After fighting your way through the back to school crowds to get all your school supplies for younger children, you’ll be getting the standard pen, pencil and crayon stains in clothes. If you have older children or husbands the stains will be ink. Leaving pens in laundry and having them burst, causes hours of extra work to clean the ink stains from clothing and the dryer. The best remedial action is to make the offender clean up the mess to be sure they are more careful checking pockets in the future.
Crayon is relatively easy to remove from fabrics. Your first instinct may be to scrape off the crayon, but please resist this urge! Instead, liberally coat the area with liquid detergent and let the garment sit overnight. Then, wash the item, following the care label instructions.
The simple and easy way on how to remove crayon from walls is to use WD-40, it really works well on hard surfaces.
For dry cleanable items, regardless if it is a big mens clothing dress shirt or silk dress for a woman, it is best to leave the stain as is, and bring the item to a professional. The stain will be easier to remove if you don’t disturb it with a potentially damaging home remedy. If you’re finding pencil marks on your kids’ clothes, there’s a quick method of cleaning them up so they look as fresh as the first day of school. Believe it or not, you’re going to start by using the same method you used to get rid of pencil marks back in school … an eraser! Use a clean white eraser carefully, rubbing lightly. Then apply liquid soap or a tiny amount of ammonia, using one part ammonia with five parts water. (Remember, only use ammonia in a well-ventilated area and never mix it with bleach or vinegar.) Rinse and then launder.
Now for the dreaded ink stain. Using hairspray on an ink stain, which is sort of an “old wives tale”, was recommended in the past strictly for its alcohol content. The alcohol or volatile solvent is just the way the goopy stuff is delivered to your hair, the solvent dissipates into the air leaving the “stuff” which makes your hair solid in hurricane force winds. So in a nutshell, hairspray is probably not the best idea for removing something like ink stains. I know the saying “Fight fire with fire” is popular, but “Fight ink stains with goopy hair varnish” is not likely to catch on any time soon.
To remove ink from clothes have terry towels or paper towels, dry-cleaning solvent or rubbing alcohol handy. Always read and follow the care instructions and any warnings on the garment label. First, sponge the area around the stain with the solvent or alcohol. Then apply the alcohol or solvent directly on the stain. Next, place the stain face down on clean white, cleaning towels. Apply alcohol or solvent to the back of the stain. Replace towels frequently.
Continue until no further ink is removed. Then rinse thoroughly. Rub with heavy-duty liquid detergent and launder in hottest water safe for fabric, with bleach safe for fabric. Always check for color fastness first. Some ink on white fabric may be removed with a dye stripper. You should be able to find this in areas where package dyes are sold. For stains on colored fabrics, check for dye stability in a hidden area before using.
Remember, heat sets ink stains. Act quickly as a precaution check your laundry before putting it in the dryer.
There are some specialized coating removers that come in a paste form that work well for this type of application, but they are not widely available at this point in time. The Hydrostrip line from ICI or a product called Masonry Strip available from Napier Environmental Technologies are the products to look for. They are also sold under the Biowash.com brand name found in paint stores like Sherwin Williams, Cloverdale Paint, and major home centers like Home Depot etc. check www.Biowash.com for a 1-800 to locate the product near you.
