Help! Ink Stains

Updated on June 12, 2008
M.I. asks from Pittsburgh, PA
19 answers

ok, i'm hoping some of you have some tricks you can share with me. we (I) accidentally washed a pair of shorts with a pen in them. they got through the washer ok, but the pen blew up (literally) in the dryer. i now have ink stains on 2 sweatshirts, one pair of jeans, a pair of capris, and 6 khaki or camouflage shorts. in addition to that nightmare, i have ink ALL OVER the drum of my dryer.

my questions: does anyone have a tried and true remedy for getting ink stains out of clothing? AND does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations for getting the stains out of the inside of my dryer. i'm currently doing a load of old towels to run put in the dryer to see what happens. i didn't get to wash my work clothes, and i'm really afraid to it with the ink. i want to try and remove it before i wash and dry any "real" clothing items.

thank you so much for any help you can provide!!

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Featured Answers

E.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

M.,

To get rid of the ballpoint ink from clothing you launder, place the garment on a towel stain-side down. Lightly dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol and gently dab (do not rub) the stain.

Jope this helps! I found that this method works better than hairspray:)))

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T.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi M.,

I've always used aerosal hairspray to take out ink stains. However, I would put it on before the shirt, pants, etc... went into the wash. The stain would always then come out.

I'd just spray the spot and work it out by manipulating the material in my hands and then running it under water.

Worth a try I suppose!

Good luck,

T. :)

More Answers

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A.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

hair spray is my trick to get ink stains out of clothes. it's worked for me every time. as for the dryer stains, i'm not sure. good luck!

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P.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have had a lot of success with the Carbona (sp?) products. They are in all the supermarkets and they are specific to each type of stain. There is one for coffee stains, grass stains, makeup, blood etc. I'm pretty sure there is one for ink stains.

They come in very small yellow bottles. They are usually on the top shelf in the laundry detergent isle.

Good luck!

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M.L.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Any time I get an ink spot on my clothes at work, I spray it with hairspray and rub the spot- works every time. I don't know if that will help now that the clothes have went through the drier, but it's worth a try!

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S.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

Alcohol whether in hairspray or straight will get it off the drum. It will also help w/ the clothes. But...my fave thing is the Stain Devils. They are in the laundry aisle & have about 12 or more varieties depending on what you are trying to get out. Yellow bottles, small, usually on a top shelf. They have saved my butt on tomato based stains more than once. I know they have an ink one too.

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P.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I sell prespot which is for getting ink stains. I have sol-u-mel and melamagic together they are to use on surfaces. Let me know if you are intested.

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R.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

I had a similar situation and I ended up using alcohol and stain devels for the clothing and also fels naptha soap (it is in a bar form) and simply green (which is usually found with the car stuff in your grocery store). With the alcohol you need to blot the clothing with a cotton ball or pad and the same with the stain devels. It also took me several times until I finally got pretty much all of it out because of the clothing going through the dryer.

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A.M.

answers from Harrisburg on

M.
I have done the same thing....well the pen was in my husbands pants...but what a mess!!! I had a hard time getting the stains out of the clothing since it had already "set in". But I did use aerosol hair spray...cheap kind...I used white rain b/c you will use alot. Also, I used the magic eraser and also the hairspray on the dryer drum...then I washed a load of towels and put them in the dryer to make sure that I got all the hairspray off...it was a long and grueling process....good luck!
Abby

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B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I recently used tea tree oil on my son that wrote all over himself with a sharpie and it worked like magic,BUT i'm not sure about fabric. You can buy it at health food stores and its also useful for eczema, acne and other skin stuff. Good Luck.

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D.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I have always used hair spray to remove ink. I do not know if this will work since the cloths have been washed and dried. It may be worth a try.

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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

i used awesome from the dollar store it got on a hollister sweater of my daughters i let it sit and repeated it..it didnt all come out but most did ..can also run it thru the washer

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

M.,
I found this on the internet:
Ballpoint Ink Stains

Lay the stained area on top of a clean dry white towel. Apply rubbing alcohol to the ink stain and blot with another clean white cloth, removing the stain as you blot. Rinse thoroughly.

Lay the stained area on top of a clean dry white towel. Apply nail polish remover to the ink stain and blot with another clean white cloth, removing the stain as you blot. Rinse thoroughly.

Apply your normal liquid laundry detergent onto the ink stain and allow the garment to sit for 3-5 minutes.

Wash in the warmest water that the fabric can tolerate.

Before drying, double check to make sure the stain was removed. If not, repeat the previous steps until it is.

Good luck!
p.s. I have also hear about hairspray and I think I remember hearing to try milk.(?)

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S.G.

answers from Philadelphia on

HI - Try oxy clean for the clothes and maybe magic eraser for the washer/dryer. I LOVE oxyclean - it gets everything out so far - red wine, speggetti sauce, ketchup, etc. Haven't used it for ink, but good chance it will work. Let us know and Good luck, S.

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D.M.

answers from York on

I like to use Greased Lightning. I spray it on the stain, and rub it in, and then wash it. It usually takes it off on the first shot. Plus it's a great mulit cleaner.

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S.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

Glycerin takes out ball point pen ink.
You can get it at the drug store.
Glycerin also added to dish soap makes
homemade blowing bubbles

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H.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I had a similar experience but luckily it only caused problems with clothes - not my machines. I had success with Spray and Wash (the stronger variety for grass stains and grease) for many stray marks. It made some impact on my daughter's PJ pants, but the marks on those were thoroughly soaked in the fabric. It lightened them, but didn't remove them.

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D.N.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am sure you have considered this, but to be safe I would consult a dry cleaner. Hope it comes out!!!

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G.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

I have a product called AKTiF; Paint and Ink hand Cleaner, that I bought years ago for the time that I did the exact same thing. Not sure how I got the ink out of the clothes, probably didn't care that much because all my clothes are blue jeans and t-shirts for work, but this stuff definitely got it off of the dryer drum. You are more than welcome to have the stuff. I used it once and it is a 16 oz. bottle. There is a lot left over. It looks like it separated but that could probably be remedied. The bottle cost $4.44. It may have come from that cleaning supply place on S. Walnut St. in Wilm. I can find out today. If you live/work near Wilm., I am out and about w/my job and would be more than happy to drop it off. Let me know.

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