How to remove ink stains from clothes? 4 effective tricks

There are stains that we never want to see on our clothes. When one of them appears in our favorite clothes, on many occasions we think that it is irreparable and we give up that garment that has been damaged.

One of those stains is that of ink, which is one of the most common, since we use pens on a daily basis and we can easily stain our clothes without being able to avoid it. But do not fear too much, there are some tricks to remove ink stains.

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How to remove ink stains? 4 tricks that work

Removing an ink stain from a white or colored fabric is possible. The faster we act, the easier it will be to remove the entire ink stain. If the stain stays on the fabric too long, then it may not be so easy to achieve.

As soon as the ink spills on the clothes, take a napkin or cotton and press lightly on the stain so that it absorbs as much ink as possible. Later, you can apply any of the following tricks to eliminate it completely.

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1. Milk

Milk is a powerful stain remover useful for some types of ink. The first thing to do is press lightly with a cotton pad or napkin to absorb the greatest amount of ink, then you have to immerse the garment in milk.

A little warm milk is heated in a bowl and the garment is submerged, taking it out from time to time to carve it and put it back in. If the milk is also stained with the ink, then it must be replaced, but it is important that it be warm milk.

You have to be careful not to worsen the stain and spread more on the fabric. For example, you only have to submerge the part of the fabric where the stain is and when you remove it for carving, it should be carved gently and without spreading beyond the stain.

This trick works well for white and colored fabrics. If the fabric is cotton, it is very likely that this will be enough to remove the stain. If the fabric is white, then it can be soaked in bleach later to ensure that it comes off completely without staining the rest of the garment.

This milk trick also works great for wool and silk textiles, even when the ink is red, which is sometimes the hardest to remove. However, in the case of wool, it must be made with cold milk so as not to damage the fabric.

2. Alcohol-based hairspray

Alcohol-based hairspray can be used for fresh ink stains. If the ink stain has been on the garment for a few hours, then using an alcohol-based hairspray may be the trick to removing ink stains more efficiently.

This type of lacquer can be found at paint stores or where they sell woodworking supplies. It can be used on practically any fabric, although with white fabric another trick combined with bleach at the end could always be more useful.

The first thing to do is to test the lacquer in an area of ​​the garment that can be hidden, this in order to make sure that it does not stain or damage the clothes. Once it has been proven that it will not mistreat the garment, it can be applied to the stain.

You have to spray the lacquer, which is generally in an aerosol, approximately 12 inches from the garment. Immediately afterwards you have to press with a cotton ball to absorb as much ink as possible.

You have to do it immediately and do not let the lacquer dry on the garment, because what this trick does is soften and remove the stain but also spread it slightly, so if it is allowed to dry, it will end up staining an area higher.

3. Nail polish remover

Nail polish remover is a useful solvent for removing stains. This trick is especially effective to remove the indelible ink, although it must be taken into account that these inks are specially made so that they are not easily removed.

However, it may work depending on the type of fabric. A polish remover or other solvent product can remove the ink stain from almost any fabric. However, in the case of suede or leather, this trick is not a good idea.

To remove ink stains from clothing with nail polish remover or solvent, wet a cotton ball with the nail polish remover and then dab lightly on the garment, taking care not to rub to avoid spreading the stain.

While this trick can be very effective for indelible ink, it can also be used for regular ballpoint ink. Remember that it is best to test in a hidden area of ​​the garment to ensure that it will not damage the fabric.

Nail polish remover or other solvents can be very aggressive to some types of fabric such as silk, so it is best use other tricks with delicate fabrics to avoid that the fabric is irretrievably damaged and can no longer be used garment.

4. Sodium bicarbonate

With baking soda you can remove ink stains on denim.. This trick is effective for almost any type of fabric, as it does not mistreat textiles easily. But it can be even more useful for removing ink stains from jeans.

To use baking soda as an ink stain remover you have to make a paste by mixing two tablespoons of baking soda with a little water and mix until you achieve a smooth but pasty.

This mixture is applied with a cotton ball on the stain and lightly pressed on the stain to remove the ink little by little. The advantage of baking soda is that it does not leave a trace or damage fabrics, making it a very safe trick.

If it is a white garment, then it is convenient to try to remove all the excess ink by applying baking soda and then washing normally but adding bleach. If they are colored fabrics or even denim, then you should try to remove them completely with the baking soda.

If the fabric is thick then you can first apply a little alcohol to a cotton ball and put it under the stain while the other side is applied to the baking soda. The goal is for the alcohol to help remove the stain and make it easier to remove.

Bibliographic references

• Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne. (1994). Technical and moral history of the dress.