How to Avoid Ink Stains in Clothing

Most of us have done it at one time or another. We’ve left a pen in a pocket when doing laundry, only to have it leak onto other fabrics in the wash load. However, leaky pens are not the only culprits responsible for ink stained garments. Printer cartridges can leak ink too. But whether from a pen or a printer cartridge, the best way to protect clothing from ink stains is not to get them there in the first place.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Disposable gloves
• Resealable plastic bags
• Bleach
• Shortening

1. Be sure to empty everything out of your pockets before throwing dirty clothes into the laundry. If you don’t, you may find yourself replacing garments ruined by a leaky pen that you left inside a pocket.

2. Handle printer ink cartridges carefully to prevent leakage. Do not shake the cartridge once you have removed it from the packaging, as shaking can cause the cartridge to leak. Ink may also leak if you remove the label from the cartridge.

3. Wear disposable gloves when changing printer cartridges. Do not touch the ink supply port or surrounding area, as there still may be some ink remaining. Never take used ink cartridges apart or try to refill them, as you likely will be dealing with spilled ink.

4. Do not turn an ink cartridge upside down or stand it on its side when storing. This can cause ink to leak from the cartridge. Should your clothing somehow come into contact with a leaky ink cartridge or ink-stained hands; you could find yourself trying to clean up a real mess.

5. Always place used ink cartridges in a closed container such as a plastic, zipper sealed storage bag for proper disposal.

6. Wash your hands immediately with a bleach and cold-water solution if you get ink on them. Use only a small amount of bleach, washing your hands again with soap and water followed by a thorough rinse. This should remove most of the ink from your hands.

Tips & Warnings

• Shortening is another way to remove ink from your hands so that you don’t transfer ink from your hands onto your clothing. Rub on some shortening and wipe away the ink stains with an old cloth or paper towel.
• To remove ink stains from clothing, do not rinse in warm water or rub the fabric. Heat and friction cause stains to set. Rinse, presoak with detergent, and then wash the garment, using cold water for each step.