As you remove the nail polish, wipe it off of the knife or spatula, and continue to remove it until as much polish as possible has been removed. Be careful when using a knife that you don’t stab the leather. That is why it’s important to use a dull-bladed knife, or better yet a spatula because you won’t run the risk of putting a hole in your leather. Use these tools in a slight upward lifting motion.
If you have a larger stain, use damp paper towels or a rag to dab the stain, but be careful not to smear the stain or to drip water onto your leather that will cause the stain to run.
If your stain is on a couch or car seat, push down on the surface of the leather on one side of the stain so that the opposite side of the stain is lifted up, making it easier to get underneath the stain. If your stain is on a leather garment, try folding the leather near the edge of the stain. Peel the polish off slowly, watching the leather as you do so to make sure you don’t damage it.
Before you remove an entire stain with a product, test an inconspicuous area on the leather, then wait 24 hours to observe if the leather is damaged. If the leather seems fine, then proceed to treat the stain with the product.
Be careful not to oversaturate your stain with rubbing alcohol as this will more than likely damage your leather. You want to soak your swabs in alcohol, but you don’t want them to be so wet that they drip the alcohol on the rest of the surface.
Nail polish remover may take a few attempts, so in between each attempt to remove the stain, allow the leather to dry. Then, proceed to treat the stain until it is removed with a new cotton ball each time. The benefit of non-acetone nail polish remover is it won’t bleach your leather, but it may not be powerful enough to remove the stain. If non-acetone nail polish remover is not removing your stain, you can try acetone nail polish remover. This is a harsher product and will more than likely damage your leather, but the damage can be repaired rather easily.
This is the safest nail polish stain remover as it works like leather conditioner and won’t dry out or stain your leather. However, it may be the least effective in removing your stain.
After you have washed your leather, pat dry and let it air dry the rest of the way. You can then proceed to treat the leather. If you used non-acetone products, your leather may not have suffered any damage due to bleaching, but many products can dry out leather, so it’s important to condition leather afterwards to keep the leather from cracking, especially on furniture.
