What’s the best way to remove ink from leather? A pen leaked all over the bottom of my purse and now there’s this big blue ink stain ruining it. Please tell me I can fix it and won’t just have to buy a new purse.
Johanna Medrano – San Francisco
Of all the stains you can get on leather, ink is one of the worst. Since the ink is a dye, it’s purpose is to color what it touches and have that material stay colored. You can learn how to remove permanent marker from leather if you proceed carefully. Ink is such a pain to remove not just because it’s a dye. Since your leather is dyed too, anything that removes ink can also remove color from your leather.
The good news is, professionals can often remove ink stains that may be difficult or impossible for you to get off yourself, but they can be expensive. If you can’t afford a professional, you can use rubbing alcohol. Be very careful that the alcohol won’t remove any of the leather’s dye first. Then, just dab the stain with a cotton ball. It will take some time, but the stain should fade.
Our full guide here can tell you how to remove other stains from leather and how to keep your leather clean: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-clean-leather-with-simple-homemade-leather-cleaning-recipes/
Remember, if you go the alcohol route, use leather conditioner as the last step. Otherwise, the leather might dry out.