How to Get Ink Out of Leather Seats
Leather is a popular upholstery fabric. It comes in many different colors and patinas. Leather can be much stronger than fabric. In the home, leather is used for sofas, chairs and ottomans. In the car, leather seats reflect heat better, staying cooler than vinyl in a parked car. When cleaning leather, it is important to remember that while it may be treated and dyed, rawhide or burnished, all leather is skin. And like skin, ink is easier to remove when it is fresh and hasn't had time to soak into the pores or dry on the surface. So the sooner ink can be cleaned from leather, the better. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Find a hidden spot to test the alcohol. This could be the underside of a cushion if the seat is a chair. If a car seat has an ink stain, a good place to test is as low as possible in the leather between the car seats. Wipe the alcohol on the leather. The type of alcohol can be varied. It could be rubbing alcohol or drinking alcohol. It could be the gel form found in waterless hand cleaner. Inexpensive hairspray also has a high alcohol content, but the same fixatives that hold hair in place can affect some dyes. Test any forms of alcohol that will be used on the ink.
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2
Inspect the test spot. Watch for changes in the dye. Allow the alcohol to completely dry. Because alcohol dries so quickly, it should be possible for the test spot to completely dry before the ink does. If the test spot shows a change in color or a ring develops around the edge of the alcohol test spot, stop cleaning, and consult a professional. If the test spot dries without any change in the look of the leather, continue.
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3
Wipe the alcohol on the ink spot. Use a rag to absorb as much ink as possible as the alcohol loosens it from the leather. Be sure to wipe from the outside of the stain toward the center. This will prevent the ink from spreading. As the rag becomes saturated with ink, switch to a clean rag. Repeat until the rag comes away clean. If the ink is gone, continue to Step 4. If there is still a stain, go back to Step 1 and try another form of alcohol.
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4
Wipe the entire seat with mild soap and water. Clean all alcohol residue and accumulated dirt.
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5
Dry the leather with a blow dryer set on the lowest setting.
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6
Use a leather conditioner on the entire seat.
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Tips & Warnings
Shoe repair shops sometimes sell a product used to clean leather shoes. This product has a high alcohol content. However, it has other cleansers as well, so it also has a danger of changing the color of leather furniture.
Be careful when rubbing the stain, especially when working on burnished leather. The alcohol and the rag can roughen the smooth surface of the leather.
References
- Photo Credit brown leather rocker recliner image by James Phelps from Fotolia.com
