19 Simple Tips To Remove A Permanent Marker Stain From Almost Everything.
When my daughter Marion was still very young, she dug up an indelible marker in a cupboard.
I let you guess the following…
Marion drew on all the imaginable surfaces of the house. A real disaster!
There were permanent marker stains everywhere: on the walls, on the carpet, on our beautiful rugs ...
... and even on the furniture in the house we rented at the time. And all this, the day before our move!
I let you imagine the panic of my husband and I upon discovering Marion's latest masterpiece.
It was then that I remembered a trick for removing permanent marker stains: 70% alcohol.
I immediately put the trick to the test, and it worked wonderfully !
Without the 70 ° alcohol trick, we would never have recovered the deposit for the rental of our old house.
I am sure that many parents have had to deal with this kind of problem with their children who draw on walls, furniture or clothes.
Fortunately, here is 19 tips for removing permanent markers from almost any surface ! Look :
1. On fabric
Have you stained a permanent marker on fabric, fabric upholstery or your jeans?
The good news is that there are several options for removing a marker stain from fabric!
You can use :
- 70% alcohol
- hydro-alcoholic hand gel
- hair spray
- nail polish remover
- lubricating oil WD-40
- White vinegar
- cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) with lemon juice
- toothpaste (in paste, but not in gel)
How to do : use a terry towel to apply the product of your choice to the stain.
Very important :dab the stain with light touches. Avoid rubbing the stain, as this will cause the marker ink to penetrate even deeper into the fibers of the fabric!
Likewise, place an old towel or paper towel under the stain. This helps to absorb the ink, and most importantly, it prevents a new stain from forming on the other side of the garment or fabric object.
For satin, silk or other delicate fabrics: take them to a professional for dry cleaning. And don't forget to mark the spot where the stain is.
2. On wood
For traces of indelible marker on wood, try using 70% alcohol, toothpaste or peanut butter. Yes, you read that right: peanut butter!
How to do : blot the stain with one of the above products and let sit for a few minutes. Repeat the treatment until the stain disappears.
Note: not all wooden surfaces react the same. It is therefore necessary to make a test on a discreet place to be sure not to damage the stain or varnish of your furniture or wooden floor.
3. On leather
I admit that I thought it was impossible to get a permanent marker stain back on leather ...
Fortunately, there is a trick to saving the skin on leather clothing and furniture!
However, don't wait too long to treat the stain.
The trick is to use hairspray, white vinegar, or sunscreen. Sunscreen ? Weird, I know, but it works!
How to do : lightly dab or spray your choice of product on the stain. Then wipe off the stain until it is gone. Check out the trick here.
4. On a wall
Ah, the walls… children love to draw their pretty pictures there!
To remove a permanent marker stain from a wall, there are several solutions. You can use :
- 70% alcohol
- hair spray
- toothpaste (in paste, but not in gel)
- magic eraser
- lemon essential oil
However, be very careful when scrubbing your walls !
Indeed, if you rub too hard, you risk removing the paint, especially with the magic eraser.
And it's like clothes, it is better to dab the stain with light touches. If you rub the stain, you may smear the ink.
5. On a carpet or rug
As I explained to you above, the 70 ° alcohol worked really well on the carpet in my old house!
But you can also use white vinegar, hairspray or shaving foam.
How to do : dab the stain by light touches with the product of your choice. As you will understand, you must avoid rubbing excessively, otherwise the ink may penetrate deeply into the fibers of your carpet.
Then, blot with a clean, damp cloth to remove the stain remover from the carpet.
Better yet, the most effective way to remove a stain from the carpet is to use your iron! Check out the trick here.
6. On other types of furniture
For permanent marker stains on fabric, wood or leather furniture, you can use one of the methods listed above.
For laminate furniture: the easiest (and probably the most surprising!) technique is to remove the permanent marker by writing over it with… a dry erase whiteboard marker!
After that, all you have to do is wipe off the dry erase marker with a rag or paper towel. And the stain is gone. It is bluffing!
Other methods that work, depending on the type of furniture, are 70% alcohol, nail polish remover, toothpaste, baking soda, a simple eraser, or WD-40.
Note: never use a magic eraser on lacquered or shiny furniture! The sponge may damage the finish and make it dull.
7. On a white board
Have you unintentionally written on a whiteboard with a permanent marker?
Welcome to the club, because many have made this mistake!
Fortunately, getting a permanent marker smudge off a whiteboard is a snap!
How to do : write over the permanent marker with a dry-erase marker, then erase as usual. It sounds so crazy, but it really works! Check out the trick here.
8. On paper
I'm sure your children are so well behaved that they would NEVER dream of drawing a picture on a book borrowed from the media library. Is not it ? ;-)
In case they ever want to, know that there is a solution to remove permanent marker stains from paper.
How to do : apply a very small coat of nail polish remover to the stain. But be careful, it is important not to saturate the paper!
Then blot up the remover with a clean cloth. Repeat the treatment until the stain disappears.
9. On glass
For all glass objects (windows, cups or dishes) you can use:
- toothpaste mixed with baking soda
- lubricating oil WD-40
- nail polish remover
- a dry erase marker
- alcohol at 70 °
How to do : rub the product of your choice onto the stain with a paper towel. Continue until the stain is gone.
10. On the skin
My daughter loves to get indelible "tattoos" with her friends ...
The concern is that it is not easy to make it disappear!
Fortunately, by using basic household products that you probably already have at home, you can remove those permanent markers from your skin.
How to do : just rub the marks of marker with a little nail polish remover, moisturizer, shaving foam, sunscreen, 70 ° alcohol or hydro-alcoholic hand gel .
11. On a TV or computer screen
Done Great be careful with the indelible marker stains on the screens, because they are very fragile!
You can use toothpaste (always a paste, not a gel) or baby wipes.
How to do : First try wiping the screen very carefully with the baby wipes. If that doesn't work, then switch to toothpaste.
Dab the stain lightly with toothpaste, and let sit for a few minutes.
Wipe with a clean cloth. Repeat the treatment until the stain disappears.
12. On plastic
To erase permanent marker stains from a plastic surface, you can use:
- a simple eraser
- sunscreen
- a dry erase marker
- alcohol at 70 °
- a commercial stain remover, such as Goo-Gone
How to do : each of these products can overcome an indelible marker stain, and this, on almost all types of plastic (toys, furniture, garbage cans ...).
13. On stainless steel
To remove the traces of indelible marker on metal, for example on a stainless steel coating of your household appliances, use 70 ° alcohol, a dry-erase marker or toothpaste.
How to do : apply one of these products to the marker stain. Wipe off, and you will see the stain disappear on its own!
To discover : Fingerprints On Stainless Steel? The Magic Trick That Prevents Traces From Coming Back.
14. On tiles
Normally, stains on smooth tiles are relatively easy to clean.
In contrast, permanent marker stains on porous tiles require a little more elbow grease!
How to do : to properly clean the nooks and crannies,use a toothbrush or cotton swab. To remove stains, try toothpaste, hairspray, or magic gum.
To discover : 6 Magic Tricks To Make Your Tile Look Like NEW.
15. On granite
If you have a granite surface in your home, then you know that sometimes it is a particularly difficult material to clean!
How to do : try removing marker stains with 70% alcohol or a little hydrogen peroxide.
But be careful not to let these products work for too long, as they could leave marks on the granite.
To discover : La Terre de Sommières: The Magic Trick To Remove Grease Stains From Granite And Marble.
16. On laminate or melamine
Laminate (like parquet) or melamine (like countertops) surfaces are generally super smooth, and therefore relatively easy to clean.
How to do : wipe off permanent marker marks with 70 ° alcohol, magic gum or toothpaste (but not gel) mixed with a little baking soda.
17. On a microfiber coating
My son and his partner bought microfiber sofas.
And according to them, the advantage of this type of coating is that the microfiber is surprisingly easy to clean!
How to do : 70% alcohol and a damp sponge will remove most stains.
But my son prefers to use hydrogen peroxide or nail polish remover to remove stubborn stains like the permanent marker. Check out the trick here.
18. On a plastic object
This tip will be of particular interest to teachers who have a lot of laminated books on hand!
How to do : remove permanent marker stains from textbooks, books or other laminated items with nail polish remover.
19. On a cutting board
I know, it's not the kind of thing that gets stained often. But trust me, my daughter also drew with an indelible marker on our cutting board!
How to do : pour salt on the marker stain. Use a lemon cut in half to rub the stain well. Let sit overnight and wash off the next morning. Check out the trick here.
How to revive a dried out marker?
Is your permanent marker all dried out? It happens if you forget to put the cap back on! But no need to buy another one for all that.
There is a simple trick to giving a dry marker a second life. You just have to soak the tip of the marker in 70 ° alcohol for a few seconds. Check out the trick here.
Your turn...
Have you tried these tips for removing a permanent marker stain? Tell us in the comments if it was effective. We can't wait to hear from you!
Do you like this trick ? Share it with your friends on Facebook.
Also to discover:
The Easy Way To Remove A Permanent Marker Stain From Almost Everything.
The Indispensable Guide To Getting Rid Of ALL STAINS Easily.
