Things You'll Need:
- highly concentrated isopropyl alcohol
- a lint free cloth or paper towel
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Step 1
First you need to find and purchase some highly concentrated isopropyl alcohol. It's a clear liquid that dissolves most inks. Luckily, it's available at every drug store and most other general stores. Walmart for example sells large amounts of 91% pure isopropyl alcohol. The purer it is the better because the remaining percent is water and water may damage the book further. It also costs under a dollar for a pint of it, not that you'll need that much.
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Step 2
In a pretty well ventilated area like a large room, set the book on a stable surface. Make sure there are no sources of ignition like pilot lights, stoves, or candles in the area as isopropyl alcohol fumes are flammable and you probably don't want to light your hand and the book on fire.
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Step 3
Have two pieces of cloth that doesn't leave lint behind or paper towel. One will be the dry one while the other will get wet. Open the bottle of isopropyl alcohol and fold your chosen material over itself a few times then place it against the opening to the bottle. Tip the bottle over quickly then back in about a second and your material should soak up a good amount of alcohol.
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Step 4
Then quickly take the material and rub it once straight across the ink mark then as quickly as possible, scrub around in small circles as hard as you can without damaging the book cover. Press hardest on the wet area of the material so that the alcohol penetrates the ink. The circular motion should keep the ink from streaking and remove it more completely.
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Step 5
Most textbooks and hard cover books are coated with a form of plastic so there's no particular rush to dry it. Paperback books even have a fairly thick plastic coating that prevents moisture from getting through it. But just to be safe, as soon as the ink has dissipated from the scrubbing, toss the wet paper towel or cloth aside and dry the cover with the dry one. For best removal, try to dry it as quickly as possible while the ink is still dissolved in the alcohol before it evaporates. If there is still a tinted, spread out ink stain, repeat the process and it will all eventually be removed.
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Step 6
When you're done, reseal the alcohol bottle and store it somewhere safe. If you used cloth, wash it in water immediately. If you use paper towels, discard them in a sealed garbage can or just light them on fire outside to prevent an alcohol smell coming from your garbage.
