How to Get Dried Highlighters to Work

A dried-out highlighter tip can be revived with some rubbing alcohol.

Highlighters are a staple of college students, researchers, job searchers and anyone else hoping to remember an important piece of written information. However, carelessly leaving the cap off a highlighter can lead to the tip drying out. You can bring the highlighter tip back to life -- providing there is still fluid in the marker -- with a simple dousing in rubbing alcohol.

Things You'll Need

• Rubbing alcohol
• Paper

Instructions

1. Pour rubbing alcohol into the cap of the rubbing alcohol bottle.

2. Place the tip of the highlighter in the rubbing alcohol in the cap for about five seconds.

3. Turn the highlighter upside down and let the rubbing alcohol soak down through the highlighter felt.

4. Place the highlighter cap back on the highlighter and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

5. Test the highlighter on a sheet of paper. If it does not work to satisfaction, repeat the process until the highlighter color appears bold on the paper.

References

• The Art of Doing Stuff: How to Fix a Dried Out Sharpie