Frequently Ask Questions:
How to Identify Leather Stains?
In which region(s) do you operate?
Which sectors/industries do you serve?
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How to Identify Leather Stains?
Leather Stains are identified by: Appearance, Odor, Color, Feel-of-Hand, Location, and Buildup or Absorbed!
1: Appearance:
1.1: Stain identification by appearance will show whether it is the characteristic of a spill, rub-on, penetrated, or deposited.
1.2: Stain may also reveal dye or finish damages caused by the stain.
2: Odor:
2.1: Odor-by-smell identification can be helpful in positive stain identification.
2.2: Odors such as moldy, smoke, putrid, or ammonia from urine are some common stains identified by smell.
3: Color:
3.1: Color stain identification will also give a clue to the staining stuff.
3.2: Color stains from beverages, nail polish, lipstick, blood, or others could all appear red.
3.3: Color identification may not be necessarily right; with time and oxidization, a red bloodstain may turn from tan to black.
3.4: The color of the leather may mesmerize or alter the appearance of the stain.
4: Feel of Hand:
4.1: Feel-of-hand stain identification may help determine the stain types.
4.2: A candy, beverage, or a sugar substance could appear red and feel sticky.
4.3: A nail polish, shellac or paint stain may feel brittle and stiff.
4.4: A grease base stain such as lipstick may smear by the feel of the hand.
5: Location:
5.1: Location may give a clue as to the makeup of the staining substance in visual inspection and identification.
5.2: Dark stains from body oil, grease, and sweat are common on the headrest and armrest of furniture.
6: Buildup or Absorbed:
6.1: A stain may take several appearances.
6.2: Most stains build up or accumulate on top of non-absorbent pigmented leather.
6.3: Almost all stains are absorbed on most unfinished, aniline, and nubuck leathers.
6.4: Naturally, stains could also combine absorbed and built up.
6.5: An absorbed stain indicates that it was a liquid before it penetrates the leather.
6.6: A liquid stain may have chemically changed and destabilized the leather
chemistry integrity and alter its appearance.
6.7: Example of sweat stains often react with absorbent leathers and denatures them.
6.8: Examples of stains affecting the tanning agent that preserves the leather manifest as tackiness when dry and sliminess when wet detected by the feel of the hand.
6.9: Examples of stains affecting the dyestuff occur when color appears during wet wiping with a white absorbent towel.
6.10: Examples of stains affecting the fat liquored leather fat and oil leaching out as a milky film known as leather spew, the leather becomes stiff, loses its tensile strength, and cracks when stressed.
6.11: In any event, the leather may show a marked color change in that area after spotting, and possibly after cleaning.
6.12: Examples of built-up stains include paint and some foodstuff, etc.
6.13: Examples of absorbed stains include beverages, wine, tea, coffee, etc.
6.14: Examples of combination stains include lipstick, ink, mustard, etc.
6.15: Most absorbed stains will have part of their staining stuff absorbed into the leather and part accumulated on its surface.
6.16: A stain may also be a substance that has wet solvent-soluble and dry solvent-soluble components combined.
6.17: Examples of a compound stain would be gravy which contains grease, flour (from a plant), and milk (from an animal).
6.18: Examples of paint-type stains are readily detected because of their stiff nature and generally bright colors and they seem to be sitting on top of the leather.
6.19: When identifying stains always try to determine whether they are of a protein, cellulose, oil-based, or a colloidal make-up in nature.
6.20: Three common types of soiling or stain are solvent-soluble, water-soluble, and insoluble.
6.21: Stains are often of a combination in nature, and in most instances, there will be no information regarding the stain especially if they are bought used.
Your opinions and insights are precious and will help us to improve our writing and communication to solve your leather problem more efficiently.
Edited May 18, 2024 by Roger Koh
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*In which region(s) do you operate?
We operate from Vancouver, Canada, North America, and sell worldwide through our online store: www.LeatherDoctor.com
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*Which sectors/industries do you serve?
We serve the Leather Care industry including Leather Car Interior, Leather Furnishing, Upholstery, Hand Bags, Garments, Boots, Hair-on Rugs, Equestrian, and Leather Accessories.
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For further reference about other people who uses Leather Doctor Products, with step by step explanations and leather problem discussion, you may visit our Technical Help & Support Forum.
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