Powerful cleaner

[ladybug]

Hi, I need something to erase this hand-sanitizer stain on this leather-like(maybe leather box), it is a Harry Potter wand box if anyone is familiar with the texture, I need something powerful which will clean the stain but will not damage the box. If it is a dangerous chemical I don't care I will handle it carefully anything which will erase the stain out of existence momentarily without damaging the box. Thank you! If you can't see it, it's the white streak.

[wanderingfool2]

So this is for curiosity sake/probing.  What type of hand-sanitizer was it?

 

 

The reason I ask this is (a) different cleaners for different types of stuck on stuff and (b) if it was alcohol based hand sanitizer you could be out of luck.

 

For (b) the reasoning behind that is that some inks and dyes get reactivated with alcohol (if you ever want to get off permanent market just use iso alcohol).  So there is a chance that instead of a stain in a classical sense the actual dye used on the leather has essentially bled out and you will be left with that streak.

 

With that said, if you are lucky and it's just residue left over from the hand sanitizer, and if it was alcohol based, you could just use like 99% iso to reactivate the residue.  Be careful though as like what I said above...you could end up making it worse.  I would recommend with that taking a q-tip getting it very slightly wet in iso, then on an inconspicuous area try a very small section to wipe.  Then look at the q-tip if you see any discolouration you know it's activated by that so you know that the stain isn't a stain but a discolouration (which really can't be fixed as far as I am aware).

 

Now on that test patch, if you didn't get any change I would work on a small section at the bottom of the stain.  Get the q-tip slightly wet and just roll it while holding it stationary on like the bottom section near the corner.  That way you can check if it works, and if it gets worse it's not as visible and only the size of a q-tip head.  When I said roll it, I mean you essentially are spinning it without moving it's position so you are effectively just scrubbing the size of a q-tip head.

[ladybug]

31 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

So this is for curiosity sake/probing.  What type of hand-sanitizer was it?

 

 

The reason I ask this is (a) different cleaners for different types of stuck on stuff and (b) if it was alcohol based hand sanitizer you could be out of luck.

 

For (b) the reasoning behind that is that some inks and dyes get reactivated with alcohol (if you ever want to get off permanent market just use iso alcohol).  So there is a chance that instead of a stain in a classical sense the actual dye used on the leather has essentially bled out and you will be left with that streak.

 

With that said, if you are lucky and it's just residue left over from the hand sanitizer, and if it was alcohol based, you could just use like 99% iso to reactivate the residue.  Be careful though as like what I said above...you could end up making it worse.  I would recommend with that taking a q-tip getting it very slightly wet in iso, then on an inconspicuous area try a very small section to wipe.  Then look at the q-tip if you see any discolouration you know it's activated by that so you know that the stain isn't a stain but a discolouration (which really can't be fixed as far as I am aware).

 

Now on that test patch, if you didn't get any change I would work on a small section at the bottom of the stain.  Get the q-tip slightly wet and just roll it while holding it stationary on like the bottom section near the corner.  That way you can check if it works, and if it gets worse it's not as visible and only the size of a q-tip head.  When I said roll it, I mean you essentially are spinning it without moving it's position so you are effectively just scrubbing the size of a q-tip head.

aaand so what if it's just a stain and I don't want to ruin it, what do I use then? You didn't really give me a solution just a test to see if it's a stain. I would prefer to first try to clean it with a cleaner that will actually help without doing risky tests that will make it worse. I can find out if it's a stain this way

[wanderingfool2]

1 hour ago, ladybug said:

aaand so what if it's just a stain and I don't want to ruin it, what do I use then? You didn't really give me a solution just a test to see if it's a stain. I would prefer to first try to clean it with a cleaner that will actually help without doing risky tests that will make it worse. I can find out if it's a stain this way

Like I said though, different material requires different cleaning products.  It's why I was probing that kind of question...because it's an important question and if you notice what I said did have something that could "clean" it.

 

Again, iso should be able to clean it if it was alcohol based, but you run the risk if it isn't a stain and rather that it's bleed out from it coming in contact with alcohol...which is why you need to test it.  When you are starting to talk about cleaning materials (because water presumably doesn't work), you will always run some form of risk based on what the material is and what types of dyes they used.  It's why no matter what cleaner you use you should be doing a quick test area on a less than obvious spot.

 

e.g. I have painted my walls over the course of multiple decades.  Some of the paint reacts with bleach based products, others don't.  I have some that will react with basic kinds of cleaners while others won't etc. 

 

Other examples, oil stains you need things like emulsifiers that let water and oil mix...for toner on shirts you need to ensure you don't use hot liquids.  etc.

 

Again, it's why knowing what the stain is is important...it's why I was asking if the hand sanitizer was alcohol based.

[ladybug]

31 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

Like I said though, different material requires different cleaning products.  It's why I was probing that kind of question...because it's an important question and if you notice what I said did have something that could "clean" it.

 

Again, iso should be able to clean it if it was alcohol based, but you run the risk if it isn't a stain and rather that it's bleed out from it coming in contact with alcohol...which is why you need to test it.  When you are starting to talk about cleaning materials (because water presumably doesn't work), you will always run some form of risk based on what the material is and what types of dyes they used.  It's why no matter what cleaner you use you should be doing a quick test area on a less than obvious spot.

 

e.g. I have painted my walls over the course of multiple decades.  Some of the paint reacts with bleach based products, others don't.  I have some that will react with basic kinds of cleaners while others won't etc. 

 

Other examples, oil stains you need things like emulsifiers that let water and oil mix...for toner on shirts you need to ensure you don't use hot liquids.  etc.

 

Again, it's why knowing what the stain is is important...it's why I was asking if the hand sanitizer was alcohol based.

well I mean probably, most of them are. I will check but assuming it is? Also you say alcohol is bad but then use iso? And yes water doesn't work. I mean I tried a wet wipe with extensive scrubbing and it didn't work

[wanderingfool2]

1 minute ago, ladybug said:

well I mean probably, most of them are. I will check but assuming it is? Also you say alcohol is bad but then use iso? And yes water doesn't work. I mean I tried a wet wipe with extensive scrubbing and it didn't work

I never said alcohol was bad, please do re-read what I was talking about.  It's a distinct difference and the reasoning you do tests.

 

Permanent pens, like Sharpies, use alcohol as a base typically because when you use water the colors don't bleed...but it also means if you spill alcohol on it you effectively have reactivated the colors and they are free to either decompose or bleed.  That's why it can be bad for some material, as it's in the literal sense dissolving what gives it color.

 

It's similar idea to blue jeans, borax is a great cleaning agent and even used to be used as a laundry detergent...but put jeans in a tub of warm water and borax and watch how the water now turns blue...vs other cleaners where you might get a small amount of bleeding but not significant.

 

Hand sanitizer, which typically has alcohol in it can also have stuff suspended in it that is dissolvable in alcohol...which is why it would act as a good way to reactivate it and take it out.  It's also why you have to go more slowly with it though because you want to only try making it come in contact with the bad bit (i.e. get it wet with iso and then dap it dry, repeat).

 

The power for it to dissolve some of the coloring though is why you have to do a test area...because it could very well be that the "stain" is just a discoloration caused by alcohol, at which point you are out of luck...but at least you know at that stage.

[ladybug]

52 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

I never said alcohol was bad, please do re-read what I was talking about.  It's a distinct difference and the reasoning you do tests.

 

Permanent pens, like Sharpies, use alcohol as a base typically because when you use water the colors don't bleed...but it also means if you spill alcohol on it you effectively have reactivated the colors and they are free to either decompose or bleed.  That's why it can be bad for some material, as it's in the literal sense dissolving what gives it color.

 

It's similar idea to blue jeans, borax is a great cleaning agent and even used to be used as a laundry detergent...but put jeans in a tub of warm water and borax and watch how the water now turns blue...vs other cleaners where you might get a small amount of bleeding but not significant.

 

Hand sanitizer, which typically has alcohol in it can also have stuff suspended in it that is dissolvable in alcohol...which is why it would act as a good way to reactivate it and take it out.  It's also why you have to go more slowly with it though because you want to only try making it come in contact with the bad bit (i.e. get it wet with iso and then dap it dry, repeat).

 

The power for it to dissolve some of the coloring though is why you have to do a test area...because it could very well be that the "stain" is just a discoloration caused by alcohol, at which point you are out of luck...but at least you know at that stage.

I see but isn't there another way to clean it in case it's a stain. I don't mind using alcohol if I run the risk of discoloring it as well as cleaning it I don't know if I want that risk. I have read that leather cleaners or dish soap water might help? Don't forget the material is definitely something leather like

[ladybug]

On 3/5/2025 at 8:32 PM, wanderingfool2 said:

I never said alcohol was bad, please do re-read what I was talking about.  It's a distinct difference and the reasoning you do tests.

 

Permanent pens, like Sharpies, use alcohol as a base typically because when you use water the colors don't bleed...but it also means if you spill alcohol on it you effectively have reactivated the colors and they are free to either decompose or bleed.  That's why it can be bad for some material, as it's in the literal sense dissolving what gives it color.

 

It's similar idea to blue jeans, borax is a great cleaning agent and even used to be used as a laundry detergent...but put jeans in a tub of warm water and borax and watch how the water now turns blue...vs other cleaners where you might get a small amount of bleeding but not significant.

 

Hand sanitizer, which typically has alcohol in it can also have stuff suspended in it that is dissolvable in alcohol...which is why it would act as a good way to reactivate it and take it out.  It's also why you have to go more slowly with it though because you want to only try making it come in contact with the bad bit (i.e. get it wet with iso and then dap it dry, repeat).

 

The power for it to dissolve some of the coloring though is why you have to do a test area...because it could very well be that the "stain" is just a discoloration caused by alcohol, at which point you are out of luck...but at least you know at that stage.

Hey guys, I cleaned it! I used an enzyme-based leather cleaner(leather, plastic and rubber) which was quite expensive but it worked literally like magic which is fitting for the product I was cleaning;). I just applied it and the stain was gone. So there is the solution! But thanks anyway I appreciate the answers!