Simple Solutions for Your Semi-Permanent Stain
We've all had the frightful experience of dropping a permanent marker onto the floor or our favorite pair of jeans. The frustration and despair of not being able to remove the permanent stain is awful. However, there are safe ways to use common items around your house to lighten, or even completely remove, the permanent marker stain, depending on what it's on. Here are some tips on removing permanent marker stains from things like your clothes, furniture, and walls, thanks to the help of rubbing alcohol and hairspray.
Stains Shouldn't Steal Your Sanity
If your child feels the need to use a Sharpie to draw some artwork all over your favorite pair of shoes while you're not looking, don't worry. Take your shoes to the bathroom and grab some rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, and a clean cloth. Using a cotton swab, dab rubbing alcohol onto the area with the marker stain. Add some water to your cleaning cloth and then dab the same area to remove any remaining rubbing alcohol. If the marker is still present after you've repeated this process a few times, then repeat step one with nail polish remover. Once again, dab the area with a moistened cloth when you've finished, and the stain should be gone.
You notice that your clothes have a permanent marker stain on them, and you need to wear this outfit in two hours. All you have to do is find some hairspray and a few cotton balls. Lay the clothing out on a flat surface and soak the cotton ball with hairspray. Press the stained area with the dampened cotton ball until you see the ink transferring from your clothes to the cotton ball. Use a new cotton ball when the first one begins to look discolored. Repeat this process until all of the permanent marker has disappeared from your clothes. Additionally, you can soak the affected clothing in milk overnight in order to remove the permanent marker, as long as the fabric won't be negatively affected.
Did your child come home from school with a cool new sleeve of Sharpie tattoos all over their skin? Do the same thing you would do for removing the stains from your shoes. Pour some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel and scrub the skin until the marker is gone. If this doesn't completely work, then switch to nail polish remover.
Couches and chairs are susceptible to having things dropped on them, such as Sharpies. To remove the stains from your furniture, you want to use vinegar. Dab or spray the area gently with white vinegar and wipe it with a cloth afterward. Repeat if necessary.
Every child goes through an adventurous art phase. If they feel the need to use your walls as their canvas for their permanent marker art, then find a bottle of hand sanitizer. First, test a small amount on a portion of your wall to make sure that it doesn't remove the paint. If you're good to go, then cover the marker stains with hand sanitizer and use a sponge to scrub the wall. Continue until the stain is removed. If this doesn't work, then you may have to move to something stronger, like rubbing alcohol. Once again, test it before you commit to using it so you don't remove the paint.
If you don't feel like going through the trouble of removing these permanent marker stains yourself, then feel free to let someone else take over the cleaning for you. You've Got Maids is here to provide you with relief from scrubbing your walls with hand sanitizer all day. Our maids are professionally trained to tackle any tough cleaning job, including those involving Sharpies. Feel free to click the button below to get a free estimate, and you'll never have to worry about cleaning up mysterious permanent marker stains around your home ever again.
