Fingernail polish on leather

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imported_perry

New member
When I got in to my mom's car today, I noticed that she had spilled fingernail polish on her driver's seat. She said she had thrown the bottle on the seat and come back later to notice that some had leaked out. She used a Kleenex to clean up what had not yet dried, but there's about a 2" x 2" area that has a light coating on it. It's right at the back of the seat cushion, so not too noticeable, but red polish on tan leather still shows pretty good.



Any ideas on getting it off? Afraid that acetone will take the color off the leather too.
 
Stoner Xenit or I have an ink remover that might work. If your mom's leather has a clearcoat, it will likely lift with the stain and need to be restored. You will need a leather repair kit.



db
 
I don't know if this will work for you, but here's a picture of a seat that had white paint on it, and wouldn't come off with traditional cleaners nor Saddle Soap. I ended up using Acetone since nothing else worked and it came right off and followed behind it with Saddle Soap.



557103__f150_front_seat.jpg




557103__f150_front_seat_after_cleaning.jpg






After looking at these pics next to each other, it looks like totally different seats but I promise they are the same. They were taken at different times and with different lighting.
 
Unless that's a (very) high end car, only the seating surfaces are leather. The sides/backs of the seats are not leather. That's probably why the acetone didn't harm the seat. The saddle soap wasn't necessary, but some vinyl protectant will work great.
 
The Spinneybeck leather and cleaner / conditioner kit availalble at leatherz.com has a bottle of ink remover in the kit that mite work. The Spinneybeck cleaner/conditioner is the best leather care product I have ever used. Last time i bought it was ard 25 bucks
 
Ahhh, very true. I completely forgot about that. This is an F150 and you are right, only the seating surfaces are actually leather so I guess my post doesn't say anything. Oh well, sorry.
 
Thought about the Magic Eraser. I've used on it her leather previously to give it a real good cleaning. Came out pretty nice.



So an ink remover may work? Do you sell it David? XENIT may be nice to try out too. They say it can remove paint from furniture and mom was just asking me how to remove paint she dripped on the back of the toilet when she painted the bathroom recently. Maybe I'll have her order XENIT.



FWIW, mom's car is a Buick Century. No idea about clearcoat and all that jazz. How hard is it to use a leather repair kit and get decent results? Something I can do, or should I try to find a pro?
 
I think you need to be careful. I would use a Scotch Brite 7445 or 6448 pad in conjunction with a leather cleaner to start. Go to an all purpose cleaner next. Test in a inconspicuous area. Step up the cleaner to a mild solvent if need be.



The Scotch Brite pads are very mild. You can step those up as well.

Just test a spot first. The problem with SB pads is they are not readily available for retail sale. They are awesome for cleaning. I initially said yikes when a long tome detailer friend turned me on to the SB pads. I'm glad he did.



With some patience and the correct technique you "hopefully" will rid the seats of the stain. Otherwise- Plan B: leather repair.
 
The seats are clearcoated. More than 95% of automobile leather is.



Go back and read David B's post. He's the guy "who wrote the book". And he's right, this time, also.



Having said that, since you'll need to redye/repair it anyway, use a mild solvent, dwell, blot. Repeat.



Regarding the repair, there are 4 or 5 "Dr Vinyl" franchises here in Indiana. Call me, I can probably steer you in the right direction ( for about $70-80).



Jim
 
If you have AutoGlym's leather cleaner you may want to try it. It removed gel coat from my leather and if you have ever worked with cured gel coat, you know it is a PITA to remove.
 
I had 2 spots of red fingernail polish on a cloth seat in my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT that I thought would never come out. I had some Blue Coral cleaner which works great on grease, but wouldn't touch the fingernail polish. I had sent for the 303 products holiday special that included 303 Cleaner And Spot Remover. Two squirts and both spots rubbed away without a trace.
 
Mr. Clean = no go

Orange Blast = no go



Told mom about the $80 estimate and she says she'll just live with it. She'll probably be getting rid of the car some time this year anyways.
 
nailzer said:
I had 2 spots of red fingernail polish on a cloth seat in my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT that I thought would never come out. I had some Blue Coral cleaner which works great on grease, but wouldn't touch the fingernail polish. I had sent for the 303 products holiday special that included 303 Cleaner And Spot Remover. Two squirts and both spots rubbed away without a trace.
Click to expand...



:up



Nail polish, paint, blood (don't ask, but much more than a cut finger) crayon, ink, this product will safely remove most stains



JonM



[JM edit 01.05.05 303 Cleaner And Spot Remover]
 
Didn't try fingernail polish remover because I was afraid it would damage the leather. Maybe one that doesn't contain acetone? I'd hate to ruin the leather after she said she'd just live with the stain.
 
try a lil bit of alcohol in some water, i dont see how the alcohol would stain it, but im not sure....if it doesnt work, keep making the mixture more potent and youll find the right combo to remove it without going too strong and possibly damaging the hide:xyxthumbs
 
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