Removing Permanent Marker From Clothes & More: Tips & Home Remedies

by Taylor

Below I've gathered tips and home remedies for removing permanent marker from clothes and your skin.

Everyone's got one or more Sharpies around their home, and even if you don't have young kids who it seem inevitably get their hands on them and make a mess, accidents are still bound to occur.

Whether the marks on your shirt or other clothing were made on purpose, or accident, doesn't really matter at the end of the day as you pull out your hair, trying to pretreat the stains before throwing them in the washing machine.

I'm not here to say all of these techniques listed below will work all the time, in every situation. Unfortunately, when the makers of these markers call them "permanent" they really mean it, so sometimes you're just going to have to make that shirt a rag.

But, there are often home remedies that can lighten or remove many of the marks, so before you give it up as a lost cause try some of the methods below.

While this page focuses on tips and home remedies, remember there are also ink stain remover products that may also help. You can read the ink spot remover reviews here that I've already collected if you're interested in going that route instead.

Further, I'm always looking for more ideas and tips, so if you've got a method you use successfully, please share it with me here and I'll add it to this page.

Scroll on down to see the tips and ideas already submitted!

Stain Removal Permanent Marker Tip Using Common Household Items

Below is a video giving a stain removal permanent marker tip, which is to use common household items to remove permanent marker stains.

Those common household items include rubbing alcohol and hairspray, which contains alcohol within it.

Of the two the video itself does not suggest a preference, but I would definitely recommend using rubbing alcohol instead of hairspray if you have both in your home.

The reason is that hairspray, along with alcohol, also contains glue and other chemicals which can make a surface sticky or otherwise harm it.

Therefore, using just rubbing alcohol is generally a better bet than using hairspray if you can.



Did you know there are lots of other ways to use rubbing alcohol in your home for cleaning and stain removal? I've collected lots of uses for rubbing alcohol here, so come check them out!



Further, even though I personally don't prefer to use hairspray, many people do like it for stain removal and cleaning purposes. You can see more hairspray uses around your home here, or share your own.

Two Ideas To Remove Permanent Marker Stains

by SR101 Reader

SR101 Reader says:

1. Try some of the new Method laundry detergent in the squirt bottle. Works great.

2. I've also had some decent luck with high octane ethanol before, too (151 rum) - dissolves it and you have to wick it up right away with something or it spreads.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for the ideas. The rum ideas sounds like a waste of good alcohol though, to me, but perhaps it would be worth it to salvage a shirt.

You make a good point about needing to wick up the stain immediately after treatment though. I've had that problem before of spreading it, if I add too much or let it bleed through. You have to dab with the alcohol, not just saturate it!

So, does anyone else have some good tips or home remedies for removing permanent marker stains? If so, submit your tips here, or read others that have already been submitted for other surfaces, like hard surfaces, walls or wood.

Photo by dvanhorn

Tip For Removing Permanent Marker From Your Hands Easily

by SR101 Reader

SR101 Reader says:

An easy way to get permanent marker off your hands is to use baby wipes, as long as you can wipe off the ink quickly.

If the ink dries it is much harder to remove, and requires more scrubbing, but it can still be done with the wipes.

However, if done immediately it is quick and painless!

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for this tip. It is a really common problem to get these markers on your skin, and they can be difficult to remove, you're right.

I like the idea of using such a readily available product, that many parents already have in their home.

I've actually collected quite a few uses for baby wipes around your home here, so if you already have this product around come check out more ways you can use them!

Baby Wipes {Referral Links}

In addition, make sure to check out even more tips for removing permanent marker stains here, or submit your own onto the site!



Photo by basykes

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100's Of Stain Removal Tips & Tricks

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