How To Get Ink Off Leather Purse

Removing Pen on a Leather Purse?

Question: Cleaning Ink Off Leather Purse?

December 16, 2016

I have a few places on the outside of my leather purse where I accidentally put ink lines. The ink lines are visible and have been there for about one year. I tried a few times to remove the ink but to no avail.

What can I do to remove the ink without ruining my purse?

Thank you.

Answers

cybergrannie
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December 17, 2016 2 found this helpful

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I have had the most success using a magic eraser or dipping a q-tip with alcohol.
Both of these seem to work better (for me) than hairspray which sometimes removed/changed the color.

My son uses saddle soap (found in almost all shoe departments of Walmart type stores) on his leather boots and this seems to work for a larger area but this also conditions the leather so it might also be worth a try.

Try to rub lightly as even rubbing hard with a magic marker can/may remove some of the color.
Let purse dry and determine if you need to retry one method before going to another solution.

It seems one point to remember with any solution you try is to test a small inconspicuous area before attempting the "seen" areas.
I always finish the cleaning routine by applying a leather conditioner to the spot - using a clean towel.
Even leather cleaners/conditioners from the auto department have worked for me.

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Question: Pen on a Leather Purse?

March 13, 2011

I have a medium tan soft leather purse; there's blue ink scattered on back of purse and bottom. How do I remove the ink without ruining the purse?

By squirrel from Uniontown, PA

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March 14, 2011 1 found this helpful

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Try rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. I got red pen on my new coach purse. They told me to use their cleaner. I had some under the sink, its pure rubbing alcohol.

It came off right away. Test the purse first on the bottom to make sure you wont damage the color or leather.

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March 15, 2011 1 found this helpful

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Try hair spray if it hasn't been there too long. Test it on the bottom first, but I've had good luck with it.

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Betty
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March 15, 2011 1 found this helpful

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I had an expensive Fosil purse with a ballpoint pen mark. I got it off with a dampened cloth and Dawn dish detergent.

An older friend told me this. I was afraid it would leave a water stain but it didn't.

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September 26, 2013 2 found this helpful

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Don't use hairspray! While it has a high alcohol content, the other ingredients could stain the leather. How to clean the purse really depends on the type of leather it is (see below). The instructions below have helped me and I hope they help others, as well!

Types of Leather:

Suede: stop reading and take your garment to a professional dry cleaner specializing in cleaning suede.
Smooth leather: Test cleaning methods in an inconspicuous place and proceed with care. If your garment or accessory is very expensive and you will be devastated if you ruin it, take it to a professional cleaner.
Vinyl or pleather: begin cleaning.

Types of Ink:

Ballpoint pen: proceed with cleaning method.
Felt tip marker: proceed with cleaning method.
Permanent ink or marker: consider having your garment dyed to match the stain or a darker shade. Permanent ink cannot be removed from leather without causing a great deal of damage to the garment. Professional dry cleaners or shoe repair shops can dye leather.

Cleaning Method:

Isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol, works best for home removal of ink stains from leather. Fresh ink stains are easier to remove and usually come out easily, while older stains may require repeat treatments. Leather is porous and the stain can penetrate deep into the hide.

Begin by dampening a white cotton cloth or cotton swab with the alcohol. Dont use a colored cloth because it can transfer dye to light colored leather. Work from the outside of the stain toward the middle by dabbing with the cloth. Keep the work area small do not spread the ink into a bigger area.

You should be able to see the ink transfer to the cloth. Dampen a clean area of the cloth or get a new swab as you see ink coming off to prevent re-staining the garment. Gently, keep blotting away until the ink is gone. Do not scrub harshly as that can remove color and a layer of the leather.

Allow the garment to air dry after or between treatments. Once the ink is removed, treat garment with leather conditioner to help it remain supple and smooth.

Old Wives Tales & Myths:

There's a million blogs and tips about using hairspray, dish detergent, laundry soap, mayonnaise and abrasive erasers to remove ink from leather. Yes, someone from somewhere has had success using these methods, but they cant be recommended.

The most common misconception is using hairspray, which contains high alcohol content, but the other ingredients in the spray can cause staining and other problems. Use it ONLY in an emergency on a fresh ink stain.

The abrasive erasers will probably remove the ink but theyll also remove a layer of the leather. So, youll need to decide if you want a stain or a hole.

Source:
http://laundry.about.com/

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May 15, 2014 0 found this helpful

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I just wanted to mention that I tried the rubbing alcohol on a blue ballpoint pen ink stain on a brown leather handbag and it unfortunately faded the color of the leather but left behind the ink. So, I would definitely recommend testing the rubbing alcohol on an inconspicuous area first before trying it on the stain. I'm going to try the Dawn method suggestion, and if that doesn't work, I'm taking it to the dry cleaners.

January 9, 2015 0 found this helpful

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I tried the suggestion of Dawn and it worked great on my new leather Douney and Burke purse. Thanks goodness because I was heart broken about the stain on my new purse that I got for Christmas.

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