How To Remove Stains In Leather Seats

Most men (and some women) are emotionally and sentimentally attached to their mean machines – their cars. Men, in fact, do not spend so much time and waste as much thought to choose a life partner as they spend to choose a car. When so much thought has already gone into it, is it not understandable if they feel heartbroken when their two-year-old Picasso-in-the-making uses his daddy’s leather car seat as his canvas? Besides, crayon, ink, and ketchup marks might penetrate into the leather, making it impossible for them to be cleaned without either changing the covers altogether or hiring professional help to clean them. Nonetheless, there are some ways in which even ink marks can be cleaned, only if you exercise caution and take quick action against them. Here are some ways to remove stains from leather seats.

 

Here are some tips to cleaning various kinds of stains from your leather car seats: 

Water
The best thing to do to get rid of water, when you have spilled it, is to blot it all up with the help of a towel. Water spills do not cause major stains unless they are not cleaned immediately and are allowed to sit for too long; in most cases, the stain will be gone once the water has evaporated. If the leather has creased due to poor maintenance and prolonged exposure to water, you may have to hire professional help to treat the leather. They will sand out the creases, conceal the gaps with a filler material, and then dye the leather face to match the upholstery. 

Food
To begin with, you must not cringe when you hear this from us – you deserve the stains, for having eaten inside the car, especially when you could have easily avoided it by not eating inside the car. However, since many of us are often short on time and end up eating inside the car to save time, it is tough to hold all of them responsible. A mild dish soap, liquid or gel type, and warm water with a rag or scrub pad will do the trick in most cases. Most automotive leather is finished and does not allow grease to penetrate. If you encounter a stubborn stain, however, wipe with a little all-purpose degreaser doused on a rag; but don't rub too much or dye may begin to lift. It is usually stains of mustard, ketchup, turmeric, and chutney that leave marks that need to be cleaned with mild soap. 

Ink Or Marker
This kind of mark will merit immediate action! These kinds of marks are quite difficult to get rid of. You could use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and wipe all over the stain. If the stain is tougher than that, you could mix some acetone with the alcohol. Whichever be the kind of stain, tough or otherwise, remember the urgency and clean it as soon as possible. Ink is a dye and, like any other dye, it is made to penetrate whichever material it comes in contact with. If you do not act well in time, you may have to spend another fortune in dying the leather to hide the stain. 

Crayon
Here’s another tricky one! And the worst part is you will have a hard time keeping your cool when you realise that your little one has doodled over your leather seat with rainbow colours. The method to clean wax crayon stains from leather seats would require a little bit of effort and loads of caution. Place a paper towel or thick tissue paper on top of the crayon stain and, with an iron turned to low heat placed on top of the paper towel, rub the paper towel all over the stain. Make sure the iron is on low heat and does not damage the leather. In this way, the wax of the crayons will melt and stick to the paper towel.