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How To Remove Paint From Leather: 6 Tips
Removing dirt or water from leather material is commonplace. Needing to clean paint off, however, is a different story. Whether from the remains of an artistic project or an accidental encounter with wet paint, paint spots can be dangerous.
Paint removal requires precision and care, or else you won’t clean the leather but damage it. To enable this, we have a variety of tips on how to clean leather regardless of paint status. Restore your paint-covered leather boots and other items with the tricks below.
1. Identify the Type of Paint
You should, first of all, work to identify the type of paint that has gotten on your shoe. Different types of paint require different types of solvents to work. Think of it like a sliding scale.
Water-based paints are among the easiest to remove, with only minor solvents needed. Following that, latex paint and acrylic paint require harsher solvents like denatured alcohol. Arguably the toughest kinds of paint to remove are oil-based paints.
The longevity of oil-based paints makes them popular for all sorts of painting projects. However, this longevity also makes them difficult to remove without exceptionally harsh solvents.
Knowing what type of paint you’re up against from the start makes it significantly easier to remove it properly. What’s more important is that you won’t be exposing your footwear to overly harsh solvents.
2. Choose the Solvent Carefully
When removing stubborn paint, you’ll invariably have to expose your leather goods to some sort of harshness. Too harsh a solvent, though, and you’ll damage the leather underneath.
Acetone is commonly used in high-grade disinfectant and cleaning situations and as a powerful paint thinner. Don’t let it go anywhere near your leather shoes or other products.
Most solvents will cause a small amount of easily-reversible damage to leather, drying it out subtly. Acetone can cause immediate and permanent damage to the outer and inner layers of the fabric. It can quickly turn leather dry, cracked, and brittle, reducing its longevity and its attractive appearance.
Warm water and soapy water are the mildest solvents you can apply to paint. Water-based paints may come off with it, but other types of paint may resist it.
The next level of solvents is oils. Cooking oils like olive oil and even baby oil can help soften or even remove paint. Simply take a cotton swab or clean cloth and apply oil to the paint spots. Let it briefly sit so that it permeates the paint spot but not your shoe.
Slowly dab off the paint and the excess oil, and you should be set. The case may be, for stubborn paint stains, that you need something more intensive. Rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover are both effective solvents, though they should be used sparingly and applied via cloth. They are harsher than other leather cleaners, and you should try to restore your leather after use.
3. Try To Remove Paint When It’s Wet
It’s easier to remove wet paint than dry paint. The very first step is to take a paper towel or other disposable rag and wipe up the excess paint. Be careful not to press the paint deeper into the leather when you do this.
To remove the remaining paint, you might want to try a mixture of soap and warm water. Avoid hot water, as this can excessively dry and damage leather. The water should feel comfortably warm that you could leave your hand in it indefinitely.
Dip a cloth in the water so it’s damp but not saturated. Gently apply the damp cloth to the affected area with a circular motion until all signs of paint disappear. If it has partially dried, you may see some discoloration and need to apply other cleaners.
Removing what paint you can while wet means less to remove later. This can reduce the need for harsh solvents on your leather and reduce future discoloration.
4. Be Delicate
Less is more when it comes to removing stubborn paint stains. It’s better to start with the most delicate solvents and then move your way up. In addition, the type of leather is important to note.
Full-grain leather goods are of the highest quality and can handle abrasion better than others. This doesn’t mean you have free rein to be rough with it. However, you should know that this kind of leather is made to last.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is suede. Though suede is sought-after, it’s also highly fragile. Because of this, spray bottles, soft cloths, and soft-bristled toothbrushes are suitable vehicles for paint treatment. Due to the delicate bristles of the material, harsh cleansers should be a last resort.
5. Take Your Time
There are only two wrong ways to approach paint removal from leather: Waiting too long to start the process and rushing to clean everything immediately.
The longer you wait, the more paint dries. Most paints dry within a day, with oil, at nearly 24 hours, taking the longest to dry. However, this is only the beginning. When paint “feels” dry, all it means is that the outermost layer of paint is dry.
The process by which paint fully hardens and attaches to a given material is known as curing. The curing process may take anywhere from the better part of a week to months. Once the paint has fully cured, it becomes harder to remove it from the surface of the leather. It becomes more likely that there will be stained areas or some form of discoloration.
At the same time, if you go too harshly with any phase of removal and restoration, it can become irreversible. Great work takes time, and don’t feel the need to hurry your process.
6. Restore the Leather Afterward
Once you’ve cleaned the surface of the leather and removed paint stains, it’s time to restore it. This involves putting a leather conditioner into your leather. Even in the best-case scenario, the paint will dry out the leather, and the cleaning will remove some oils. The goal is to reintroduce those oils to the leather, soften it, and maintain its pliable nature.
In the case of quality wallets, you’ll want them to be placed in a closed position. If they dry while open, it only worsens the risk of cracking when they are bent.
Gather your preferred conditioner and a dry cloth. Home remedies suggest vaseline and petroleum jelly, but dedicated leather care products work the best. Especially with pieces like leather furniture, which last an exceptionally long time, the long-term fix is the better one.
You should use a cloth to gently massage your choice of Leather Cream into any damaged areas. Once done, you can use a second cloth, or a dry part of your initial cloth, to wipe away excess. This way, you wind up with a clean surface and a well-maintained inner layer of leather.
Why Leather?
This whole article is about how to remove paint from leather. There’s a question that underlines every tip we have, though: Why leather? What makes leather better than, say, cotton, wool, canvas, or any number of countless fabrics?
Leather endures everything we throw at it, from scratches to heat to paint and more. It’s never too difficult to repair or restore it. Thanks to these, it has a longevity that simply surpasses everything else around. Long live full-grain leather, from cases to wallets to bags to everything you want to carry.
Sources:
How Long Does Paint Last? I Forbes Home
Solvent | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Acetone Sterilization in Ophthalmic Surgery I National Library of Medicine
