We wash eco-leather from stains and yellowness

White leatherette furniture looks impressive, but can cause a lot of trouble if it gets dirty. Knowing how to remove different types of stains, you can clean white leatherette yourself to return it to its original color.

Do's and don'ts

Items made from eco-leather and other synthetic materials require careful care. Depending on the type of contamination, different cleaning agents are allowed.

The following can be dangerous for any product made from eco-leather or leatherette:

• excess moisture;
• exposure to high temperatures;
• cleaning with a steam generator;
• abrasives.

Chemical solvents should be used with caution. Some of them can damage the surface.

You cannot use powdered soda, brushes or hard sponges - they will leave scratches, dirt will penetrate deeper, and it will be impossible to get rid of them. If the surface is glossy, dull spots will remain on it after cleaning with abrasive agents.

Before using any substances, it is better to test on a piece of material or an inconspicuous area of ​​the product!

Daily care

Seats, sofa armrests, and bags made of white material become greasy over time and acquire a yellow tint. Denim clothing leaves bluish or gray stains on the seat. How to wash eco-leather from everyday dirt?

For this you will need:

• laundry soap;
• dishwashing liquid;
• wet wipes for caring for leather items;
• citric acid solution or lemon juice to whiten the surface;
• automotive leather cleaning products;
• melamine sponge eraser.

When choosing a car product for eco-leather, you will have to experiment - not all of them cope with dirty deposits in the same way; sometimes using laundry soap is easier and more effective.

Citric acid or hydrogen peroxide provide good whitening. The second, moreover, kills bacteria, which is useful for animal owners.

How to properly wash a leatherette product?

Eco-leather does not need to be wet much; all work is carried out with a wrung-out cloth. For washing you need a soft sponge and two dry cotton or microfiber cloths. You need to wipe off the dust first so as not to roll the fluff across the surface.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Apply a small amount of cleaning solution or foam with a sponge. Rub gently.
2. Remove the composition with a clean damp cloth.
3. Wipe with a dry cloth to remove any remaining moisture.
4. Apply a protective agent with silicone - it softens the surface, adds shine and forms a film that prevents contamination. Be sure to wipe off excess with paper towels.

Unfortunately, housewives also have to wash more complex stains. Tips for removing common stains will help keep your white finish clean.

Traces from pens and felt-tip pens

If there are children at home, the question of removing traces of their art sooner or later arises in every mother. Fortunately, modern felt-tip pens can be easily washed off with water, but the same cannot be said about ballpoint pens and markers.

Ballpoint pen ink is the most difficult stain to remove. They must be removed as quickly as possible so that the dye does not become embedded in the coating.If the ink is not dry, there is a chance to wash it with soap and a melamine sponge. After drying, you can whiten the surface stained with a pen in several ways.

• Method 1. Nail polish remover. Cleans off fresh ink, markers, and gel pens.
• Method 2. Hair fixation spray. Apply, wait a couple of minutes, wipe off with a cotton pad, repeat if necessary.
• Method 3. Leather polish and solvent for polyurethane glue. First, treat the surface with polish or conditioner to protect it, wait 5 minutes, and then wipe the stain with a solvent. When used correctly, this treatment removes even old hand marks without harming the leatherette.

Methods using slaked soda, alcohols, and citric acid will remove the ink of gel pens and water-alcohol-based markers. Since ballpoint pen paste has a wax-fat composition, these methods will be ineffective for it.

Drink Stains

At home, it is quite possible to wash traces of drinks from a white sofa. The main thing is to act quickly so that the liquids do not have time to be absorbed.

1. Use a dry cloth or napkins to collect any remaining spills from the surface. If you don't have paper towels or a rag on hand, you can sprinkle salt, then collect it along with the absorbed drink.
2. Wipe the stained area with hydrogen peroxide, an aqueous solution of vinegar or citric acid, if the pigment remains. The proportions of 9% vinegar to water are the same as when using acid: one to one.
3. After treatment, wash the leatherette with soapy water or wipe with damp cloths, dry the surface with towels.

Products for different types of stains

Leatherette and eco-leather are popular because of their practicality. This coating is washable and does not require complex maintenance.Most stains can be easily removed with soap, but some stains will require a little more effort.

• Food stains - greasy marks, chocolate - are washed off with dish gel marked “Anti-grease” or laundry soap.
• Stains from berries and grass should be bleached after washing with citric acid or hydrogen peroxide.
• The blood is immediately washed off with cold water, and a cotton pad with ammonia is placed on old stains. Then scrub, adding ammonia as needed.
• Nail polish, acrylic paint, brilliant paint are washed off with nail polish remover.
• Chewing gum and plasticine are first carefully wiped off with a gauze swab, and the residue is removed with alcohol.
• Gouache and watercolor can be washed with liquid soap and a melamine sponge.
• Oil paint can be wiped off with turpentine.

Rules for removing stains

Paradoxically, furniture and things made of white leatherette have advantages over colored ones, because when scrubbing their surface, there is no risk of washing off the dye and getting a lightened stain.

7 simple truths about stain removal:

1. It is easier to remove fresh stains.
2. All stain removers must first be tested on an inconspicuous area of ​​the product.
3. Do not scrape off dirt or use abrasives.
4. It is necessary to erase traces of brush, paints, and brilliant green, moving from the edges to the center.
5. When removing a stain, you need to change the cotton pads more often so as not to smear the dirt.
6. Cotton balls should be proportionate to the size of the stain. It is better to remove some stains with cotton swabs - this will reduce the area of ​​treatment, and therefore the risk of rubbing off pigmentation and damaging the surface.
7. Eco-leather conditioner will help protect a white sofa, armchair, and chair upholstery - it must be applied after each wash.The silicone film on the surface will prevent the absorption of dirt.

When purchasing items made from leatherette, it is advisable to ask the seller about the type and composition of the material, and also to keep the flap that the manufacturer attaches to the label of the product or furniture. On this piece you can test the effect of stain removers, if necessary.