Pen Stain Removal Tips For All Types Of Surfaces

by Taylor

Almost everyone needs pen stain removal advice from time to time.

This is because we use pens all the time to write, and carry them around in our shirt or pants pocket, or our purse, and unfortunately there they tend to leak or explode, sometimes it seems at random.

In addition, when writing, especially if you're a lefty you're likely to get pen ink on your hands or fingers.

Finally, there are the little culprits which cause us to need to know how to remove pen stains from all types of items in our home. I'm of course speaking of little children, who just can't seem to resist drawing all over any blank surface with any stray pen they find.

Below I've collected tips, and answered reader's questions about this topic. There are, of course, lots of ways to remove these stains, and a lot depends on what kind of ink it is (water or oil based), and what type of surface the ink has gotten on.

That means I know I haven't addressed every method for pen stain removal yet. If you've used a technique or know a tip I haven't shared yet, I would love to hear it from you. You can share your stain removal ballpoint ink tips here, or read even more tips already submitted. If it's good, I'll add it to the page!

In addition, this page is mainly focused on home remedies and techniques for removing pen stains. If you prefer to use a commercial product, you can read ink spot remover reviews here, or share your own review to tell how a product you've tried has worked for you.

Now, without further ado, here are the tips already compiled:

Photo by photosteve101

Remove Ball Point Pen Ink With Hand Sanitizer

by Victoria
(Ohio, USA)

Victoria's Instructions:

1. Rub hand sanitizer (preferably waterless) on area that is soiled with ink.

2. Take clean white cloth or paper towel and rub until all hand sanitizer is absorbed.

3. If it is a heavy ink stain, you may have to repeat steps 1 and 2 a few times.

4. Voila! The ink is gone!

Hand Sanitizer {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

Thanks for these instructions Victoria.

I would just like to add that the best hand sanitizers to use for this task are those which are alcohol based, since it is the alcohol which is the key ingredient which helps remove the stain.

In addition, many of the fancier brands have additives, like aloe or Vitamin E, which are great for keeping your hands moisturized when using a drying product like alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel, but which may cause staining on your clothes.

Therefore, the best kinds of product to use for this is the kind without these additional additives.

Finally, several products say that it can discolor some fabrics, so before using in an obvious area I suggest testing first for colorfastness in an inconspicuous area.

You can read more tips and uses for hand sanitizer here, or share your own as well.

How I Removed Leaked Pen Ink From Pocket Of My Scrubs

by Shirley Roby
(West, Mississippi, USA)

My ink pen leaked in the pocket of my scrub and this is how I removed the stain.

1. Pure acetone
2. Hair Spray
3. Paper towels
4. Sponge

Acetone {Referral Links}

Put paper towels under the stain and dab with acetone soaked sponge. You may have to repeat this step several times.

When I removed as much ink as I possibly could I then rinsed the spot under cold water and sprayed it with hairspray.

I rubbed the area until the stain was no longer visible.

Then I rinsed under cold water again, laundered in cold water and air dried my scrub. Good as new!!!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing how you did this Shirley.

There are lots of uses for acetone for cleaning and stain removal, so thanks for sharing another. If you're interested in learning more click the link to see more I've collected throughout the site.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

How To Remove Ballpoint Ink From Clothing

Below is a video suggesting tips for how to remove ballpoint ink from clothing using hairspray.

First, wet the stained area of clothing with a bit of water, and then spray it liberally with hair spray.

The reason she suggests to wet the area first is so the hairspray does not evaporate so fast.

After the hairspray has been sprayed on you should rub the area of the clothing with the marks with an old toothbrush or other scrub brush to help remove the stain.

You should apply the hairspray and then rub about two to three times, until you have gotten out as much of the ballpoint ink as possible with the hairspray.

Next, you apply a laundry stain remover to the fabric and let it sit for at least fifteen minutes.

Lastly, you wash the clothing as normal to remove the last traces of the ballpoint ink from the fabric, plus the hairspray.

You can read my cautions for using hairspray for stain removal and cleaning here, since there are some issues with using this product because of the glues and other additives it contains. Further, the link will provide links to even more ways to use this product for removing spots and spills on things around your home.

Hairspray {Referral Links}

Photo by Kristian D.

Get Ballpoint Ink Stains Off Skin With Tea Bag

Wondering how to get ballpoint ink stains off your skin?

Did a ballpoint pen explode on your finger, or did the ink just smear all over your hand as you wrote.

This can be an especially big problem for lefties, I know, since my daughter is one.

So, here is a quick tip on how to get rid of these ballpoint ink stains from your skin.

Fix yourself a cup of tea, and after you use the tea bag remove it from the hot water and wait for it to cool to the touch.

Once it is cool enough rub the wet tea bag on your stained skin, and the video below says it will remove those stains.

What techniques do you use for pen stain removal from your skin? I know there are more out there. You can submit your own stain removal ballpoint ink tips here.

***Update: A SR101 reader, a Lefty, shared the following comment, saying:

This tip actually worked really well. I am surprised, but happy to find something to get that perpetual ink stain off my hand from writing.

***End Update

Photo by Selma90

Ink Pen Removal Stain Tip For Upholstered Furniture

Below is a video showing this couple's ink pen removal stain tip for upholstered furniture.

Apparently they had a game night at their house and during the course of it their upholstered couch got ink pen marks and stains on it.

They tried several different methods of pen stain removal before finally settling upon hairspray.

The video shows how she successfully used hairspray to get rid of the pen marks on the couch.

Afterward there was a visible spot where they had sprayed the hairspray, but I assume this went away after the hairspray dried and evaporated, although the video does not show this.

Tell me in the comments how this worked for you. I would also be interested in hearing how the hairspray looks after it has dried.

Perhaps you should, after removing the pen marks, wipe away the hairspray with some water and a white cloth?

Of course, in my article about ballpoint ink stain removal, I caution about using hairspray for removing ballpoint ink stains, for the same reason I mentioned above, the glue in the spray. The glue itself can cause some problems for you, especially on items like upholstery where you can't throw it in the washing machine after treating it with the hairspray.

Below I addressed this issue more, when a reader wrote in to ask me a question about ink upholstery stains.

Photo by AMagill

Red Ball Point Pen Stain On Cream Colored Chair

by Anonymous

I received this question from a reader regarding a red ball point pen stain on a cream colored chair. The question was:

Question

The chair, which is made of 100% polyester fabric, is less than 6 months old and I want to remove the stain properly the first time. I have some 99% isopropyl alcohol to use. Want to get advice before I attempt to clean the stain. There are no cleaning symbols on the Tag for the new upholstery. Please Advise.

Taylor's Answer

Ink stains are some of the most problematic you can have, especially on upholstery.

Part of the problem with ink stains, such as yours, is that it is not always clear what ingredients are in the ink, so it is not necessarily clear if the ink is water or oil soluble.

It is always best to first assume the ink is oil soluble, which is why my instructions on my ballpoint ink stain removal page, which includes instructions for removing these stains from upholstery.

That page suggests using dry cleaning solvent, which is an excellent most-purposes solvent. If you read my whole article on this solvent you will note I recommend Guardsman Dry Cleaning Fluid, which I unfortunately cannot find in most stores. (You can buy it from the Internet though.)

Dry Cleaner Solvent {Referral Links}

I notice you say you did not see a care tag on the upholstered furniture. It is good that you looked, since these upholstery care tags can say what type of cleaners and stain removers are appropriate. It is best to try a cleaner first in an inconspicuous area, to make sure it does not harm the upholstery before you use it on the stain, but it is essential when you can't find the care tags.

I note that you say you don't have dry cleaning solvent right now, but instead isopropyl alcohol. You can try this on the upholstery, since it can work well sometimes too. Alcohol is also a very good solvent for oil soluble stains, such as most red ball point pen stains.

For example, you can watch the video above about ink pen removal on upholstered furniture where they used hairspray to remove the stain. I would suggest using alcohol instead of hairspray because it is the alcohol within the hairspray that can help ball point pen stains, like yours. That way you don't get all the glue and other additives to the hair spray staying on the chair.

Therefore, you can definitely try isopropyl alcohol to try to get out the stain. However, it is not guaranteed to work (nothing is guaranteed with stain removal!)

I hope this advice helps you remove your ink stain from your chair. However, as with all do it yourself stain removal, you do it at your own risk. If the chair is very valuable, and you are very concerned, it may well be worth the money to just call a professional.

Does anyone else have any more advice for this reader for pen stain removal, that you want to share? You can share your stain removal ballpoint ink tips here.

Remember that you can ask your questions and for stain removal help here.

Photo by ShaZ Ni is back

Related Links On This Site

Stain Removal Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

Share Your Upholstery Cleaning Tips

Tell Me Your Stain Removal Clothes Tips

Tea Stain Removal

Rubbing Alcohol Uses For Cleaning & Stain Removal

Go From Pen Stain Removal Tips To Home Page

There are affiliate links on this page, and if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. Purchasing through my links costs you nothing extra, but helps support the free information provided on this site and my family. To learn more please see my product review disclosure statement.