Leather goods are investment pieces that require delicate care, which is why it’s frustrating when they get stained with pervasive, tough-to-treat ink splatters. Whether a pen burst in your handbag or a felt-tip marker leaked on your car seat, you need to act quickly when ink hits leather to prevent lasting discoloration. Fortunately, any of these four DIY methods for how to remove ink from leather use only household products you likely already have on hand, saving you a trip to the store.
MATERIALS AND TOOLS
– Water
– Mild liquid soap
– White rags
– Q-tips
– Rubbing alcohol
– Isopropyl alcohol-based hairspray
– Liquid cuticle remover
– Leather conditioner
Before You Begin
We recommend using the following remedies only on finished leather, which has a protective coating that blocks the ink from being completely absorbed. Naked or unfinished leather, on the other hand, will deeply soak up the ink, necessitating professional help to eliminate stains. To determine whether your leather is finished or unfinished, drop a little water on an inconspicuous area. If the water rolls off, then your leather is finished; if the water is soaked up, your leather is unfinished.
Also note that several variables affect how leather will react to different cleaning agents, from the type of dye your leather is treated with to how regularly the leather has been conditioned with a protective substance. Before you start to remove ink from leather, it’s critical to test each cleaning method on an inconspicuous spot of the to make sure it will not cause lasting damage to your couch, handbag, car seat, wallet, or jacket.
Remove Ink from Leather with… Liquid Soap
As a first step, try eliminating the ink from leather with a mild liquid soap. Apply a few drops of soap to a white rag (colored rags can transfer dye to the leather) and blot the ink stain with it. Never use harsh solvent-based cleaning products and avoid scrubbing the spot, which may spread the damage further.
