeared red and black and is covering a very large area of the large purse. What is the best suggestion to attemp to fix this disastor? Thanks!

[circlestar]

on 9/29/2008 I am thrilled to have found a rememdy to remove stains from leather..!!! My darling husband spilt apple juice on my expensive red leather hanbag ! I was distraught..thinking nothing would work...the stains were dark and had been left overnight..the next morning I found a method from a free internet site..
here goes ...gently rub the area with tepid water using a sponge..do this until it looks saturated..then rub the area with bread...repeat the process until you see the stain dispersing...water bread..water bread..let it dry naturally ..or you can use a hairdryer gently over the area...the stain is gone !
you might have to repeat this process a few times ...it took me over half an hour to remeove a pea sized stain..but I'm so happy with the results!!!
Hope this helps ...Good Luck