Household tips

I was looking for a thread to ask a household related question but couldn't find anything appropriate. So here we are, somewhere to ask or give tips on perhaps cleaning, or advice on any household problem that we may have the answer too.

 

My own question....I have a cream leather suite and the dye from new jeans has stained one of the chairs. Removal ideas, without using any harsh cleaners, would be welcome please.

 

A friend told me that toothpaste is good for cleaning around the kitchen.
Any ideas folks? Anyone tried this?

 

Courtesy of eHow.

Removing Blue Jean Stains From White Leather
Blue jeans can also leave stains on white leather couches when the colour transfers from the pants onto the furniture. This tends to happen with darker shades of jeans because the dyes need to be washed several times until they bleed out completely.

You can try using toothpaste to remove blue jeans stains. Squeeze a bit onto the stain and gently scrub with a toothbrush. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it off and blot away the residue with a clean sponge.

You can also try Borax and baking soda to remove stains from a white leather couch. To do so, combine 1 tablespoon of each with 100 millilitres of water. Apply it to the dye stain with a sponge or a soft-bristled toothbrush, working gently so as not to scratch the surface. Another leather cleaning method uses equal parts of water and white vinegar applied with a clean microfiber cloth. You can also try using acetone-free nail polish remover or hair spray since this works well on hair dye and ink.

 

On a wee spot, try dabbing a cloth or a cutip eith a bit of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. I have used it to remove permanent marker from cloth.

 

I'll try your idea with the toothpaste first Jocko as I suspect it'll be gentler than Lori's idea. Thank you both.

Sorry John, I can't answer your question. The only place I've used toothpaste until now, not surprisingly, is on my teeth.

 

@Jocko have you found the toothpaste method to completely remove the stain? I'm curious as to how the grit in the toothpaste would alter the smooth leather surface too. Did it remain the same?

Please let me know how it goes @Sheal as I'd like to know how if it worked for you.

 

I haven't tried it. I just found the information for Sheal

 

I suppose you have tried leather cleaner.

I didn't think there was any grit in toothpaste these days, but I think it might contain bleach.

 

Arm & Hammer?

 

Never tried it, I used to use Eucryl (spelling), years ago until the dentist told me it was too abrasive, thinking about it he was the one who drilled nearly every tooth in my head.

 

I liked Eucryl too. A&H is great and natural. Can't get those here. I have just used Bicarb then a once over with toothpaste.

 

Toothpastes contain fine abrasives to remove plaque from the teeth, which is why youn can use them for cleaning other things.
These days they can also contain chemicals like percarbonates as a bleach to whiten the teeth.
My father used to use Euthymol, nasty shade of pink, the rest of us used Ultrabright.

 

Always use a throw on our suite to stop the same problem, even use it when guests come in wearing jeans.

The throw also stops long term stains on the headrest area of such light coloured suites , ours is fabric, which is similarly difficult to remove without it leaving a cleaned patch effect.

 

I think the moral of the story is buy a dark coloured suite.