My son got ahold of a pen and proceeded to draw a picasso all over my leather seats in my ford edge. Any ideas

Question

He drew all over the back of the passenger seat. I've tried the Mr. Clean eraser, and also soft scrub to no avail. I don't want to wreck my leahther seats. Any suggestions??

Answer 1

I am sorry.

Here is what I would do. The problem you have is that the ink is on leather, which is porous. If the ink has penetrated the hide, nothing may work very well. If it is mostly on the surface, you may have a chance.

Here are my ideas, in order from very safe to very unsafe.

1. A biodegradable, safe, non-toxic product called Pink Solution. (It used to be called Quick and Bright). This famous algae-based cleaning product used full strength will remove ink. I have used it to remove ink many times from clothes and cloth furniture, but I have not tried it on leather car seats. It certainly worth a shot (many janitors use it as their secret weapon).  Pink Solution can be used for almost any cleaning task, so you can use it for other things if it fails on the leather. It is entirely safe, so It would be my first choice.

2. Vinegar and baking soda. The European housewife's standard. The acetic acid might just work. (Try on a small area first).

3. Goo Gone. This is much stronger, and will not be so kind to your seats, and might not work. Definitely try it on a small area first to see if it works and see what it does to the seats.

4.Go to Ford  ($$$) and ask for their help. They know their own cars, and might be able to get the ink out with their own tricks. If they fail, they will certainly be able to redye the seats, or replace the skins, or get new seats or used ones from a wrecker. ($$$)

4. If you are want to try one last gasp before spending your $$$, the silly last resort would be to try oven cleaner spray m(i.e. easy off). Wear gloves and a respirator. Although this will definitely do no good to the leather, the caustic soda formula will likely get the ink out and if you have damp sponges ready to rinse the seats after a short one minute application, you might be able to get the ink out without ruining the leather. I have used easy-off pump bottles with success on things that I was not supposed to. Disclaimer:not advised, only what I might do.

Answer 2

Successful ink removal will depend on the type of leather you have, as you have auto leather it is more likely to be pigmented/protected leather.

For ink removal:

Ink Removal

Removing ink 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.

Pigment/Protected leather

If the ink is on a pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is an LTT Ink Stick. 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 will be harder to remove than new ink and may mean resorting to solvents which will also remove the finish. This is probably best left to the experts

If an ink stick doesn't work a solvent based remover will need to be used and it may also remove finish and pigment so is best left to the experts.

You should also be using LTT Leather Protect on your suite. 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:

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.

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

Magic sponges or erasers. These have been tested by experts in the leather industry and have found to do a lot of damage to certain finish types on leather.

Aniline Style Leather

As aniline style leathers are largely absorbent it means that the ink will have soaked straight into the leather itself. This makes it impossible to remove. No product will successfully remove the ink.

DO NOT try ink removing products on aniline style leathers as most will leave a greasy residue which will then cause another problem.

Because aniline style leathers are absorbent the ink will carry on moving through the leather and may become less obvious over time. Cleaning and protecting will also help to dissipate the ink.

If you are not sure what type of leather you have see the folllowing:

http://www.lttleathercare.co.uk/whatkind...

Answer 3

There's a product that I found in Lowes home center called "oops". These are wipes found in the paint dept , and they are great at taking stains off of any surface. I haven't used them on ink, but I have taken off rust, grease, paint, and other unidentified stains off of leather,cloth and carpet.

Answer 4

Wow what a drag! If the seats were vinyl, hairspray takes ballpoint ink out of anything. If it was a Sharpie pen you may be in big trouble. I would call the dealership and ask them to recommend something. If you can't get it out, at least it is somewhere you don't have to look at it constantly....

Answer 5

The best way to remove ink is usually either rubbing alcohol or ink eradicator; both of these tend to kind of harsh on leather, though.  That said, if it survived Soft Scrub with bleach it might survive anything.  Mink oil might lift the ink out, but might also just spread it around.  A good saddle soap might be an option.

If all else fails, take the seat out and sell it to some pretentious Hollywood type as 'urban art.'