How to wipe a felt-tip pen off the leather of a sofa
Unfortunately, no one is safe from such a nuisance as unwanted "drawings" on an expensive leather sofa. However, there are a number of proven tools that, with proper and careful use, will help save the upholstery and return it to its previous respectable look.
How to clean a felt-tip pen from a leather sofa
There are different ways to remove the markers from the leather upholstery of the sofa. The choice of the appropriate method depends on the type of felt-tip pen, or rather on the ink used in it.
Ink can be:
- erasable - watercolor (water-based) and chalk (base - liquid chalk);
- resistant - alcohol-based, paint-and-varnish-based, phosphorus-based gel (fluorescent), oil-based.
You can only decide how to clean the felt-tip pen from the leather of the sofa by determining its type (it is indicated on the package), otherwise you can irrevocably ruin the upholstery!
Getting rid of erasable ink is easy. Fresh traces of chalk ink can be easily removed from the leather of the sofa with a dry cloth, if the dye has already rubbed over the surface, then you can remove the traces with a damp cloth or napkin. A damp cloth will also easily handle the removal of a watercolor marker.
You can wipe off any dyes from the leather sofa only with a soft cloth (best of all microfiber), without pressure, so as not to rub or smear the paint on the upholstery and not to stretch the leather!
Getting rid of other types of ink will be much more difficult.
How do you clean the sofa of stubborn markers at home? To do this, you can use proven folk or special remedies.
Folk ways
To remove persistent dyes from leather furniture, you will have to use rather aggressive substances. But if you follow all the recommendations, the upholstery will not suffer, and its appearance will be restored.
Before removing the stain, be sure to test the product on an inconspicuous area!
Alcohol-containing products
Rubbing alcohol, vodka, cologne, ammonia will help remove traces from persistent alcohol markers. To do this, you need to moisten a cotton pad or a small piece of cotton wool with liquid and wipe the dirt until the traces disappear (the cotton wool must be changed often so as not to rub the paint over the upholstery).
The cleaned area must be washed with soapy water, and then with clean water, dry well with paper towels or microfiber and apply a moisturizing impregnation, otherwise the surface may change color or get damaged.In general, alcohol dyes, although they are persistent, are easy to wash off.
You can try to remove fresh marks from the marker with an alcohol wipe. Go to the use of alcohol-containing liquids if it was not possible to get rid of the paint with a napkin.
Solvents
Colorless nail polish remover, acetone, refined gasoline, kerosene will dissolve traces of paint markers. The method of removing contaminants with solvents is the same as when using products containing alcohol.
Hydrogen peroxide
The peroxide allows you to wash the marker off fair skin. The method of removing contaminants is the same as in the two previous options.
Never apply alcohol-based liquids, solvents or hydrogen peroxide directly to the upholstery of your sofa. This can lead to cracks and deformations!
Laundry soap, liquid and powder for dishwashing
These products are suitable for removing stains from phosphoric and deep-penetrating oil markers:
- A piece of laundry soap should be grated on a fine grater, add water and mix everything until a thick "gruel" is formed. Apply it on the stain, rub it lightly with a soft cloth and leave for 10 - 15 minutes. Then remove the dried mixture, thoroughly clean the surface with a damp cloth and dry with paper towels.
- Half a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid should be diluted with 0.5 liters of warm water. The resulting solution is also used as a mixture of laundry soap.
- Make a thick mixture of water and dishwashing powder, cover the stain liberally with the mixture, rub lightly and leave for 5 minutes. Then remove the remaining powder, rinse and dry the treated area.
Sunflower oil
Sunflower oil also works very well with oil markers. The oil is applied to the stain with cotton wool and left on the upholstery for at least 5 hours, then washed off with soapy water and warm water. Dry the treated area with paper towels.
If the dirt is on the covers or other removable elements, then, of course, before using aggressive substances, you should try to wash them (following the manufacturer's recommendations for the washing regime).
Special means
To remove stubborn, stubborn marks from markers, you can use special stain removers. When choosing a product, remember that only gentle chemicals are suitable for use on leather upholstery. Whitening stain removers can only be used on white skin.
Be sure to cover the surrounding area when applying the cleaning agent to the stain to prevent discoloration of the upholstery. Do not exceed the application time specified in the instructions, as this can lead to discoloration and damage to the material. In addition, visually monitor the process, so you can notice unwanted reactions of the material to chemical attack.
When applying the special agent, follow the instructions to avoid damaging the upholstery!
Features of removing a felt-tip pen on different types of upholstery
Now let's take a look at how to clean a felt-tip pen from a sofa, with other types of upholstery.
The hydrogen peroxide method described above is also suitable for synthetic and cotton upholstery as long as it is light colored.
The thick "gruel" of laundry soap is a universal tool for removing felt-tip pen from all types of upholstery. When applied, textile surfaces can be additionally rubbed with a brush to enhance the cleaning effect.
For fabrics with a long pile, a mixture of lemon and baking soda works well. Sprinkle the stain with soda, and then add lemon juice (the amount of juice and soda should be approximately the same), rub the resulting foam with a brush and leave for 15 minutes. The remains of the mixture are removed with a vacuum cleaner. This method is more suitable for light textiles due to the additional bleaching properties of lemon juice. For dark fabrics, you can use vinegar instead of lemon.
Also, for some fabrics, the use of bleach is acceptable. Carefully read the instructions for the selected product. Dilute the bleach with water in the right proportions and apply to the stain, leave the composition for the specified time. In this case, the areas surrounding the stain must be closed so as not to discolor the fabric. After the end of the exposure time, rinse the treated area with water.
Never use vegetable oil to clean fabrics. It will not wash off textiles with water or soapy water.
Eco-leather and leatherette upholstery is cleaned in the same way as leather. For light fresh dirt, you can use a glass cleaner.
How to clean the hard parts of your sofa with a felt-tip pen
To clean the hard parts of the sofa from the marks of the felt-tip pen, you can use:
- alcohol and alcohol-containing liquids (ammonia, cologne, etc.);
- solvents (acetone, nail polish remover, gasoline);
- glass cleaner.
Soak a cloth in the selected liquid, wipe off the dirt until all traces disappear. Wash the surface with soapy water, then clean water and wipe dry.
A melamine sponge soaked in water is also good for cleaning stains from hard surfaces.
How to remove a ballpoint pen
Removing a ballpoint pen from the surface of leather furniture is one of the most difficult tasks. It is not always possible to completely get rid of the paste. In general, the same remedies are used for such spots as for other coloring pigments.
The methods described above using laundry soap and dishwashing liquid can help with fresh "inscriptions". There are two more effective remedies:
- Scotch. It is glued tightly to the stain, left for a few minutes and carefully torn off. You can perform the manipulation several times.
- Soda. The substance is thickly applied to the paste and gently rubbed, after a few minutes it is washed off with water (you can repeat the procedure several times). Finally, dry the surface with a paper towel or microfiber.
Strong solvents (gasoline, acetone and kerosene), hydrogen peroxide (for fair skin), soda with lemon juice are suitable for removing the ingrained paste. All of these methods have already been discussed.
How to care for white sofas
White sofas are perhaps the most capricious interior items to care for. They show settled dust, scuffs, grease and stains of any origin.
The easiest way is to maintain a presentable look of a white leather sofa, for this you need:
- Remove dust regularly with a vacuum cleaner.
- Carry out damp cleaning with a flannel or microfiber cloth soaked in soapy water. After cleaning, the surface should dry naturally. It is advisable to carry out such a procedure at least once a week (it can be done after each dry cleaning).
- Polish the surface. For the procedure, both special means and simple castor oil are suitable, a small amount of which must be completely rubbed into the upholstery with the help of flannel (until completely dry). Polishing frequency - once every -5 months.
- Remove grease as needed; ammonia diluted in water is excellent for this.
Eco leather care:
- Regular dry cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.
- Damp cleaning with a mild soapy solution using flannel or special wet wipes, followed by wiping dry with a soft cloth.
- Restoration of the surface with a stearic sponge (the procedure prevents cracking).
- Remove scratches with liquid leather as needed.
White fabric sofa care (suitable for natural and synthetic textiles):
- Regular vacuum cleaning.
- Regular and thorough wet cleaning with chemical aerosols (aerosols do not moisten the fabric so much, and it dries quickly enough) using a damp sponge or a special brush if the fabric is velor.
The use of hair dryers and other heating devices to accelerate the drying of all types of upholstery is not recommended!
It is quite possible to save the expensive leather coating from the marks of the felt-tip pen, the main thing is to correctly determine the base of the dye and choose a suitable means of dealing with it. Solvents will help to cope with the most persistent and deep paint-and-lacquer stains, alcohol-based agents neutralize the alcohol base, and oil dyes can be removed with the help of fat-dissolving detergents.
Video: what popular ways can you remove a permanent marker from furniture?
