Ink stains on your car seat is a bad news. Nothing beats the frustration of seeing your once pristine leather seat tarnished with some ink.
This type of stain is hard to remove sometimes, but you can always give it a try.
There are actually possible ways to restore your leather back to its brand new look. However, the trick is not letting the stain sit for too long.
Do some actions as immediately as possible because the longer the stain stays, the harder you can remove it.
Here are some ways on how to remove ink from leather car seat.
1. Leather Care Product
Your main refuge are leather care products formulated for leather itself. You can apply any commercial grade leather care product right on the affected area. You just have to follow the instructions on the specific product you are using.
Leather care products are safe to use. You can buy specialized products designed for getting rid of ink stains.
It’s imperative that you already have one in your storage. Otherwise you should buy straightaway to keep the ink from penetrating further.
After using the primary leather care product, follow up with a leather cleaner on the stained area.
Once the stain is removed, you can apply some leather protector as a finishing touch to your beloved leather.
2. Tissue and Soap
When you stained your leather car seat, it is wise to remove it right at the moment. But you need to be careful. Grab a tissue or a piece of dry paper towel.
Do NOT wipe the stain but rather BLOT it instead. Otherwise, you will be spreading the stain to a larger area.
So blot the affected area, then fold the dry paper towel to reveal a clean part. Now blot the stain again. Do this multiple times until most of the stain is removed.
Now grab a moisturizing soap and a small container filled with water. Wet the area with enough amount of water. Using your hand, apply the moisturizing soap onto the stain, gently rubbing the area until soapy.
You can also use a spare toothbrush that you haven’t used for a long time. Brush the stain with the moisturizing soap until you can no longer see any trace of stain in the area.
3. Hair Spray
This item is quite common to all households, making it an ideal aid for leather stains. You can even be lucky enough if you keep one in your bag.
Saturate the stained area with your hair spray. Now immediately wipe the area with some dry tissue. After which, get some water and moisturizing soap.
Mix the two and apply a small amount onto the area. Wipe it again with another piece of dry paper towel.
Note: Using a hair spray is advisable only for emergencies where you don’t have any leather care products at hand.
4. Alcohol
A rubbing alcohol is not only ideal for anti-bacterial purposes, but can also be utilized for leather stains. Get a cotton swab or a q-tip cotton and dip it with rubbing alcohol.
Now rub the cotton onto the affected spot. Do not scrub but rather do a circular motion; similar to how you use a cotton ball on your face. This will gradually get rid of the stain in the area.
Once the stain has totally disappeared, utilize a blow dryer immediately. Do some efforts to have access to a blow dryer. You will use this to blow the area till it dries.
Using blow drier will make the alcohol evaporate faster so that it won’t be able to eat away too much leather in the process.
Note: As with the hair spray, use a rubbing alcohol only if you don’t have any access to any leather care products. As much as possible, only use leather care products in dealing with leather stain. Otherwise, you will have to take other methods but be careful enough to follow the instructions herein.
5. White Magic Eraser
Ever heard of this stuff? You can buy a white magic eraser at Wal-Mart or at Target. This eraser is an alternative which you can try if the other methods are not available.
Use the eraser directly on the stained part, exactly like what you’ll do on an actual paper.
The White Magic Eraser is more effective when the ink stain is still fresh. If the ink stain is thick and viscous, get some dry paper towel first and wipe the stain through blotting (not by rubbing).
This will expose the stain that already settled in the surface. This is where you’ll use the white magic eraser.
Related: How To Clean Detailling Carpet And Interior
6. Nail Polish Remover
You are lucky if you have this item on your kit. A nail polish remover can actually remove deep stains if applied correctly.
Apply just a small amount onto affected area, enough to dominate the area. Using your hand, rub the nail polish remover gently so as to keep the stain from spreading in a larger area.
With a damp cloth, BLOT the area multiple times. Repeat the process as many times as necessary until you no longer see any stain residue.
7. Aerosol Brake Parts Cleaner
Now this one’s stronger than the nail polish remover. So use this at your own risk. But don’t worry though, you sure can rely on this effective treatment.
The only thing you should be aware is to NOT use a brake parts cleaner that produces foam.
Do not apply the brake parts cleaner directly on the stain. Put a small amount on a cotton swab. Now rub the stain in a circular manner to remove the stain. After which, get a clean cloth and blot the area.
Conclusion
You are always free to call the professionals and let them handle the issue. However, it would be rare not to beat this problem because you already know how to remove ink from leather car seat.
Incorporate any of the methods above and you’ll sure be kissing those stubborn ink stain good bye!