Help with Leather Furniture Repair

Updated on April 28, 2010
C.S. asks from River Falls, WI
8 answers

Help! Our family just purchased a new leather couch and matching chair with ottoman.
My son today was putting on hand sanitizer while sitting on chair and drop some on
the ottoman. I wiped it off and it bleached or discolored my leather. The size of a quarter. How can I fix it. It looks terrible. It must be bleach in the hand sanitizer? any helpful suggestions.

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S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

The hand sanitizer acts like a solvent. The best comparison is like using nail polish remover to remove nail color. The sanitizer removed the color from that spot on your furniture. Unfortunately, the only solution is to have the spot redyed. There should be a leather repairman in your area who can help you with that. Usually the results are quite good. Generally, any product containing alcohol should be kept far away from your leather. Another tip: if you have pets and use a flea product like Advantage, be sure the product is completely dry before allowing pets near your furniture. When the product is wet, it can pull the color from your leather furniture.
S. Roquemore
www.LALeatherRepair.com

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

Hand Santiitizer is a gel form of rubbing alcohol; it will remove ink stains so it is strong stuff. There should be a leather repair shop near you I would call them. You don't say what color it is or where the spot is. You could also call the store where you purchased the chair. Leather is 4 times stronger than fabric and will outlast any fabric however it is always recommended that you purchase a leather treatment/cleaner and apply it once a month.

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J.W.

answers from Des Moines on

My thoughts are the sanitizer probably contains alcohol and maybe that is responsible for the discoloration. I think you should call the place you purchased from and see if they can help or if it is covered under warranty.

Have you ever thought of removing these harsh products from your home and replacing them with safe, eco-friendly products? Products that are more gentle for you and your children that can help avoid these type of accidents.

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D.G.

answers from Lincoln on

Hand sanitizer has alcohol in it that is why is bleached your leather. I'd call a professional and see what they say to do. I agree with the poster that said to call the place you bought the furniture and ask them what they suggest.

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A.F.

answers from St. Cloud on

Hi C.! I can relate! Melaleuca hand sanitizer ruined my leather ottoman! We had it replaced by the furniture dealer. Is your ottoman under warranty? We were told there was no way to fix it ourselves.
I hope you find a solution!

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R.P.

answers from Minneapolis on

I'd call the furniture store where you purchased it, maybe they can suggest something. Otherwise look in the phone book for furniture repairmen. Good luck, I know how expensive leather furniture is.......

Renee

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D.O.

answers from Minneapolis on

I am not answering your question but just got this email today and thought we should all know this. Yikes!WOW! I did not know this, so I am sharing this because you all have children or work with children & I feel it's critical to know... please share with the kids!

This story was verified at: www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp
Yesterday, my youngest daughter, Halle, who is 4, was rushed to the emergency room by her father for being severely lethargic and incoherent. He was called to her school by the school secretary for being 'very VERY sick.'

He told me that when he arrived, Halle was barely sitting in the chair. She couldn't hold her own head up and when he looked into her eyes, she couldn't focus them.
He immediately scooped her up and rushed her to the ER, and then called me.
When we got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did x-rays, every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal, nothing was out of the ordinary. The ER doctor told us that he had done everything that he could do so he was sending her to Saint Francis for further tests.
Right when we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher came to the ER and, after questioning Halle's classmates, we found out that she had licked hand sanitizer off her hand.

Hand sanitizer, of all things.

But it makes sense. These days they have all kinds of different scents and when you have a curious child, they are going to put all kinds of things into their mouths..
When we arrived at Saint Francis, we told the ER doctor there to check her blood alcohol level, and yes we did get weird looks, but they did it. The results showed her blood alcohol level was 85% -- six hours after we first took her. There's no telling what it would have been if we would have requested it at the first ER..
Since then, her school and a few surrounding schools have taken this out of the classrooms of all the lower grade classes, but what's to stop middle and high schoolers from ingesting the stuff?

After doing research on the Internet, we have found out that it only takes 3 squirts of the stuff to be fatal in a toddler. For her blood alcohol level to be so high was to compare someone her size to drinking something 120 proof. So please PLEASE don't disregard this because I don't ever want anyone else to go through what my family and I have gone through.

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J.B.

answers from Omaha on

They sell furniture markers at walmart and hardware stores that work great just find a color that is close put it on and dab it off it works great. or there is always Dr. Vinyl in the phone book that is really good I used them to repair a leather seat in my car looked fantastic.

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