How to Remove Ink Stains?
Our old English friend, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who once said that “The pen is mightier than the sword” is also spot on when it comes to fabric stains. Ink stains are incredibly stubborn and difficult to remove especially if you don’t know if the ink itself is water-based or oil-based. As always for garments that are “dryclean only” bring your stained garment to a professional. The methods we will recommend are strictly for washable garments only. As a general rule with all stains, the sooner you treat it the easier it is to remove. Stains, like many of us, get more stubborn with time!
Ballpoint Pen Ink Stains
Ahhh the mighty ballpoint pen. A favourite for those pen flick tricks but one too many could lead to a fresh ink stripe across your favourite work shirt. Fortunately you can breathe a sign of relief because this ink is much easier to remove from those washable fabrics. Here’s a simple procedure to rid that shirt of ballpoint pen ink:
With a paper towel underneath the ink stain, add some rubbing alcohol to the stained fabric. Be careful not to use too much.
Allow the affected area to soak for about 10 minutes in the rubbing alcohol. With a clean sponge continue blotting the ink stain until it’s all gone.
Rinse the garment under cool running water and gently ring the fabric. Next apply a pre-wash stain remover and wash the garment on a warm setting with some colour-safe Napisan that's safe for the fabric. Bob’s your uncle ink stain gone-skies.
The mighty ballpoint!
Felt-tip Ink Stains
A tad more stubborn than its younger brother, the ballpoint, felt-tip ink stains can be removed with a bit more effort.
Run the ink stain under cold water to flush out the ink as much as possible. Be careful not to spread the ink across the garment.
Fill a bucket with warm water and add in some liquid laundry detergent plus a small splash of cleaning ammonia. The bucket should be able to fit your entire garment inside. Stir it together and immerse the garment. With gloves on, give the stain a rub with your fingers or a gentle fabric brush, this will help loosen more of the ink particles. Let it soak for about 30 minutes and then brush again.
If the stain persists you can allow it to soak overnight. If it’s still visible repeat step 2 which should remove the ink stain completely. Follow this up with a warm wash in your washing machine with some laundry detergent and colour-safe Napisan. Done!
