My Absolute Favorite Cleaner for Removing Denim Transfer Stains

A while back I shared a big issue I was having with denim transfer on the leather seats of my car. Since my leather driver’s seat was so badly stained, in desperation I tried several products that normally you wouldn’t use on leather after various leather cleaning products failed to work. The cleaner that worked the best at that time was Formula 409, but again, I wouldn’t really recommend that for leather, I was just desperate and willing to try anything.

Though 409 got out a lot of the stain, I also ended up using a Magic Eraser after reading an article that mentioned it as a possible solution. Of course, the article stated that you had to be super careful because Magic Eraser is quite abrasive. It’s not something you would want to use repeatedly on a leather seat.

After using the 409 and Magic Eraser, much of the staining was gone, but I still had dark denim stains in the deep creases of the leather. I figured there was nothing I could do about those since the 409 had not taken that out.

I continued to look for ways to remove denim transfer and eventually I came across another product with rave reviews. I decided to give it a try since I really wanted to get the rest of the stain out of my car’s leather seats. Happily, it worked!

The product that got the rest of the stain out was this Super Cleaner shown below and available here: Super Cleaner.

Super Cleaner for Leather Seats Upholstery and Carpet, Works for Denim Transfer

 

I didn’t think to take any photos of the leather car seat when I used it to get the stain out of those deep creases in the leather, but recently I used it on another chair with denim transfer and did take a few photos once I saw how awesome it was working.

The chair that needed cleaning was this non-leather desk chair here in the office.

 

Unfortunately, I gave the seat of the chair a once-over with the cleaner and a paper towel before I remembered to take photos. Once I saw how well it was working on the seat, that’s when I thought, “Wow, I need to photograph this to share!”

You can see how bad the staining was on the seat from how much stain is visible on the paper towel. Also, look at the area on the back of the chair where I had not yet cleaned. The seat had been even darker than what you’re seeing on the back of the chair!

Remove clean denim transfer, best way

 

Here’s a better photo showing how dark the stain is on the back of the chair where the back of my jeans touched the chair whenever I sat in it.

So what you’re seeing in the photo below is the seat after spraying it and wiping it down one time and the back of the chair prior to cleaning it with the cleaner.

By the way, in case you’re wondering why I didn’t learn from the car seat situation,  I originally did try to avoid getting denim transfer stain on this chair, but I found it absolutely miserable trying to keep it covered with a towel. The towel was always slipping down and I got so tired of rearranging it, I finally decided to remove it and just take a chance that the Super Cleaner would clean it if it did end up showing denim transfer stain.

So, how does it look now after being cleaned?

Best cleaner for removing denim transfer stains

 

In this photo, the whole chair had been sprayed and wiped down twice. As you can see, it took the chair pretty much back to its original state. I LOVE this cleaner!

How to remove denim transfer stains

 

Just wanted to share this in case you are dealing with denim transfer, too. If you decide to use this cleaner, test it in an inconspicuous spot first to make sure it works okay and doesn’t fade/damage the item you’re using it on. So far, it has worked great on the leather seats in my car and it did a great job on this non-leather chair.

If I had a handbag or chair with denim transfer and it was already damaged beyond hope with denim stain, I’d probably give this cleaner a try since there would be nothing to lose. But you have to be the judge of that and whether it’s worth trying to clean it. I’ve been very pleased with how this cleaner has worked the two times I’ve used it.

You can read more about this Super Cleaner and read over 1,000 reviews where I purchased it here: Super Cleaner. I’ve been so impressed with it, I plan to never be without it in my home. In fact, I just ordered another bottle tonight, so I’ll have a bottle in reserve. Hopefully, they will never stop making it!

 

Super Cleaner for Leather Seats Upholstery and Carpet, Works for Denim Transfer

 

My previous post on denim transfer can be found here: Denim Transfer: The Bain of Handbag Lovers Everywhere.

*If a post is sponsored or a product was provided at no charge, it will be stated in post. Some links may be affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. *



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Comments

  1. Wow. Glad you pursued until you got the right one. One day when I was in Michael’s, I watched the manager clean the spot where people try out markers ( anyplace they could write on). He used a dry eraser and his spray cleaner. It all came off.
    You need to post a list of all the amazing products you have share with us on a side bar with links. Thanks again.

    • Thanks, Myrna. That’s a great idea since I do get emails/comments about past cleaning products that I’ve shared. Maybe I could link it at the bottom of the home page. Thanks for that suggestion!

  2. Elgin Henriksen says

    Hi Susan….love your posts as always. Thanks for the info on this cleaning product.
    Just wanted to let you know that I am no longer able to use the Reader View for your website. Is this a change on your end?
    Would appreciate your feedback Susan.

  3. Thanks for posting this, my mom and I both have had trouble with the same thing. I don’t remember jeans from the past doing this or manufacturers think this is okay. There is no reason to have that much dye in the denim.

    • I know, it makes me so mad that they haven’t found a way to “lock” the dyes. I’ve washed my jeans numerous times and they still do this! Arggg. It’s infuriating. From reading online, a lot of very expensive handbags have been ruined by denim transfer from jeans.

  4. Just ordered! Hope this works on boat upholstery…tanning lotion residue. Thanks!! franki

  5. Denise RIce says

    I believe I live near you. I have a leather coat I purchased in Italy that badly needs cleaning but the local cleaners won’t touch it. Do you have any suggestions? This isn’t a denim transfer problem, just dirty coat. Not sure if that product might work on it or if I should find a professional (where???)

  6. What brand of jeans are you wearing that continue to transfer color? I wear LLBean and after one or two washes there is no bleeding. One thing you can do for the back of the chair to prevent the transfer is to slip a pillow case over it. I don’t have a suggestion for the seat.

    • They are my favorite jeggings from Talbots. I LOVE their jeggings but not the transfer. I haven’t tried L.L. Bean yet. Do they carry jeggings? I’ll take a look at their site. At least now we’re going into spring/summer so when I wear pants, I’ll mostly be wearing white jeans or the pink jeans I ordered recently.
      That’s a good idea about the pillowcase. I tried a seat cushion but it put me too high in my chair even after I lowered it a lot. I don’t mind cleaning it periodically now that I know this cleaner will work. Thankfully, it’s an inexpensive chair.

  7. Rhonda Bridges says

    Susan – we have cream leather furniture at our beach house (maybe not my brightest idea, but oh well!!) Er clean it with the leather cleaner the manufacturer recommended- and while it helps, it still looks dingy on the arms of the sofa & hubby’s chair. You think this would be helpful?

    • From all the reviews I saw online, I think it would. I was shocked by some of the Before and After photos I saw on Amazon. I would still “test” it in a small spot before going to town on it, but based on the photos I saw online, I bet it would help.

  8. This is what I needed. A GIANT thank you. Stopped wearing several pairs of jeans. My fear is how much do they ruin fabric as well? I gave up on the car seats. Now I can zip around town looking shabby chic again. For me this was a bright post.

  9. Looks like a worthwhile product and could use on stains in home rugs too. And to clean off snow and salt from shoes!

  10. Delphine Topper says

    Did you ever find a solution for taking denim transfer out of a white fabric sofa, short of professional cleaning? Please tell me that you did. You seem to find answers to everything just about he time that I am needing it,

    • I haven’t seen anything on that, but check out the reviews on the cleaner at the link in the post because people are talking about the different things they’ve used it on how it worked. I would definitely test it out on a small spot on the back of the sofa or some hidden place like that before using it. For a sofa, I might opt to have that professionally cleaned. If they can’t clean it properly, it might be worth trying out the cleaner, but again test it on the back of the sofa or some inconspicuous place first before using it on the stains.

  11. Bobbie Allgood says

    Susan, do you think this would work well on carpet? I know it states carpet on the bottle, but sometimes I’m nervous about how well it will work.

    • I’m not positive since I haven’t tried it on that. I noticed it said carpet on the bottle. I guess you could test it on carpet in a closet or some spot that’s not really visible to see how it does. The good thing is you can return it to Amazon if you don’t like how it works, but again, I’d try it in an inconspicuous spot first.

    • At Thanksgiving, we spilled some red wine and it took it right out of the tablecloth and the rug. At that point, I figured I didn’t have a lot to lose.

  12. This cleaner is exactly what I need for my white leather sofa unfortunately it costs $64.99 Canadian for an 18 oz. bottle. Think I will pass

    • It’s $16.99 USD on Amazon. That’s what I paid yesterday when I ordered a second bottle. Wonder why it’s so much in Canada?

      • @Susan: Just about everything in Canada is more expensive than in the U.S.A. namely due to the current exchange rate on the $ (not to mention in many instances, price gouging plays a role as well … ☺.)
        @Sue: IF you live close to the U.S. border (and have a valid passport) get yourself a U.S.A. address (broker) and have it sent there for pickup and custom’s processing by yourself. Just ensure that you order through Amazon.com (not .ca). -Brenda-

  13. Thanks for the ‘cleaner’ tip Susan. Shall definitely invest in some though on occasion I have used ‘Vim’ (cream bleach kitchen cleaner) on ‘ leather’ which works extremely well on areas that even a magic eraser failed. (Recommend though to try it on an inconspicuous area first.) -Brenda-
    Re: Garment bleeding; it is not only denim as recently when restyling the legs on a pair of dress pants for myself (fabric content being a blend of cotton polyester/rayon/spandex) I could not believe the colour transfer on my hands after just handling the fabric for my purpose. (i.e.: My nails were so black, that I had to use nail polish remover pads afterwards, as soaking them in liquid Dawn (dish detergent) didn’t even work. ) Needless to say, good thing I don’t profusely sweat and will be careful where I sit … ☺.
    -Brenda-

  14. Must be a great tip-somebody posted it on Pinterest. Flipping through and saw it.

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