Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

The pen in your pocket is leaking ink, or you accidentally brush your sleeve on the unexposed paper and your favorite cotton shirt or jeans is stained with ink! If you throw the item in the washing machine but normally, the stain can get deeper. However, you can get rid of the ink completely with a little patience and some household products. This article will guide you through determining the type of stains you need to treat and the methods for removing the inks.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: stain assessment

1. 

   Determine what ink you need to deal with. Not all ballpoint pens are truly "ballpoint pens", and many pens that use different inks need to be erased in different ways. Traditional ballpoint pens (like the Bic and Paper Mate) use a quick-drying, oil-based ink that requires solvents to remove. By contrast, water ball pens (popular manufacturers Uni-Ball and Pilot) use water-based inks that are fairly easy to remove, while gel pens use ink with a high concentration of pigment that can be more difficult to remove than one. little bit.
   • If you have a annoying pen in hand, go to the website or any online stationery store to find its name / style. The product description will tell you if the pen is a ballpoint pen, water ball pen, or gel pen.
   • You can also check the pen manufacturer's website for more information and for specific ink removal instructions.

2. 

   
   
   Handling mysterious stains. If you don't have that pen and don't know what kind it belongs to, you should try the ballpoint pen removal method first. If that doesn't work, move on to the method of removing ballpoint pen ink and finally gel pen ink. Wash the item thoroughly after trying one method, but don't put it in the dryer until the stain is gone!

3. 

   
   
   Read product labels on clothes. If your clothes are washable like most cotton fabrics, you can safely treat stains at home. If the material needs dry cleaning or hand washing, it's best to take it to a dry cleaner near your home to have them handle it. The shirt washing price usually only costs a few tens of thousands, which you can save time and not damage the shirt.
   • Be sure to talk to the laundry about the type of pen that causes the stain, and better yet, put the pen in a plastic bag so that it doesn't get any further stains and take it to the laundry.
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Method 2 of 4: Remove ballpoint pen (oil-based ink) stains

1. 

   
   
   Find the right solvent in your home. The best way to reduce fabric damage to remove oil-based ballpoint ink stains is to use Ethanol (Ethyl alcohol), which is a common ingredient in many household products. Rubbing alcohol, hairspray (choose aerosol, don't use alcohol-free) or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer are also good options.
   • Wet paper towels and some brands of wet towels for babies also help in times of need.

2. 

   Spread the ink-stained fabric on an absorbent surface. You can use a dry white (bleachable) towel or multiple layers of paper towels. This gives the ink room to seep through. Be sure to put only a layer of ink on the cloth, otherwise the stain could potentially seep to another part of the garment.

3. 

   Use the alcohol-based solvent of your choice. If using rubbing alcohol, soak a cotton ball in alcohol and dab a lot on the stain. If you use hand sanitizer, you can spray it in a little bit and apply it to the stain with a cotton ball or finger. If you are using a hair spray, spray on the fabric until it is wet.
   • If you are using a wet paper towel, dab your hand vigorously on the fabric, trying to squeeze the solution into the stain. You can also place a wet tissue on the cloth and block it with a heavy object (like a book on a plate or a food box) for a few minutes.

4. 

   Wait 3-5 minutes. The solvent used to remove ink stains can take several minutes to dissolve the oil in the ink, depending on the strength of the solvent and how long the stain has been on the fabric.
   • Alcohol-based products can dry very quickly, so you need to dab / spray more on the stain to keep the ink moist enough time needed to help dissolve the stain.

5. 

   Blot the stain. Use a clean, dry cloth to blot the stain. Try to get the ink on your clothes to get into the fabric and the absorbent surface underneath. Most, if not all, ink will go away easily at this point.

6. 

   Repeat this method as needed. If you can remove most of the ink with an alcohol solvent, you're on the right track! If the stain is still a bit, move to the clean part of the towel or place a few layers of new tissue underneath. Dab a little more solvent, wait a while, and then absorb again.

7. 

   Use laundry soap to wash ink stains. If there is only a little bit of ink remaining, or if you think it is clean but want to be sure, you can apply detergent to the area that needs cleaning. Let it soak for a few minutes, then rub the spot and rinse thoroughly with warm water.
   • If the stain is completely clean, you can wash it again as usual.
   • If the stain is still present, either do the above method again or try one of the methods of removing other inks.
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Method 3 of 4: Remove water-based ink mark (water-based ink)

1. 

   Soak the ink-stained cloth in the milk. Skim milk will work best. You don't need to soak your clothes or clothes in milk, just soak the fabric that has the ink on it. Wait at least half an hour, then scrub the stain with a toothbrush, nail brush or soft bristled brush, then rinse with warm water.

2. 

   Treating the remaining ink with bleach does not fade the fabric color. Mix a small amount of bleach with a little water to make a paste. Rub the paste over the stain and let it sit for about half an hour to an hour. Then use a soft bristle brush to scrub the stain and rinse with warm water.
   • By now, the stain should be completely or at least mostly clean.

3. 

   Repeat the above two steps if necessary. If the methods above worked but the ink was not significantly clean, you can try the two steps above again. If that doesn't work, rinse clothes with ink thoroughly and try the method of removing gel ink stains or ballpoint pen ink.

4. 

   Wash clothes with normal laundry soap. Double check before putting it in the dryer. If the stain is not completely clean, continue to treatment until it is completely clean. The heat of the dryer will make remaining ink stick deeper and turn into permanent stains. advertisement

Method 4 of 4: Remove gel-pen stains (high-pigment ink)

1. 

   Hand wash immediately with soap or regular detergent. Gel ink manufacturers all admit that gel ink is difficult to remove, if not impossible, due to the ink's high pigment concentration. The best way is to remove the stain as quickly as possible with all-purpose bleach. Apply a small amount of normal laundry soap, stain remover gel or liquid hand soap directly to the stain and rinse thoroughly under running water. Then try to blot the remaining ink by pressing the sticky cloth between two absorbent fabrics or several layers of paper towels.

2. 

   Treat ink stains with ammonia. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of household ammonia in warm water. Soak the ink-stained cloth in ammonia solution for about 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly, then wash by hand with regular detergent, scrubbing the stain with a soft brush if necessary.
   • If the stain responds well to this method, you can repeat until the ink is completely clean and wash as usual.
   • If the stain doesn't seem clean, you can move on to the next step.
   • NEVER mix ammonium with chlorine bleach.

3. 

   Treat the stain with an alcohol and vinegar solution. Mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with one cup of vinegar. Place the ink-stained cloth on a clean, dry cloth, then use a rag or spray to soak the solution on the stain. Leave it on for at least 5 minutes to soak, then sprinkle a little salt on the stain. Wait another 10 minutes and use a soft brush to scrub the stain, then rinse with hot water.
   • If this method helped fade the stain but didn't get it all off, repeat it again until the stain is gone.

4. 

   Experiment with other methods. Gel inks come in a variety of different formulations; some cannot be removed, but others may respond well to other treatments. If the methods above have not worked, you can always try the methods of removing ballpoint pen or fountain pen ink. However, you need to rinse thoroughly after each test to avoid mixing chemicals. Maybe you'll get lucky, or you need to get used to your favorite outfit that adds a new mark! advertisement

Advice

• The sooner you treat the stain, the higher your chances of success will be.
• If possible, you should test the ink stain remover on hidden areas of fabric before removing it. The above methods are generally safe for most machine washable fabrics, but can damage delicate or expensive fabrics.
• If the ink-stained item is a white cloth that you normally remove, you can use one of the methods above to get the most of the stain, then wash with chlorine bleach to remove any remaining ink.
• You can remove ink stains just by soaking (without crumbling) in 10-15% creamy cream and the ink will disappear.

Warning

• Cleaning products can irritate the skin. You need to wear gloves to protect your hands.
• Never mix ammonia with chlorine bleach. If you use ammonia to treat ink stains, be sure to rinse the fabric thoroughly before washing it with bleach.
• The heat of the clothes dryer often causes the ink stains to permanently build up. Never dry clothes if the stain is not completely clean.