I have a brown leather sofa and two young boys who have put a number of "accidental" marks from an ink pen on it. I need to know an EFFECTIVE way of removing them, if it's possible. I've tried scrubbing with just a damp cloth, but no results. Thanks for any tips.
Jo Smith
I have had great luck removing all kinds of ink stains by first spraying the stain with regular hair spray, waiting a few seconds and then rubbing the ink off. Works every time. (01/17/2005)
Have you tried peanut butter? There was another hint saying this might work? It's worth a try, I would think. (01/17/2005)
By terry.
I would think peanut butter would leave a grease stain in leather? (01/17/2005)
By Jo Bodey
I had just read on one of my other lists this happened to their beige leather couch. She used the "magic erase bar," I believe by Mr. Clean, and it came right out. (01/17/2005)
By Victoria
Saddle soap. (01/17/2005)
Try antibacterial hand gel. I've used it on many different stains including pen, crayon, and permanent marker. It really works and hasn't harmed any surface I've used it on, including leather. (01/18/2005)
By Jean Donahue
I tried using hairspray to remove pen. It got the stain out AND it damaged my mom's couches! I got in trouble and no allowance until I was able to pay off for the couch. Hairspray doesn't always work! (01/31/2006)
By Jessica
I used the antibacterial hand sanitizer. It took off all the ink from my beige leather sofa. You could pour some on the stain, let it sit for a minute, and then start rubbing it in with your finger. Not too hard though, because then the leather will get damaged. It works. (03/25/2006)
By becky
When removing ink from leather it is always best to use a professional product, leather is expensive and putting things like hair spray on it can damage it. I recommend a leather ink remover. (07/24/2006)
By Ben Staerck
The antibacterial hand gel really worked great. I used a Q-tip and rubbed gently and it came right off with no damage. (12/08/2006)
By Shari
This method lifts some pen up, but not all. Take Vaseline/Petroleum Jelly and rub the jelly in, then take hairspray and spray the hairspray on a cloth and rub into the couch with the jelly. This lightens the pen and makes it less noticeable, but does not take all the pen off! (04/09/2007)
By Victoria
The magic eraser only works if you use it right away on the sofa that has been drawn on. If you don't notice it right away, forget it! (04/14/2007)
By lisa
Hi, my daughter has just drawn on my leather sofa. I've only had it for 2 months. I was mad, as it wasn't coming off. I came on this site and someone said to try antibacterial hand gel, so I did. It came off my brown leather sofa like a treat. No one will ever know. Thanks for the great tip, it really worked. (08/23/2007)
By SARAH
I have a rustic brown leather couch, I used the antibacterial gel and it took the color off the couch, it looks horrible now. I should have just left the pen marks on it. Any hints how to get the color back in the couch? I tried brown shoe polish and it isn't working. Please help! (09/02/2007)
By Renee.
Thank you for the antibacterial gel tip! I rubbed it in gently with a Q-tip and noticed that the ink was coming off onto the cotton. Then I would gently wipe with a damp cloth and repeat. I would say that it didn't get it totally out but it lightened a lot, about 80% lighter and is not as noticeable now! I may work on it again later to see if I can get more of it out, but it's pretty wild that it worked at all! Thanks! (09/08/2007)
By Deni
Thank you, the hairspray did the trick! (09/29/2007)
By Bernadette
Thanks for the tips with the hairspray! At first it didn't seem to work but I would suggest it any day of the week, because it is probably the best way to remove black or blue ink from light colored couches or sofas! (11/03/2007)
By james tanuis
The antibacterial hand gel really works. My 18 month daughter scribbled on our brand new leather sofa with a blue ink pen and after trying many solutions, I was afraid that it would not come out. Thanks for the great tip! (The gel won't harm your sofa, just use a little and wipe a q-tip.) (11/08/2007)
By new mom
Thank you! The antibacterial hand gel (Purell, not Antibacterial soap which I mistakenly tried first) worked. I was hesitant, so thank you for suggesting the Q-Tip. It did not come completely out of our medium brown leather couch, but it drastically reduced the mark so one would have to try to find it to see it. (01/01/2008)
By Valerie
Softsoap will remove any ink stain, but you have to use it sparingly so it doesn't take the color off the leather. I have used it several times for ink stains from my sons, who write on everything. (04/03/2008)
By Ann
I also had that problem. I tried everything and what ended up working for me was dish soap. A wet Mr. Clean eraser, a dry cloth, and A LOT of scrubbing.. (04/11/2008)
Wow, the perfume is the best one. It made the mark vanish within seconds. Great! (04/16/2008)
Perfume only works when there's a lot of alcohol in it. ;] (05/18/2008)
By regina
Thank you. I tried the simple gel antibacterial soap and amazingly it came out entirely. I had no idea what to do so I looked up this site and luckily it saved my couch! I took a q-tip, dipped it into the soap, and gently cleaned the area then wiped clean with a damp cloth. You could see the black ink coming off as I cleaned! Thanks for saving my brand new couch from my 2 year old! (06/18/2008)
By Julie
Mr. clean magic eraser didn't get it out 100% but faded it a whole lot. I can barely see it. (06/19/2008)
By jenn
I used the anti-bacterial soap tip and it didn't work. I used the alcohol with a q-tip and the ink stain was removed without any damage to the sofa. Thank you. (12/04/2008)
By Stan
My little Picasso used pen AND marker - on 2 different leather pieces! I was terrified to try the perfume route, so I tried the Magic Eraser. I did not scrub too hard, as I did see some color come off my couch on to the eraser. The lines are still a bit visible if you look very close, but are faded considerably. There is a little bit of a faded spot, but my couch has a "rustic" look to begin with, so it is not too bad at all. Make sure to rinse with a warm soft cloth. (02/01/2009)
By Karen
My kids drew all over my leather sofa with ballpoint pen. I was horrified! I tried the Magic Eraser with no luck, then tried the perfume suggestion. It 100% works! Amazing. Spray perfume directly on pen and rub with cloth. It's gone! (02/09/2009)
By Sarah
Got the ink out with alcohol, now how do I restore the leather? It is faded from using Windex! (02/26/2009)
By kristi d.
I tried perfume, hairspray and Windex to try and get the ink stains out of my brown leather sofa. You can still see the lines and the leather is totally faded, my 3 three year old drew ALL over one of the top cushions. (03/02/2009)
By renkatt
I would try calling the manufacturer to see what they suggest. If to no avail, try alcohol on a Q-tip. It got ink stains off my clothes with patience and work. Lol. (03/14/2009)
By Dorina
I saw in one of the feedbacks that someone has lost color in the leather sofa cushion.
Call the manufacturer who might be able to help. If not, my personal never-experienced opinion would be to try some brown shoe polish on the faded area. Then some leather protectant on top so it doesn't rub off on clothes.
Worst case - flip the cushion! (03/14/2009)
By Dorina
Alcohol ruined the couch. It discolored it, bad idea. (04/06/2009)
By Kelly
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