by Tim Harry

Created on: November 14, 2009

Leather furniture sells in huge numbers all around the world. Leather looks good, and is generally considered to be relatively maintenance free, and easy to clean. Dirt and many forms of stains can be wiped free from leather furniture, but this ease of cleaning doesn't always apply when it comes to ink stains. Removing ink stains from leather furniture can be extremely tricky and many remedies can make the situation worse.

The first thing to remember about ink stains is the fact that ink is a dye, and its purpose is to leave its mark. When an ink stain forms on the surface of leather furniture then it is the leather that has been re-coloured. As with many stains therefore the best chance of removing ink stains from leather furniture is to deal with the stain as soon as possible, before it has a chance to change the colour of the leather.

If the ink spill is noticed immediately then a soft dry cloth should be used in an attempt to soak up as much of the ink as possible. This quick action could prevent the ink from penetrating into the leather. For any minor ink staining left then an ink stick could be the solution. Many firms now produced ink sticks, specifically designed to deal with ink stains, although the type of leather furniture being treated does alter how successfully they might be.

Older stains normally require the use of strong solvent based products, and although many such cleaning products are available for the homeowner, their use is best left to the professional upholsterer. Solvent based cleaning products could easily damage the leather to a degree when the only repair is to replace.

There are many home based solutions to removing ink stains from leather and though successfully on some ink stains, some could also cause damage to the leather. With all home based leather cleaning solutions, it is best to test on a hidden area before going all out on the affected area. The most commonly used ink removal technique is to make use of rubbing alcohol, rubbed onto the ink stain.

In general the use of such things as hairspray, baby wipes and nail varnish remover will only make the situation worse, often spreading the ink stain rather than removing it, and also causing damage to the finish of the leather furniture.

There is though a way of preventing the damage of an ink stain from every occurring. There area a number of leather protector products available, and if regularly applied will build up a protective leather against dirt and stains, helping to clean the leather furniture as well as helping to prevent the leather from cracking.

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