Two weeks ago I purchased my wife a new Lexus SUV with light beige (almost white) leather interior. One of my kids sat on a pen and got ink on her brand new seat. I cannot get the ink off. I tried hot water with soap to no avail. I then tried a household cleaner like Formula 409 to no avail. I then tried Lexol leather cleaner to no avail. Any ideas if it is possible to remove ink from leather seats?

BTW, I applied Lexol conditioner to the seat after trying the above techniques.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Adam

 

This is one of those cases where leather cleaners just don't have enough cut(for lack of a better word). The reason regular cleaners are not working is because the ink is now a dye in the leather.

Something is needed that will either break down the ink or grab it and remove it. I have cleaned a ton of leather seats that were trashed. When working with ink you need to be careful to isolate the spot and not area treat.

Worse case scenario, you will need to use alcohol. Know that it does a pretty good job breaking down the ink but it can gradient out from the spot too. IF you absolutely feel you have to have it cleaned, use some alcohol on a ear swab. Clean just the areas that are dyed(the ink is now dye and is not sitting on top of the leather but it is taking up color packets that are not filled by the leather's original dye process). Dab, do not rub. Keep something available, like a mf towel, that can transfer the ink/dye mix.

This is not something I suggest on brand new seats. Unless the ink is a complete nightmare to look at and you can't stand it. Best case scenario, you will probably have some amount of dye left in the seat and it might look worse. Light colored leather is the hardest to clean ink from and look presentable.

After using alcohol, which is not inherently good for leather, you need to recondition the leather. It will dry out and can crack if not taken care of.

Like I said, it's not a simple, this will fix it and have it look new, kind of method but rather it's a last resort.

I would like to suggest you not use 409 on your leather. Soapy water isn't a big deal if you flush it out with water tho. Many leather makers suggest using a soapy warm water to clean the leather(most are coated with a protectant).

When dealing with ink, that's where I start (with a horse hair brush), then move to a Meguiar's APC(horse hair brush) then comes out the big dog alcohol. Test before you go all in on anything tho.

 

we have a product for ink removal.

Leather Master Ink Away.

 

If your leather finish is Aniline (non-coated) try these products-

Strong Effect Cleaner - (A-Aniline / Non-Coated) (P-Protected / Coated) Leather Master's "Strong Cleaner" is arguably the most effective leather cleaner on the market.If your leather finish is Aniline (non-coated)

If the above cleaner has not removed the ink try a ‘safe’ solvent (Cliptone GT14 Safety Solvent Cleaner) on a clean micro fibre towel, pat the stain using light pressure, this will break up the components of the ink, and make it easier to wipe off. Do not rub affected area otherwise it will thin out and may spread the inks dye

 

Guys. Thanks for your response and quick feedback. I will try some of the recommendations above and post back my results. I'm happy to hear there are some potential solutions. Much appreciated.

BTW, how do I find out if my leather is Aniline? The car in reference is a 2010 Lexus GX460. White/tan leather.

Adam

 

If the Leather Masters product does not work, you might want to try this, http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/...-dye-stain.htm