Proven ways to remove ballpoint and gel pen stains from clothes

28.11.2021

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Each of us, sooner or later, encountered a situation when paste suddenly began to flow out of the pen while using it and stained everything around, including clothes. Many people at such moments do not know what to do and think that it will be impossible to remove the stain, especially when it comes to a gel pen. In fact, this can be done if you start acting immediately and choose effective means. Let's take a closer look at the methods and features of removing marks from ballpoint, gel pens and ink from clothes.

General recommendations

There are a number of rules that must be followed if you want to restore an ink-stained item:

• You need to act quickly. Do not leave or delay washing a soiled item. Soak it immediately or use your chosen products to clean the stain.
• Do not remove stains mechanically. There is no need to try to blot it with a napkin or cotton pad, rub it off or scrape it off with a sharp object. This will only damage the fabric and speed up the process of ink absorption into its fibers.
• When treating a contaminated area, place a thick pad under it in the form of cotton fabric or a sheet of paper. This way you won't stain the back of the item, which remains clean.
• When choosing solvents and chemicals, be sure to consider the composition and type of fabric being treated. Don't forget that your main goal is to return your favorite item to its original condition without damaging it.
• When using aggressive agents and solvents, protect your respiratory system and hands by wearing thick rubber gloves.

How to remove ink from jeans?

Also, don’t rush to throw away your denim clothes if they get dirty with a pen. This fabric is also quite easy to wash if you know what to use. In addition to the universal methods for all types of fabrics described above, you can try:

1. Remove ink stains by soaking the item in cold water for half an hour. You should also first blot the problem area with a cloth soaked in alcohol. Then make a thick foam from the soap (using warm water). Apply it to the ink-affected area of ​​the fabric and scrub with a brush.
2. Wash the handle from denim with stain remover. Soak the item in warm water, apply the product and leave for half an hour. Then you can wash it. Vanish Oxy Action, Amway, and Antipyatin soap are suitable.
3. A good alternative to stain remover is ammonia. Soak a cotton pad in it and apply to the contaminated area for a couple of minutes. If you have wet wipes containing alcohol, that will also work. Do not try to rub under any circumstances. If the stain is slight or has not lightened at all, repeat the procedure. Then wash with laundry soap.
4. You can use lemon juice for the same purposes (but not on white things!). It should be kept on the fabric a little longer - about 15 minutes.
5. Experienced housewives advise: to make it easier to wash jeans from the handle, iron the clothes with a hot iron.
6. In extreme cases, gasoline or kerosene can be used. But this is very risky, since the denim dye may dissolve along with the pen ink. If after applying the liquid the fabric begins to lighten, wash it off immediately.

What to do immediately after a stain appears?

To avoid ink being absorbed into the fabric fibers, it is recommended to take steps to clean the stain as soon as possible:

1. 
   Carefully remove the soiled item, being careful not to stain the clean fabric or your body.

2. Immediately place a thick piece of cloth or paper under the contaminated part to avoid imprinting the stain on the back of the item.
3. Cover the fresh stain with baby powder or talc until the entire ink mark is covered. After 5 minutes, remove the old powder and sprinkle the stain again.
4. Remove the dirty powder from the fabric and treat the stain with hydrogen peroxide.
5. After 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse the area to be cleaned with water and put the item in the wash.

The larger and deeper the stain, the more times you can change the talc powder to absorb excess ink. Also, do not forget to change the inner lining so as not to stain the clean side of the item.

Wallpaper Rescue

It doesn't cost kids anything to leave their wonderful creations on the wallpaper. Even if you just made repairs yesterday. You can get rid of “rock painting” like this:

Don't forget about glycerin

Remove pen from wallpaper? Easily!

What should you not do when cleaning pen stains?

If you want to remove stains, do not do the following:

• Do not rub the stain or try to blot excess paste with a napkin. Pressing the stained fabric will only lead to faster absorption of the ink, which will make it more difficult to get rid of later.
• Do not treat the stain without placing a sheet of paper or a piece of thick fabric under it. Otherwise, the ink will print on the other side of the item, and you will have to clean two spots.
• Do not apply harsh solvents directly to the contaminated area. Pre-test the product on an inconspicuous area of ​​fabric, and only then use it to clean the stain.
• Do not try to get rid of the stain mechanically. To clean rough and dense fabrics from paste and ink, many recommend simply rubbing the stained fabric with sandpaper or scraping it with a sharp object. Under no circumstances should you do this unless you want to say goodbye to the item being processed.

Features of removing ink from different types of fabrics

In turn, it is worth noting that different types of fabrics have their own characteristics, and, therefore, caring for them, as well as cleaning from stains, will vary slightly.

Cotton and linen

To remove ballpoint pen stains from white cotton or linen fabric, the ammonia method is suitable. Colored cotton items are best cleaned with an ammonia and turpentine solution. The method of removing stains using alcohol and acetone is also suitable, in which a heated solution is applied to the treated area and ironed through a damp thin cloth or gauze.

It is worth noting that the citric acid method is also suitable for colored linen and cotton fabrics.

Velvet

The best way to remove stains from velvet fabric is milk. It should be slightly warmed up, and then the item to be washed should be soaked in it for several hours. Then carry out a regular wash with the addition of a specialized velvet cleaner.

Delicate fabrics

This type of fabric includes wool or silk. Apply a small amount of baking soda paste to the stain and leave for 10 minutes, then remove the baking soda with a cotton pad and wash. As an alternative, you can use mustard powder, which will also do the job perfectly.

Denim

Denim can be pre-treated with medical alcohol or vodka. Then rub the stained area with table salt. After such preparation, you will be able to remove pen marks from denim the first time.

Methods with weak acids, such as vinegar or citric acid, are also excellent. To do this, the heated solution should be poured onto the stained area, as a result of which the trace of the paste will fade and disappear right before your eyes. All that remains is to wash the fabric as usual.

If denim is stained with red paste, then ammonia is suitable for cleaning it, and for black and purple ink - a solution of acetone and alcohol.

Fresh traces of paste can be sprinkled with talcum powder, chalk or starch in order to absorb the bulk of the ink. After washing, the marks should go away.

Leather

To remove pen marks from leather items, you can use the following:

• Medical alcohol
• Hair fixation spray
• Ammonia and glycerin
• Hand cream or baby cream
• Salt and turpentine
• Adhesive tape and rubber eraser

A very interesting way to remove ink stains from skin using tape and a rubber eraser. The adhesive tape should be pressed firmly against the stain and pulled off with a sharp movement. Then, carefully wipe off the remaining paste with an eraser.

To remove the paste with hairspray, spray it onto the leather surface and immediately remove it with a dry, clean rag or thick paper towel. If necessary, the procedure should be repeated.

Questions and answers

Is it possible to soak a stain in water if it is not possible to wash it right away? No, it is not recommended to do this. Ink from a pen under the influence of water, on the contrary, can be quickly absorbed into the fibers of the fabric, making it more difficult to get rid of later.

What is the safest and gentlest solvent that can be used to remove stubborn ink stains on clothes?

If we are talking about processing delicate fabrics, try using light acids - lemon juice, oxalic acid, sour milk. If neither traditional methods nor special stain removers help, just take the item to the dry cleaner.

Is it possible to wash an item stained with ink with other items?

No, because during washing the ink may be absorbed into the clean fabric and leave streaks on it. This can happen both during machine washing and hand washing.

When using stain removers and solvents, do you need to soak the entire item in them or just the area with the pen stain?

It all depends on the type of ink and the aggressiveness of the product used. If you are not sure that the ink will not print on a clean cloth, it is better to soak only the dirty area.

Can the stain be removed with regular washing?

A fresh mark from a ballpoint pen can actually be washed in a washing machine without additional soaking. Stubborn marks and stains from a gel pen will not come off so easily.

Differences in color

Considering the ability of some folk or specialized products to bleach or, conversely, to tint, you should definitely take this fact into account when cleaning things.

White clothes

On light-colored material, traces from the gel rod are visible most clearly and seem absolutely irremovable, but on the contrary, it is for the most part easier to remove stains from white fabrics than from colored clothes. Most products contain bleaching agents, which in the case of these fabrics is only a plus. Stains on white can be removed using fermented milk products, hydrogen peroxide, special Antipyatin soap, as well as bleach and liquid stain removers.

Colored clothes

It is a little more difficult to work with clothes in bright colors or fabrics with colored patterns; there is a high probability of changing the tone of the paint or completely discoloring the area with the stain. In this case, even if the proportion of the solution of the same substances is changed, it is necessary to test on the reverse side of an inconspicuous place of the product and check the color reaction to the product. For such purposes, alcohol-containing substances or pure alcohol, soda, lemon juice and dishwashing detergent are perfect.

Preparing for cleaning

Before you wash your gel pen from your clothes, pay attention to the following. Unlike stains from the ink of a ballpoint pen, blots from it can spread on a large scale during cleaning. Therefore, the first step is to outline the contours of the area where you will perform life-saving manipulations:

1. 1. You will need either paraffin or wax. Heat the substance in a water bath.
2. 2. Using a cotton swab, dipped into paraffin from time to time, outline a clear closed contour.
3. 3. Make sure that the wax saturates the fabric through and through - you should not perform any procedures before this.
4. 4. Once you have removed the stain, scrape off the wax or paraffin line and wash the item completely.

Unexpected but effective

Advice! All proposed manipulations are for large-scale pollution. You shouldn’t waste a lot of time on a small blemish - you can deal with it by rubbing it with an old toothbrush and laundry soap.

How to wipe a pen off a person's body

Hands smeared with ink are washed with soap. The remaining traces are treated with vodka, cologne or alcohol-containing tonics. To remove miniature splashes, use hairspray, remover or acetone. After the paint disappears, the body is wiped with alcohol-containing sanitary napkins and lubricated with a rich cream.

Additional Information! Small fresh blots are lightened with a slice of lemon or matches. The marks are smeared with moistened sulfur head, then soaped and lightly rubbed with pumice. Wash and blot with a towel. At the final stage, a nourishing mask is made.

If the neck or face is dirty, use drugs that remove makeup:

• hydrolates;
• bio-oils for makeup remover;
• two-phase makeup remover,

The delicate skin will be cleansed, irritation and dryness will disappear. If the stained area is large, try to lighten the fragment with a scrub with a whitening effect.

Micellar water will scrub your cheeks and hands

Liquid gel prints are easier to remove from skin than wiping off with a ballpoint pen. The methods discussed above are used, but alcohol preparations are replaced with acetic acid heated to 35℃. After the procedure, the body is softened with baby cream. Chlorine-containing cleaners and acetone are suitable for removing old strokes.