Ink can be one of the most unsightly and awkward to remove stains from a vehicles upholstery. There are two different types of ink and which kind the stain comprises of will depend on how it is dealt with. Water based ink stains may look very unsightly but can actually be removed with relative ease whereas permanent ink stains require different techniques and products to remove.
Water based ink stains can easily be removed using either a diluted all purpose cleaner or a designated upholstery cleaner. The affected area should be pre treated with the cleaning product and left to dwell for a few moments. A damp micro fibre towel should then be used to agitate the area and help lift out the ink, the cleaner may need to be reapplied and the process repeated in order to completely lift out the stain. A vacuum cleaner or wet vac extraction machine can then be used to pull out any remaining ink and cleaning residue leaving the area as dry as possible and completely ink free.
Permanent ink stains can be allot more stubborn and require a little more effort to be removed. The first thing that needs to be done is to blot up as much of the stain as possible prior to cleaning. Isopropyl alcohol should be used to do this, it should be applied to a micro fibre towel and dabbed over the surface working from the edge of the stain inwards to prevent it from spreading. It is advisable to fold the towel to reveal a clean surface and repeat the process a number of times in order to lift off as much ink as possible and loosen the stain prior to cleaning.
Once the isopropyl alcohol has been used on the stain you should then begin cleaning it to remove both the remaining ink and the alcohol residue. A diluted all purpose cleaner and a designated upholstery cleaning product should ideally be used in conjunction with each other to further lift out the ink and clean the upholstery underneath.
The affected area should be pre treated with an all purpose diluted cleaner and left to dwell for a few moments, this will help to effectively cut through any remaining ink residue in the fibres of the upholstery. The cleaner can be agitated with an appropriate brush if necessary to further loosen the ink. A damp micro fibre towel should then be used to work over the area and lift out the residues before applying the upholstery cleaner.
A designated upholstery cleaner should then be used on the area to finally remove any ink or previous cleaning product residue. It should be applied directly to the upholstery and worked in with a fresh damp micro fibre towel. The towel should be rinsed in clean warm water then finally worked over the area to help remove any last cleaning product residues. A vacuum cleaner can then be used to fully extract the area to again leave it as dry as possible. If you have access to a wet vac extraction machine this can be used in conjunction with clean warm water to finally thoroughly pull out all the remaining residues.
