'The back of the passenger seat of my Honda Accord has taken on a bluish tinge. I can only attribute this to my sons new school blazer. All cleaning attempts have so far failed – what can I do?'

Answer

This sounds like dye transfer.
New clothing is notorious for causing this problem, more often from jeans etc. 
Dye Transfer is the dyestuff transferred to leather from clothing or newsprint.  It is more usually seen on light coloured, protected, leathers but it can occur on any leather finish though not as noticeably.  If noticed early enough it can be successfully removed from most pigment coated leather with our Jean & Dye Transfer Remover Kit.

If this cleaning process does not resolve the problem it will be necessary to call in an experienced technician as early as possible.  The longer the dye sits in/on the leather the harder it will be to remove.

Using Auto Ultra Protect will help to inhibit dye transfer as the dye will sit on the protector and not on the finish of the leather, it will also make it easier to clean off.

Owners of pale and off-white leather are recommended to adopt a gentle regular cleaning and protecting regime (Auto Ultra Maintain).  If a grey/blue tinge is evident on the leather that does not disappear with regular maintenance cleaning it may need deeper cleaning with Auto Ultra Foam.  If this works revert back to Auto Ultra Maintain for your regular cleaning but use more often and always finish with a coat of Auto Ultra Protect. 

If the grey/blue tinge remains after deep cleaning, finish with Auto Ultra Protect, call a technician and avoid wearing jeans (denim) or other clothing that has non fast dye stuff whilst driving the car.

Why use a foam cleaner to deep clean leather?

• Safe

No need to scrub the leather as the foam, which is an active product will gently remove the dirt from the leather
The dirt is held in the foam and can then be completely removed from the surface of the leather
No rinsing required 
Cream and liquid cleaners simply move the dirt around on the surface as the dirt has nowhere to go

•  Effective

As the foam gives the product dwell time this enables the product to do its job more effectively.  The dirt is then held in the foam and so is a much more effective cleaner than any other

• Beneficial to the leather

Water based foam cleaning rehydrates the leather which keeps the leather soft and supple and in good condition

•  Longer dwell time

If your leather is heavily ingrained with dirt or you are trying to remove dye transfer, the longer a cleaning product can dwell on the leather the more effective it will be.  This means that we do not have to use harsh chemicals which could damage the finish on the leather.  The longer we can give the cleaner to work the less aggressive we have to be if we are using a brush

• Less chance of damage to the leather

Using a foam is far less damaging to the leathers finish than using a liquid cleaner which can casue permanent damage to the leather which would then require refnishing work.  Cream or gel cleaners simply leave the dirt on the leather which will in the long term cause more damage

It is recommended that your leather furniture or car interior is deep cleaned once or twice a year depending on colour and usage

Product recommendations:
Ultra Leather Shampoo
Auto Leather Foam

About the Author:
Judy Bass renowned Leather Care Consultant and Leather Agony Aunt has been involved with leather care and repair for over 2 decades.  Her vast experience and knowledge of leather are second to none and LTT Leathercare have set the standard worldwide for leather care and repair via their training programmes.  Judyb likes nothing better than helping customers and techncians to solve their leather care problems and LTT Leathercare are used by many well known manufacturers and retailers as their customer care helpline.  If you have a leathercare problem email enquiries@LTTsolutions.net for her expert advice

How healthy is your handbag?

Just think about how many places your handbag, purse, man bag or briefcase visits in the course of a day:                 

• In your Car
• On the train or bus
•  In the toilet
•  In a Restaurant
•  In a Pub or Nightclub

…...and generally speaking always on the floor.

Think then about where you put your bag when you get home:

• On the floor
• On the kitchen worktop
• On the dining table
• On a chair
• On a bed
• On your sofa

Microbiological tests have been carried out on samples taken from 100 different types of  bags.  The results were quite disturbing..., not only were bacteria found but high levels of harmful bacteria which included:

• E-Coli
• Salmonella
• Pseudomonas
• Staphylococcus Aurous

So your well travelled bag could be bringing home lots of unwanted serious infections.
Regular bag cleaning will reduce the risk of contamination and  infection.
Clean your bag for health as well as appearance
Use LTT Healthy Handbag Cleanser today to help keep your leather clean and free from harmful germs and bacteria

About the Author:

Judy Bass renowned Leather Care Consultant and Leather Agony Aunt has been involved with leather care and repair for the past 2 decades.  Her vast experience and knowledge of leather are second to none and LTT Leathercare have set the standard worldwide for leather care and repair via their training programmes.  She likes nothing better than helping customers and techncians to solve their leather care problems and LTT Leathercare are used by many well known manufacturers and retailers as their customer care helpline. 
if you have a leathercare problem email enquiries@LTTsolutions.net for her expert advice

 All articles are Copyright of LTT Leathercare and cannot be used in any format without written permission

Removing ink stains from leather is not generally a simple cleaning problem

Most ink removal products do not work simply because of the length of time the ink has been on the leather but these are always the best place to start.
Most regular leather cleaners will not remove ink unless it is very fresh and a very good leather protector has been used on a regular basis.
Ink is a dye and it has re-coloured the leather (this is what it is meant to do – think of a pen on paper).
The longer the ink has been left on the leather the harder it is to remove because over time the ink soaks into the finish. Once it has soaked deep into the finish much stronger products are needed to remove the ink.  These will damage the finish and may remove the colour which will then need to be repaired - this is best left to a leather specialist as DIY repair products rarely work effectively.
You will see many people on the internet recommending all manner of household products to remove ink from vaseline to toothpaste – this is not recommended as most simply will not work, some that may appear to work have usually done so by damaging the finish  and some can cause much bigger problems which may then be un-repairable (even by a technician).

Ink on Pigment/Protected leather (P)

If the ink stain is on pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is a LTT Ink Remover. The fresher the ink the more chance you have of removing it so It is a good idea to have one in your house or car if you have pale leather and children!!!!
Older ink stains will be harder to remove than a new ink stain and care should be taken.  Several gentle attempts at removal are much better than one aggressive one.
If the LTT Ink Remover doesn't  remove the ink it does not mean that the product does not work but simply that the ink has travelled too far into the finish on the leather to be removed by this method.  Using stronger products will remove the finish on the leather which will then need replacing so this is best left to a leather technician.
The area should always be cleaned after using the Ink Remover to remove any residues which is left on the leather would only attract dirt to the area.  LTT Leather Shampoo can be used to effectively remove these.
It is also recommended that you use LTT Ultra Leather Protect on your suite. This will act like a 'scotchgard' and will make ink much easier to remove if it happens again.

Ink on Aniline Style Leather (A)

As Aniline style leathers are largely absorbent it means that the ink will have soaked straight into the leather itself. This makes it impossible to remove. No product will successfully remove the ink from this type of leather.
DO NOT try ink removing products on Aniline style leathers as most will leave a greasy residue which will then cause more problems.
If LTT Ultra Leather Protect has been used it is possible that the ink can be cleaned off with LTT Aniline Cleaner if used straight away. 
Because aniline style leathers are absorbent the ink will carry on moving through the leather and may become less obvious over time. Cleaning and protecting on a regular basis will help to dissipate the ink and eventually it may not be so obvious.  LTT Aniline Care Kit contains all you need for looking after your Aniline leather and is the only dedicated Aniline Cleaning product on the market

 DO NOT USE THE FOLLOWING TO REMOVE INK STAINS FROM LEATHER:

•  Hairspray - This is very risky as it can make the matter far worse by spreading the ink over a bigger area and can sometimes then be impossible to fix.
• Nail Varnish remover/solvents - will remove the finish on the leather even if you cannot tell it is doing so and this will then need replacing.  Rubbing alcohol may do the same depending on the strength of the finish on the leather.
• Baby wipes - just about the worst thing you can use on leather as they break down the finish and will eventually ruin it.
• Milk or Toothpaste - these are just silly ideas that will leave sticky residues on the surface which will help to break down the finish on your leather.
• Silicones/furniture polish - should never be used on leather. They will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather itself and will eventually break all the finish down and cause it to crack.
• Hide food - will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.
• Bleach
• WD40
• Household Cleaners

WHAT PRODUCTS WILL I NEED? 

You may like to visit our Leather Furniture Care Shop or our Auto Leather Care Shop to browse our full range of products.  We also supply specialist Leather Handbag Care products for designer brands.

 About the Author:

Judy Bass renowned Leather Care Consultant and Leather Agony Aunt has been involved with leather care and repair for the past 2 decades.  Her vast experience and knowledge of leather are second to none and LTT Leathercare have set the standard worldwide for leather care and repair via their training programmes.  She likes nothing better than helping customers and techncians to solve their leather care problems and LTT Leathercare are used by many well known manufacturers and retailers as their customer care helpline.

All articles are Copyright of LTT Leathercare and cannot be used in any format without written permission