Help!! Purchased a repo and leather is...

[67ss]

Hello everyone,
I recently purchased a repo from our bank and the previous owners were not kind to the interior. The carpet has a lot of mystery stains (those should not be to much trouble), but it also has quite a few pen marks on the white/bone color leather, some fading or marks from their arms on the arm rests, and what looks like fading plus gum or candy on the seats! I researched some of the products on this site and some will remove pen marks that are "fresh" (3-5 days). My question is if anyone has tackled pen marks that are much older and the other problem areas that are present? Who knows how long they have been like this. It's a 2008 Infinity QX56 if that helps. Any assistance with this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Mike McDonald]

I'm not exactly 'experience' in this area, but you could always try the magic eraser. I use it on my leather steering wheel once a year and it removes all the gunk. Try it on a small area to make sure it doesn't damage, if not, go for it.

Have some leather conditioner on hand to apply directly after drying from the eraser. Do about 4 coats of conditioner to get the oils back in.

[Matt]

I read somewhere that someone used Leatherique rejuvinator oil (RO) to remove ink from an old 80's ferrari seat. They let it soak for days and days and kept applying more RO untill the ink was gone, it finally replaced the ink with rejuvinator oil and the ink was gone.

I can't remember which forum I read this on but maybe a google search will reveal the thread.

[ScottB]

I am thinking Folex (carpets) and Leatherique or Leathermasters (auto leather) would be great starting points.

[CEE DOG]

For the pen marks Leather Masters has a little stick that removes ink. Jus test it n an inconspicuous are a first.

[CCC4me]

Obviously test this first....but I've had great luck using Goof Off for pen marks on leather. Then follow with your normal course of action.

[67ss]

Thanks everyone for all the advise...I will keep you all posted as to what worked for me best. Any further advise is welcomed so keep posting if possible. Thanks!!

[rakkvet]

My $.02 was gonna be the repeatead Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil treatments. It sounds like the safest method.

[T.O.C.]

I deal with this on a daily basis and what I have found works great is APC and a magic eraser. follow that up with the Meg's Aloe cleaner and Aloe conditioner

[judyb]

Removing ink stains from leather is not a cleaning problem.
Most ink removal products will not work simply because of the length of time the ink has been on the leather.

Ink is a dye and has re-coloured the leather (this is what it is meant to do).
The longer the ink has been on the leather the harder it is to remove because it soaks into the finish. Once it has soaked into the finish you have to use very strong products to remove it, which will also remove finish and pigment which then need replacing.


As the ink stain is on a pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is an Ink Remover. The fresher the ink the more chance you have of removing it. It is a good idea to have one in your house if you have pale leather and children!!!!

Old ink stains will be harder to remove than a new ink stain If an ink Remover hasn't worked a solvent based remover may need to be used and this may also remove finish and pigment so is best left to the experts.

You should also be using Leather Protect on the leather. This will act like a 'scotchgard' and will make any more mishaps easier to clean off.

You will see many people recommending household products to remove ink – this is not recommended as most simply will not work, some may appear to work but the damage they cause can make a much bigger problem which is then un-repairable (even by a technician).



DO NOT USE THE FOLLOWING ON INK STAINS:
Hairspray - This is very risky as it can make the matter far worse by spreading the ink over a bigger area and can sometimes then be impossible to fix.
Nail Varnish remover/solvents - will remove the finish on the leather even if you cannot tell it is doing so and this will then need replacing, and alcohol may do the same depending on the strength of the finish on the leather.
Baby wipes - just about the worst thing you can use on a leather as they break down the finish and will eventually ruin it.
Milk or Toothpaste - these are just silly ideas that will leave sticky residues on the surface which will help to break down the finish on your leather.
Silicones/furniture polish - should not be used on leather. They will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather itself and will eventually break all the finish down and cause it to crack.
Hide food - will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.
Magic Erasers - these will only remove the ink by removing the finish on the leather along with it. As they act like very fine sandpaper they should never be used for cleaning leather or removing stains.

Most leather cleaners will not remove ink unless a very good leather protector has been used on a regular basis!!.

If the ink cannot be removed the area will need to be recoloured.

Hope this helps
Judyb

[CrownKote]

Removing ink stains from leather is not a cleaning problem.
Most ink removal products will not work simply because of the length of time the ink has been on the leather.

Ink is a dye and has re-coloured the leather (this is what it is meant to do).
The longer the ink has been on the leather the harder it is to remove because it soaks into the finish. Once it has soaked into the finish you have to use very strong products to remove it, which will also remove finish and pigment which then need replacing.


As the ink stain is on a pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is an Ink Remover. The fresher the ink the more chance you have of removing it. It is a good idea to have one in your house if you have pale leather and children!!!!

Old ink stains will be harder to remove than a new ink stain If an ink Remover hasn't worked a solvent based remover may need to be used and this may also remove finish and pigment so is best left to the experts.

You should also be using Leather Protect on the leather. This will act like a 'scotchgard' and will make any more mishaps easier to clean off.

You will see many people recommending household products to remove ink – this is not recommended as most simply will not work, some may appear to work but the damage they cause can make a much bigger problem which is then un-repairable (even by a technician).



DO NOT USE THE FOLLOWING ON INK STAINS:
Hairspray - This is very risky as it can make the matter far worse by spreading the ink over a bigger area and can sometimes then be impossible to fix.
Nail Varnish remover/solvents - will remove the finish on the leather even if you cannot tell it is doing so and this will then need replacing, and alcohol may do the same depending on the strength of the finish on the leather.
Baby wipes - just about the worst thing you can use on a leather as they break down the finish and will eventually ruin it.
Milk or Toothpaste - these are just silly ideas that will leave sticky residues on the surface which will help to break down the finish on your leather.
Silicones/furniture polish - should not be used on leather. They will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather itself and will eventually break all the finish down and cause it to crack.
Hide food - will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.
Magic Erasers - these will only remove the ink by removing the finish on the leather along with it. As they act like very fine sandpaper they should never be used for cleaning leather or removing stains.

Most leather cleaners will not remove ink unless a very good leather protector has been used on a regular basis!!.

If the ink cannot be removed the area will need to be recoloured.

Hope this helps
Judyb

Good little write up Judy but you are misleading on a few of the products that you have said not to use. I worked for Chem-Dry for 7 years and they have intensive training for upholstery including leather. There leather class is a 4 day class if you are a corp franchise and they have people form all over the leather upholstery industry come in and teach. automobile leather is a much stronger grade of leather than say your loveseat or sofa as the interior of an auto is designed to see high UV and temps and your interior home upholstery is not. they use a higher grade dye or pigment on autos also. Hairspray will work well for light colored leathers and was recommended to us from a leather rep for woodley for ink stains. Magic erasers were recommended for small to medium ink stains by a rep from leathermaster as they at times for their in home leather upholstery include it along with their ink removal kits. The other "home remedy" I have never heard of or experienced (not saying that they don't exist because lord knows that people will try anything... lol like peanut butter to clean up blood btw this does NOT work) I have heard of people using lime juice on ink in leather with success but I personally do not know. I have heard the gasoline works well too but I would never try that on a vehicle's interior or any leather for that fact as the smell never really goes away...

Just my .02 as through training.

[judyb]

I understand what you are saying , however, we have seen much damage done even on car seats by some hairsprays so it is much safer to advise against its use. Whilst in some cases it can work (due to the alcohol content) successfully it is an unknown product in many cases so unless you are a technician and understand the processes involved it is safer on open forums like this to give the best practice advice rather than more technical ones.

We have been in the leather training industry for well over 15 years now both in the USA and the UK so know and understand the processes both from a technical and a consumer angle.

Magic Sponges should not be used to repair or clean leather unless you are going to recolour/refinish and if LM are supplying these as part of their kit then I would seriously question it, in our experience they only work by removing a small amount of finish on the leather and this is not a good way to leave the leather (even on a small repair).

The other problem with all these suggestions (and believe me we see and hear all sorts of methods including the peanut butter one that is also recommended for ink removal) is that just because someone suggests that something will work the consumer generally will scrub away as they believe that the method will actually remove the ink. As I have already mentioned one has to be careful with methods and suggestions on a board where we are dealing with technicians (professional detailers) and members of the general public. Ink removal is very much a process and the longer the ink has been on the leather the harder it is to remove - an ink remover is always the first port of call followed by some stronger products which may provide results at any stage - the final step would be to recolour the leather.

Hope this helps to clarify.
Judyb

[Mike Phillips]

Great info judyb and rovetherockies,

Ink stains "in" leather is a common problem and while sometimes it can be fixed, but the problem is when the ink seeps or penetrates "into" the leather, extracting it AND leaving the leather in the affected area looking good or at least original is usually the tricky part and it's worse if the leather is old, dried out and cracking.

One good reason for black leather interiors, at least an ink pen stain won't stand out like a sore thumb.

Kind of like white, tan or any light colored convertible cloth tops... they look great when they're new but stains tend to penetrated into the fibers and this makes removing the stains without damaging or changing the appearance of the material difficult. A black cloth top doesn't show dark stains as easily, makes keeping it looking good easier.


:)

[jsgntulok]

I have to second or third the cautions about using magic erasers on leather. I have used them in the past,but no more ever. Even with light pressure there is definite probability of removing the finish from the leather. Now, for really dirty leather, I rely on Megs APC and a leather cleaning brush followed by wipe down with a damp towel.

[CrownKote]

You are correct on the Magic Erasers as they can if not used gently act as a harsh abrasive (The LM reference was for the professional kit for Chem-Dry only I don't know if they had it in any other kits past what we were receiving and using from the Chem-Dry collection). I do understand where you are coming from as far as both for the enthusiast and the pro... With any leather cleaning I would recommend using caution with all products as each manufacture uses a diff grade of leather, dying process, dyes, etc... I have seen a "painted" leather do fine with all sorts of chemicals but then again I have seen one discolor using a trusted brand of leather specific cleaner....

Best suggestion is err on the safe side and proceed with caution using the most gentle products/methods first then slowly progress towards the more aggressive... Keeping in mind YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE STAIN OUT!