Remove Dye from Leather

Your best bet to remove dye from leather is saddle soap. There are also a number of specialty leather cleaning products that might be of use in removing dye from leather. Follow manufacturer instructions before use, and test the products on an inconspicuous area of the leather before you apply them to broad areas of the leather. If you want to remove dye from leather in preparation for re-dying it, spray it with lacquer thinner, then scrub it with steel wool.

Steps

Using Saddle Soap to Remove Dye Stains

1. Work the soap into lather. Rub a damp rag over the bar of saddle soap. Move the rag in a circular motion. Check the damp rag intermittently, looking for a sudsy layer on the rag.
2. Apply the lather to the stained leather. Rub the rag across the dye you wish to remove from the leather. You should begin to see a reduction in the intensity of the dye staining the leather.
3. Wipe the leather off. After applying the saddle soap lather to the leather, rinse the rag in clean water. Wring it out so that it is damp rather than soaked through. Gently wipe away any soap residue that remains on the leather.
4. Condition your leather. After using saddle soap, you’ll need to use conditioner to add moisture to the leather. Dab a bit of the conditioner on a soft cloth. Rub the conditioner into the leather using a firm circular motion.
   • There are several different types of leather conditioners available, including mink oil, leather honey, and neatsfoot oil.
   • Even if you aren’t removing dye from leather, it’s a good idea to apply conditioner to your leather once a month in order to keep it looking shiny and new.

Using Dye-removal Products

1. Select the right product. The right product for you will depend on your needs. For instance, some dye-removal and leather cleaning products are intended for light-colored leather. Other products are meant only for suede, while others are meant only for automobile leather.
   • Dye removal products are designed to remove dye and ink stains from leather. They might be able to clean dye stains caused by blue jeans dye, newspaper print, fresh ballpoint ink, paint, shoe polish, and permanent marker from leather.
2. Follow manufacturer directions. Leather is a sensitive material. In order to avoid damaging your leather, read manufacturer directions carefully before utilizing any cleaning product on your leather. Do not use your leather cleaning product in a way that is not recommended.
   • All products intended to remove dye from leather are a bit different. It is therefore impossible to give specific directions regarding use. Generally, though, you’ll need to apply a bit of the cleaning product to a rag, then wipe the dye away using the rag.
   • Some products might direct you to scrub the leather with steel wool, a horsehair brush, or sandpaper after applying the dye-removal product.
3. Test the product. Before you commit to a particular dye removal product, test it on your leather object in an out-of-sight spot. For instance, if you’re cleaning a leather jacket, don’t wipe the product across the arms and back of the jacket. If the cleaning product has an adverse reaction with your leather jacket, you will ruin the whole jacket.
   • Instead, test the cleaning product on a small portion of the jacket that will not be regularly seen. For example, you might wipe the product on a small area on the inside of the jacket and observe its effect.

Stripping Dye

1. Clean the leather. Use a vacuum to remove crumbs and debris between the cracks of the seats. Then, wipe the seats down using warm, soapy water. Dry them with a towel or handcloth.
2. Spray the leather with lacquer thinner. Fill a spray bottle with lacquer thinner. Spray the leather with a light coat of lacquer thinner.
   • Instead of lacquer thinner, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, peroxide, or ethanol might work, too.
3. Rub it with steel wool. Scrub the area you just sprayed using steel wool. Switch back and forth between spraying the leather with lacquer thinner and wiping the dye away using steel wool.
4. Wipe the leather down. After removing the dye, you’ll need to remove the residue left by the lacquer thinner and the debris caused by the flaking dye. Wipe the leather down with a damp, warm cloth or towel. Leave the car doors and/or windows open to allow the lacquer thinner scent to dissipate.

Tips

• The best time to remove a dye stain from leather is when the stain is new.
• If you doubt your ability to remove dye from leather, consult a professional cleaner for assistance.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Remove Permanent Marker
• Get Pen Stains out of Clothing
• Remove Ink Stamps from Papers
• Erase Old Marks off a Dry Erase Board
• Remove Sharpie from a Painted Wall
• Remove Ball Point Pen Stains from Cotton
• Remove Permanent Marker from the Skin
• Remove Melted Crayon Stains from Laundry
• Remove Ink Stains from Leather
• Remove Permanent Marker from Plastics

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