Ink on Upholstery?
This can be a simple stain to get out or it can be the worst possible stain. It all depends upon the amount of ink. Typically there are two main types of ink stains. A line, usually caused by an accidental swiping of a pen across the surface of a fabric. The other type is blots and can be caused by either the dropping of a pen between cushions and left undetected for some time. This allows the tip of the pen to come in contact with the fabric and as a result the ink wicks out of the pen into one small spot. Another common cause of inkblots on upholstery is when a pet, such as a dog decides to chew on a pen causing a deposit of the ink onto the fabric where he ends up dropping it, usually because he got a taste of the ink and decided he no longer wanted that for a chew toy.
Today, there are many different formulas for ink but they share two basic ingredients: a colorant and some kind of liquid or solvent, but the characteristics of the ingredients vary greatly depending on the type of ink. Ballpoint pen ink contains an oil-based solvent and pigment for color while a Rollerball pen is similar to ballpoint pens, but uses water-based or gelled ink.
Regardless of the base, whether it is water-based or solvent-based, a professional upholstery cleaner will have the proper cleaners to break down the ink itself. The problem is much greater though. If the volume is great enough, it most likely will absorb into the fibers and possibly dye the fibers causing a permanent stain. This is where a line of ink typically is surface orientated and can quite often be successfully removed without leaving a trace.
On the other hand, blots or heavy volumes of ink are very unlikely to remove and usually the stain will spread leaving a much worst looking stain. It is not uncommon for a seasoned professional upholstery cleaner to decline any attempt to clean larger ink stains due to the most likely outcome.
It is recommended that you, the homeowner never attempt to try to remove any type of ink stains, every type of ink stain, once broken down must be rinsed out. Without the right equipment, your attempt will cause a setting in of the stain. Once set in, even a professional upholstery cleaner may not be able to remove the stains.
For more information on this or if you have an issue with ink on upholstery please call Alec’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning LLC at 781-871-4428.