Can this ruined skirt be rescued?

I should know better than to buy white clothing, but I do love it. I bought this white faux leather skirt earlier in the season and of course, ruined it the second time I wore it. I haven't the slightest clue how this happened, but I got some sort of red dye ALL OVER- the front and back. Having no idea where it came from, I don't know what it could be. The skirt is dry clean only, but having nothing to lose, I tried spot cleaning it, treating it and then washing on cold cycle. The marks don't seem to have budged at all, but the material is wearing.

So, first question is, does anyone have other ideas to treat stain? I have yet to find a dry cleaner I love and have not found a miracle worker, so I don't think I want to go through the trouble of trying dry cleaning; I just don't think it would work.

Second question, and more what I am entertaining- anyone have experience with dying faux leather? Suggestions for colors? Tips? Other recommendations other than RIT?

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10 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Have you tried rubbing alcohol (or vodka)? I can't really tell from the pics what type of stain it is but alcohol will lift a lot of stubborn stains.

kkards

so, i would get on yelp and find a dry cleaner with a good rating and take the skirt there. i've seen them work some real miracles….they are after all professionals. but that's just me,
also, it may help others if you can tell us what the skirt is actually made of, I've seen faux leather made of a variety of materials.

doubleh

Apologize for the horrible dark pictures. Tried to do better...

Diana- My best guess is that I was carrying a lamp with a red glaze, but not sure how that would explain the stains getting on the back of the skirt as well- I didn't sit on the lamp! (This time.) I just tried rubbing alcohol to no avail. No vodka in the house, but I'm realizing there should be (for two reasons now!) Would gin work...?

KKards- unfortunately I am rather rural and have run the gamet of the 5 dry cleaners within reasonable distance. Perhaps I should reach out to my city friends, I used to believe that the cleaners could be miracle workers...but they're just mere mortals around here. The content is 85% polyester and 15% polyurethane. It's a very soft/thin faux. Ironically, I noticed the brand name is "Search for Sanity".

Thanks for your advice!

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JayS

So frustrating! You might try Carbona Stain Devils. They make several for different sorts of stains. I believe you do have to soak in water, tho.
Good luck!

tulle

Unfortunately, most professional cleaners have a harder time dealing with stains that have already been treated/laundered. I can only recommend my two favorite miracle workers: Resolve Stain Stick (in super markets, looks like a deodorant stick--rub it on everywhere you see the stain, leave it for a few minutes, then wash & rinse; by hand might be best) and Magic Eraser by Mr.Clean. Magic erasers are just that--white sponges that clean stained sneakers, handbags, coffee cups, woodwork--almost anything. Dampen one and rub it gently across the stain in a small area, and see if that works. Try the Magic Eraser before the stain stick, as it will be less messy, and if it works, you can keep it simple. Good luck!

Anonymous

I would've thought alcohol too, but if it has a slick finish it might be better to try something you'd use on plastic? I'd try the Magic Eraser next because it's all purpose rather than limited to laundry.

Zibbets

Rubbling alcohol might work. If you go the Magic Eraser route, try it somewhere inconspicuous first. It might mar the finish.

Tina

I wonder if those are even stains. It may simply be the finish wearing off and the under layer showing through. Because of the fullness of the shirt there is a lot of movement so the fabric has folded and creased and just generally moved about. This is my conclusion:-/

Thanks again all!

jays- I will look into the stain devils. Even if it doesn't work for this, probably something I should have on hand.

tulle- I had tried the oxiclean stain gel, which has been my go-to, never-fail until this. Resolve works well on my cpt and sofa though, so might have to check out the stain stick.

tulle/isabel/zibbets- the magic eraser didn't work- I had high hopes for it, but I fear it is affecting the finish.

tina- oh, I so wish! I would have gladly taken it back to Nordstrom if that were the case. Unfortunately, I did also manage to get this stain on the sweater I was wearing as well. (It wiped clean from the sweater though.)

I am afraid this is baked in and now considering the dying route instead. I think trying to many other stain removers might be too damaging to keep trying on the fabric.

Gigi

I wonder if Goo Gone would work. I had a friend who had a stain on a skirt that nothing would get out. Goo Gone did the trick.

rabbit

acetone has sometimes worked for me, but there are certain plastics and painted finishes that it can dissolve, so it's definitely a test it on a q-tip somewhere inconspicuous kind of thing. I usually dampen a cotton ball and rub and pat with it. It's taken off paint and dye stains I couldn't otherwise remove though.

Mander

(website)

In addition to those mentioned I've also heard of the following options for patent leather shoes that might work: vaseline, shaving cream, pencil eraser, hairspray, baby wipes, and acne cream. No idea if any of them will work, or if they actually all have the same "active" ingredient (rubbing alcohol?) but it might be worth a try.

Oh, I have most of those items in the house and it looks to be another indoor day, so I'll experiment. Thank you all again!

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