Stain Guides

How to remove ink stains from ball-point, felt pens & permanent markers

Pencil, ball-Point, felt & permanent marker ink stains on clothing

We’re knee deep in stain territory now. Maybe you were gesturing a bit too enthusiastically at the Monday work meeting and now you have a big ink or color stain on your pants.

Step 1
When removing an ink or color stain, be careful not to spread the stain by rubbing it and try to blot it instead. If the stain doesn't seem to spread, you can start rubbing it away. You can use either lemon juice or nail polish remover to remove the stain, but first, test an inconspicuous part of the garment to ensure the garment's color doesn’t fade or change.

Step 2
Lemon juice works best for felt pen, whereas ink and permanent markers might need nail polish remover. Squeeze some lemon juice on the stain and let it dry.

Step 3
Then scrub the stain, for example with a toothbrush or with your fingers, with cold water, put some dishwashing liquid on the stain and continue rubbing it until it is completely gone.

Step 4
If the stain isn't gone by now, use nail polish remover on a cotton pad or ball and carefully blot away the stain until it's completely gone. If the garment is washable, rinse away the alcohol, if not, use a damp cloth to get rid of the alcohol from the garment.