How To Remove a Depression Mark From Faux Leather

Faux leather is used to create shoes, accessories and home furnishings, and is easier to care for than the genuine article. When lightly damaged, this sturdy textile is often fixable using home tools. Using an iron and a pressing cloth, it's simple to fix depression marks and creases in faux leather. Make sure to keep an eye on temperature and use caution to prevent further mishaps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pressing cloth
• Iron
• Ironing board

1. Examine the garment and depression mark in order to see which side needs to be pressed. It's best to apply heat to the bumped side, not the flatter surface.

2. Ready the pressing cloth. Make sure that it's large enough to ensure that the bare surface of the hot iron doesn't touch any of exposed fabric. A 12- to 18-inch square will serve well for most tasks. Preferred pressing cloth fabrics include cotton broadcloth and unbleached muslin.

3. Heat the iron to a very low setting with steam. If your iron has premarked heat settings, select one suitable for polyester or knit fabric. Keep in mind that faux leather is plastic, and will melt under high heat.

4. Lay the pressing cloth on the appropriate side of the faux leather as decided in step one. Make sure that the center is over the depression mark.

5. Iron on top of the pressing cloth, making sure to keep the iron moving at all times. Use the point of the iron to press the bump downward, applying slight pressure to the mark to flatten out the surface.

6. Flip the fabric over to the other side, place the pressing cloth and do a quick sweep with the iron to polish off the job.

7. Hang the garment up and allow it to cool. Don't stretch the fabric while it's hot, since it can easily lose its shape and take on irregularities.

Tips & Warnings

• If an iron isn't handy, place the garment in the dryer for one minute on the lowest heat setting possible. Remove the garment and finger-press the mark. Repeat in intervals of 30 seconds if more heat is necessary to finish the job.

References

• Fab Sugar: Freeing Leather of Wrinkles

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