How to Remove Ink Stains
from Clothing
Before you embark on removing ink stains, first of all find out the type of
ink. It cloud be water-based, ball-point pen ink or permanent ink. Water-based
inks are pretty much easier to remove; permanent inks can really be very
difficult, so are ball-point pen inks. Here are some suggestions to remove the
ink from washable clothing at home. However, it is best to act very fast because once they set, ink stains can be very stubborn to
remove.
- WATER-BASED INKS:
Lay the stained
clothing on top of a clean dry towel or cloth. Apply water to the stained area
and blot with another clean cloth. While you blot, the stain will begin to
transfer onto the cleaning cloth. Apply a small amount of liquid laundry
detergent onto the ink stain and allow the fabric to sit for about 5 minutes. Using
the hottest water recommend for the fabric type, wash normally.
Before drying, check to make sure the entire stain
was removed. If any trace of the stained area remains, repeat the steps above.
Drying the stained area before everything is removed will make it nearly
impossible to remove later.
- PERMANENT INK STAINS
Permanent
ink is a very difficult stain to remove. If it is a white fabric and bleaching
does not remove the ink, the following tips may help to at least fade the
stain.
- Alcohol/Methylated Spirit: Either of these is ideal to remove ink stains, especially if they have not dried and set.
Soak the affected part in rubbing alcohol or methylated spirit, and then
wash as normal. The alcohol would neutralize the pigment in the ink and make it
disappear. OR
Grab a clean white towel and put
the stained item on top. The white towel is to absorb the ink that would leach
from the stained fabric in the course of treatment.
Dip a clean
cotton swab into rubbing alcohol and dab at the stained spot of the clothing.
Repeat as many times as possible with a fresh swab while moving the garment to a clean dry
section of the towel to keep from picking back up any of the removed ink.
Repeat till the stain is gone. Thereafter, Dip another fresh cotton swab or
sponge into cold water and dab the area to remove the alcohol from the fabric.
For best results, let the fabric dry before trying to remove the ink stains
again. Rubbing alcohol works best on a dry fabric, but after each application
you must rinse it with water several times.
- Ammonia/methylated spirit/vinegar: Soak the stained clothing in a mixture of 1 part ammonia to 2 parts methylated spirit. Add vinegar to neutralize the ammonia. Thereafter, wash as usual.
- Fingernail Polish Remover: The ladies will definitely find this easy to procure, though most never know it could work wonders in removing inks. This works best for dried stubborn stains as this is a very strong reagent. Before applying, be sure to test first on an inconspicuous area of the clothing. The chances are that it could damage the fabric. It nothing happens, blot in the same way as you did with the rubbing alcohol. Thereafter, rinse properly and dry.
- Milk: I do not understand how this works, but folks testify to the stain-removal abilities of milk. After dabbing up the excess fresh ink with paper towels, soak the stain in milk for half an hour. Wash as usual. Or, you may want to heat the milk first to lukewarm. Pour the lukewarm milk into a suitable container and soak the stained part of the garment in the warm milk as soon as possible. Rinse after soaking and wash as usual.
- BALL-POINT PEN INKS
Ball-point pen inks are not as difficult to remove
as permanent inks. Try the alcohol and/or fingernail polish remover treatments
as for permanent inks above.
The above are tips you can use to
remove ink stains at home. If after trying the above methods the ink stains are
still not removed from your clothing, do not hesitate to try a professional
drycleaner for help.
Do you know of any other method
to remove ink stains? Comment, please.
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