A belt buckle has left a brown mark and it won't shift

Question

Wore a pale latex skirt to something last month with an ordinary belt over the top, the kind with a plain metal buckle. Took it off at the end of the night, hung it up, and did not look properly at it until this week.

There is a brown mark on the front where the buckle sat. It is not enormous but on a light colour it is very obvious. I have washed it twice, gently, and it has not changed at all.

Is there anything that takes this out? I have read about polishes and I am wary of trying something aggressive and ending up somewhere worse. Is the piece ruined or is this just something I live with now?

shine_shop · Accepted Answer

I am sorry to be the one to say it, but that is a metal stain and it is permanent. It is not sitting on the surface, it is a reaction that has happened in the rubber itself, which is why washing does nothing and why scrubbing only risks damaging the surface around it. Stop trying to shift it before you make the area worse.

repair_ren · Answer

Confirmed, and the same goes for the other classics: coins in a pocket, a bra clasp, a zip pull from a bag resting against it, and jewellery. Anything metal, anything for any length of time. Light colours show it worst, and that includes white, pale pink and clear.

buckle_blunder · Answer

That is annoying but at least I can stop scrubbing at it. It is a small mark low on one side and it does not show much when I am standing. I suppose I have a piece with a history now.

wardrobe_wendy · Answer

That is the right attitude. And practically, wear it with something that sits over that side, or with a wide belt of your own placed deliberately rather than accidentally. I have a jacket with a mark on one hip that has been covered by the same bag strap for three years and nobody has ever noticed. Store it away from metal from now on, including the hanger, because a lot of padded hangers have a wire hook that touches the shoulder.

A belt buckle has left a brown mark and it won't shift

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