It's a fact of life: despite all the washable crayons and markers on the market, kids will still find the only indelible ink pen in the house. Even if you stash it in a locked box surrounded by mousetraps and an armed guard, your little Van Gogh will snatch up a Sharpie faster than you can say, "Oh, no! Not the kitchen wall!"
Fear not, moms and dads. It's not easy, but there are several ways to get ink off off furniture, clothing and walls. Before trying any of these methods, be sure to test in an inconspicuous spot first.
- Use hairspray to remove ballpoint pen marks from clothing. Simply spray it on the stain and wash in cold water. The garment may need to be washed a couple of times so check to see that the ink spot is gone before putting the item in the dryer where the heat will set it permanently. If you don't have hairspray handy, try rubbing alcohol.
- Magic Eraser is a lifesaver for many ink stains. I once successfully removed ink spots from a black Sharpie permanent marker after one of my son's demonstrated his artistic inspiration on a solid wood table.
- Bug spray removes stubborn ink stains from walls and other painted surfaces.
- For permanent marker stains on hard surfaces like tile and concrete, try nail polish remover. Be sure to use it judiciously on treated tile (like terrazzo flooring) or you may mar the finish.
- For ink stains on leather furniture and clothing, spray a paper towel or soft cloth with some WD-40 and wipe the stain lightly. Repeat several times until the ink is gone.
- If you've accidentely gotten ink on an LCD or flat-panel monitor screen, try rubbing carefully with a pencil eraser. This trick seems to be particularly effective on mishaps with a Sharpie or other permanent marker.
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Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
Tom and his codfish are a joke, right. I am dealing with an ant invasion and therefore a lot of bug spraying is going on. I'd never use this stuff as a stain remover, it makes me very dizzy, gives me a headache, and destoys my appetite. I am not using a lot, but have had to use it more often than I would like over the last two weeks. However, back to stains. What is a Magic Eraser? Never heard of it. When I was a girl milk was the reccomended remover for ballpoint pen ink.
ReplyAnother very good, but frightening, stain remover is Baby Wipes - I have used them to remove red juice from light colored carpet and black marker from formica.
ReplyKrud Kutter is the all around best cleaner. Removes grease, gum, oil, tar, asphalt stickers, labels, lipstick, crayon, marker & pen ink, shoe polish, scuff marks, etc. It removes dried latex paint, so just DON'T USE ON SURFACE PAINTED WITH LATEX PAINT. I use it on laundry stains and carpet stains with outstanding results. It truly works like its name implies. I have only found it in Lowe's and Home Depot. Comes in Spray bottle and gallon refill. I began using it for my clean-up after Hurricane Ivan. Shortly thereafter it was in a Reader's Digest article listing it as their pick for #1 cleaning product, which confirmed what I already knew
ReplyTom and his codfish are a joke right? I have been dealing with an extended ant invasion and would not reccomend using this stuff for anything you don't have to. Makes me dizzy and is very persistent even when used judiciously and wiped away after the ants are dead. When I was young the way to get out ballpoint pen ink was milk.
ReplyI've tried twice. If they are there i can't find them.
Replyskin so soft by avon saved my sofa from permanent black marker. Believe it or not it didn't even leave a greasy stain. Just rub with cloth til gone. It also removes gum from hair or shoes or floors.
ReplyTry WD 40. It takes stains out of everything. Just spray it on,let it sit for about 5 minutes and wash it.You will be amazed
ReplyWD40 will do the trick.It's base is fish oil. Just spray it on the spot,let it sit for about 5 minutes and wash it.You will be amazed
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