How to Get Pen Ink Out of Fabric
Anyone who has had his ballpoint pen break, causing it to stain through his pocket onto his dress shirt or had a child draw on his clothes understands the difficulty of removing ink stains from fabric. Fear not, the fabric is not ruined. You can remove ink stains with common items found around your house. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Determine if your stain is an old stain or a new stain. If it is a new stain, take a paper towel, wet it with rubbing alcohol and wipe the stain, starting from the outside edge and working inward, according to HealthGuidance.org. This will keep the ink from setting.
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Take a paper towel and wet it with cold water, then wipe the old stain until it begins to blot onto the towel. According to HealthyGuidance.org, this step re-awakens the ink, making it easier to remove.
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Take a paper towel and place it over the spot of your stain. Take another towel, and put it on the other side of the fabric, instructs HowToCleanAnything.com. Now, taking an alcohol-moistened paper towel, press and rub on the stain from the back. This should push the ink to into the paper towels. Continue until the paper towels no longer absorb ink.
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Apply a small amount of detergent to the stain, and let it set for about 10 minutes, says Fibers.com. After the fabric soaks, wash the item in warm water, either in the sink or in the washing machine.
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Check the item after washing it. By now, the stain should be completely gone or have lessened considerably. If it is still visible, rewash with a more detergent in the warmest water still safe for the fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure not to wash your stain in hot water, since hot water causes a stain to set, according to HowToCleanAnything.com.
Do not put the fabric in a dryer until you are sure that the stain is gone, since drying a stain can cause it to become permanent, says TextileAffairs.com.
