How Do You Get Pen Off of Leather Purse

Leather purses have always been popular because they’re not only stylish, but also durable and long-lasting. In fact, leather bags and accessories can last for decades even with regular use. But the best way to extend their lifespan is to take a good care of them. Unfortunately, you’re bound to get your leather bag stained whether it’s through accidental pen scribbling or ink, and you’ll have to take care of it quickly if you want to salvage the quality of your handbag. That’s where our guide on how do you get pen off of leather purse comes in handy.

It’s important to use appropriate cleaning methods if you want to get rid of the stain completely and act fast, so that the problem doesn’t accelerate and worsen the situation.

5 Steps to Gen Pen Off of Leather Purse

In case of a terrible accident when pen ink gets on your leather purse, with this guide you will be prepared to act quickly and salvage the situation. So, without further ado, let’s cover those important five steps or methods, whatever you want to call them.

1. Use Paper Towels

While the stain is still fresh, blot it out using a soft paper towel, making sure to use a fresh part of the paper towel every time you blot the area out. Whatever you do, never rub over the stain as that will aggravate the problem.

2. Blot Over the Ink Stain

Spray a fair amount of hairspray onto a clean paper towel. Then, use it to blot the ink stain until it’s no longer there.

3. Use Alcohol

Take a clean paper towel and pour a bit of rubbing alcohol on it, but not enough to make it soaked. Then, use damp paper to blot the ink out until your bag is completely clean. Thanks to the high alcohol content, this method is sometimes more effective than hairspray but it’s still safe and gentle enough for use on leather material.

4. Remove Residue and Alcohol with a Damp Paper Towel

Once you’ve removed all the ink from the area, wipe it off with a damp paper towel while making sure that there’s no alcohol or product residue.

5. Apply a Leather Conditioner

Lastly, apply a generous amount of leather conditioner onto the area to moisturize the leather once again, as alcohol tends to dehydrate anything it comes into contact with. Leather conditioners are available in the form of lotion and spray.

How to Remove Stains with Melamine Foam

Melamine foam is the most common ingredient in products like easy erasing pads and magic erasers so you know it’s effective at removing ink. What makes melamine foam erasers different is the fact that you only need to add water to completely remove ink. You don’t need any additional soaps, detergents or chemical cleaners. However, melamine foam erasers finish fast so you’ll have to purchase regularly.

In the face of it, melamine foam erasers seem like a regular sponge and the only way to differentiate it is to look at it from a microscopic level. Then you’ll notice that the resin is a hard, foam-like micro structure that’s able to effectively remove stains as though you’ve used abrasive sandpaper. Although hard, it’s gentle enough for use on leather because it’s open-cell foam.

Extra Tips

If you’re worried about damaging your handbag while trying to get rid of ink stains, consider talking to your purse retailer for tips on the best stain removal methods to use for your handbag. If you purchased your purse from a high-end store or boutique, then you’ll probably have access to some form of after-sale maintenance service, which is great.
The reason why hairspray is recommended as a method to remove ink on leather is because it contains alcohol, and alcohol can dissolve the ink. But you can use hairspray or alcohol interchangeably. It doesn’t have to be either-or.
If the ink stain is still fresh, then you can easily dissolve it in soapy water.
For stubborn stains that won’t respond to water or alcohol, try acetone. This is the main ingredient that’s used in making nail polish removers and you only need to use a little of it to get the desired results.
Test to see which method works best by writing with the pen whose ink soiled your bag on another piece of material. Then, try to clean the material using the methods outlined above until you get a winner.
If the stain doesn’t go away after you’ve tried these cleaning methods, consider taking it to a dry cleaner to get the stain professionally removed.
Test the cleaning solution in a small part of the handbag first to ensure that it doesn’t cause any damage to the leather material.