Tire Stains on Leather

rott3np3anut

rott3np3anut

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Hey guys. A friend of my mom's has a Toyota Sienna with leather seats. He folded down the seats and put a piece of cardboard over them, then transported some tires with the van. Apparently the leather slid a bit or didn't completely cover the seat, and there are some pretty set in stains on the back of the seat. A regular leather cleaner isn't working, what do you guys suggest?

Here's a pic
IMAG0292.jpg
 
What have you tried?

OPC I feel would clean that up and its safe for leather.
 
The good thing is, it looks like it's just dirt from the surface of the tire and not the actual rubber.

Any APC such as OPC will work well. If once you get the dirt off you find that some of the rubber transferred, try the leather conditioner and it should lift it off.
 
Okay thanks guys! I was going to get OPC anyways with this memorial day sale. If not, the only APC I have is Meguiar's APC+. At what concentration is that safe for leather?
 
Thats super easy

Wipe the area with a damp towel (water)

Get a Magic Eraser and cut it into 1/3's. Soak the Magic Eraser (water) wringe out 75% of the water and spray your APC (straight) onto Magic Eraser. Now gentally glide it across the area and you will soon see that mark disappear

You wanna be sure and keep the area wet (water) that your working on

Good luck, and lets see those after pics

Flash :hungry:
 
you have to be careful rubbing magic eraser on leather imo.

On another forum, dude used it a number of times on his leather with no issues, then all of a sudden, bam, he was taking off colour and had a shiney spot.

Way I figure it, he must have been rubbing off the protective coating the first few times, then did the equivalent of burnthrough on that one spot... there's no going back from that so better to be safe than sorry.
 
embolism said:
you have to be careful rubbing magic eraser on leather imo.

On another forum, dude used it a number of times on his leather with no issues, then all of a sudden, bam, he was taking off colour and had a shiney spot.

Way I figure it, he must have been rubbing off the protective coating the first few times, then did the equivalent of burnthrough on that one spot... there's no going back from that so better to be safe than sorry.
Click to expand...

:iagree: One can never be to carefull I suppose

Another thing you have to watch for is if its a used car that might have been re-dyed. If it has, theres a very good chance of doing damage if it wasn't prepped properaly


OP. If you choose to use the Magic Eraser, keep your surface wet, and glide ever so easily over the area your working on. Once you see how its working, you can lean get a little more aggresive if need be. Just don't go nuts with it


Keep it wet!
 
Flash Gordon said:
:iagree: One can never be to carefull I suppose

Another thing you have to watch for is if its a used car that might have been re-dyed. If it has, theres a very good chance of doing damage if it wasn't prepped properaly


OP. If you choose to use the Magic Eraser, keep your surface wet, and glide ever so easily over the area your working on. Once you see how its working, you can lean get a little more aggresive if need be. Just don't go nuts with it
Click to expand...

I agree if you use the eraser for this cleaning I highly doubt any damage will occur. If you use common sense not exceed pressure to "cut" into the leather you'll be good. IMO/IME
 
Try an alcohol cleaner as this will be safe. If this does not shift it it is unlikely that anything will without damaging the leather finish. Magic erasers should not be used to clean unless you are going to refinish the leather after as they will almost certainly remove the finish.
If alcohol cleaner does not remove the problem then the best thing would be to recolour and refinish.
Hope this helps
Judyb
 
judyb said:
Try an alcohol cleaner as this will be safe. If this does not shift it it is unlikely that anything will without damaging the leather finish. Magic erasers should not be used to clean unless you are going to refinish the leather after as they will almost certainly remove the finish.
If alcohol cleaner does not remove the problem then the best thing would be to recolour and refinish.
Hope this helps
Judyb
Click to expand...

Judy anytime I answer a leather question I think of you. I hope me recommending the Magic Eraser didn't cause your head to spin bachwards

I know your an expert on leather, and I hold your opinion above all others (forums), but I'm not real sure you can fully appreciate the abuse some of these daily drivers inncur. Sometimes you just gotta get nasty in these situations to gain any noticable difference

I admit, using a Magic Eraser wreaks of hackness, but believe it or not, if your very carefull they can and do provide amazing results

If like you say, "if traditional methods are getting you no where, you probally wanna consider a recolour"

My response to that is, "why not try" :p

You know I love you :kiss:


Flash
 
Hi
Thanks for the response.

I am fully aware of the problems that are caused and the havoc that is wreaked as I deal with it on a daily basis.
The reason that Magic Erasers give such good results is because they remove a layer of finish from the leather - this will make the leather look extremely clean but will leave it in a very vulnerable state which will then deteriorate even quicker.
As I said if you are going to refinish after you have cleaned then the Magic Eraser can be used.
Magic Erasers are made from very finely ground melamine and are a great abbrassive on hard surfaces but will provide the same cutting action on leather finishes which should be avoided.

Hope this helps
 
Mix up some APC about 10:1 or more to test, then go a little stronger if you need to. A soft brush to agitate it if needed, otherwise just microfiber to agitate. Should come right off with no problem.
 
judyb said:
Hi
Thanks for the response.

I am fully aware of the problems that are caused and the havoc that is wreaked as I deal with it on a daily basis.
The reason that Magic Erasers give such good results is because they remove a layer of finish from the leather - this will make the leather look extremely clean but will leave it in a very vulnerable state which will then deteriorate even quicker.
As I said if you are going to refinish after you have cleaned then the Magic Eraser can be used.
Magic Erasers are made from very finely ground melamine and are a great abbrassive on hard surfaces but will provide the same cutting action on leather finishes which should be avoided.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Well, just so long as your aware I love you, thats all that matters to me

Flash
 
rott3np3anut said:
Hey guys. A friend of my mom's has a Toyota Sienna with leather seats. He folded down the seats and put a piece of cardboard over them, then transported some tires with the van. Apparently the leather slid a bit or didn't completely cover the seat, and there are some pretty set in stains on the back of the seat.
Click to expand...


Please! May I know the number of days, the tire were in contact with the leather?
 
Flash Gordon said:
Thats super easy

Wipe the area with a damp towel (water)

Get a Magic Eraser and cut it into 1/3's. Soak the Magic Eraser (water) wringe out 75% of the water and spray your APC (straight) onto Magic Eraser. Now gentally glide it across the area and you will soon see that mark disappear

You wanna be sure and keep the area wet (water) that your working on

Good luck, and lets see those after pics

Flash :hungry:
Click to expand...

i wouldnt use a magic eraser on any surface thats shiny, magic eraser is an abrasive and will take some of the surface off. i dont use it on shiny surfaces, i used it on my dash (before i knew what i was doing:P) and it made a "matte" spot while the rest was shiny. i put some megs WBD over it and you cant see the spot anymore. but yeah, i wouldnt use it on leather. if you do decide to use it, do a inconspicuous spot first.

personally id probably just use OPC and a MF after letting it sit for a minute.
 
ride5150 said:
i wouldnt use a magic eraser on any surface thats shiny, magic eraser is an abrasive and will take some of the surface off. i dont use it on shiny surfaces, i used it on my dash (before i knew what i was doing:P) and it made a "matte" spot while the rest was shiny. i put some megs WBD over it and you cant see the spot anymore. but yeah, i wouldnt use it on leather. if you do decide to use it, do a inconspicuous spot first.

personally id probably just use OPC and a MF after letting it sit for a minute.
Click to expand...

Well, that means I am either luckier then you, or just better :P
 
Quick update

First of all, thanks everyone for the replies. I tried it last weekend with Meg's APC+. It didn't even touch it. I'll be placing an order soon and will get OPC, which people seem to have much better results with. Hopefully that works.

I do have a magic eraser, but I'm debating whether or not to use it. I do trust Flash's opinion though, so I'll probably do a test spot to make sure it's safe. It's just a friend's car, and he's in no hurry. I'll keep you guys updated.
 
rott3np3anut said:
Quick update

First of all, thanks everyone for the replies. I tried it last weekend with Meg's APC+. It didn't even touch it. I'll be placing an order soon and will get OPC, which people seem to have much better results with. Hopefully that works.

I do have a magic eraser, but I'm debating whether or not to use it. I do trust Flash's opinion though, so I'll probably do a test spot to make sure it's safe. It's just a friend's car, and he's in no hurry. I'll keep you guys updated.
Click to expand...

I don't give bad advice. Go for it man!!!

Just remember...let the ME do the work. Follow the advice I gave earlier and you will look like a magician too
 
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