Question " How to remove a stain from a ballpoint pen?“is probably familiar to every office worker or student. This problem is very common, especially because such stains are very difficult to remove. If you wait too long, you can ruin your clothes forever. In our article we will look at several ways in which you can remove ballpoint pen ink at home on your own.
Unfortunately, ballpoint pen paste eats into any fabric very well and is very difficult to remove. Ink stains can appear on clothing, upholstered furniture, walls or carpet. In any case, it's not a very pretty picture. But not everyone can remove a stain from a ballpoint pen without consequences. So, let's find out how to get rid of such pollution on different surfaces.
How to remove it from clothes?
Ballpoint pen ink on clothes is the most common problem. But, fortunately, there are many ways you can remove ballpoint pen stains from clothes at home.
Lemon juice- a universal remedy! If you are unable to remove stains with lemon juice, then you have used too little lemon juice. In fact, this product perfectly helps to effectively remove stains on clothes of any origin, be it a stain from a ballpoint pen, rust, or alcoholic beverages. For even greater effectiveness, you can sprinkle salt on the stain, rubbing it into the fabric.
Glycerin solution with alcohol will also help remove this kind of pollution. You need to mix these drugs in equal proportions, then moisten the stain with the resulting solution, arm yourself with a clean cloth, also moisten it in the solution, and gently rub the stain with it. After it disappears, you need to wash your clothes with powder.
Also great for removing ink stains. solution of water with hydrogen peroxide. To do this, you need to soak the contaminated clothing completely in the solution, leave it for several hours, and then rinse with plenty of cool water.
Clothes made of linen or cotton require more careful treatment, so removing a ballpoint pen stain from such fabrics is a little more difficult. To do this you should mix acetone with alcohol in equal proportions, then slightly warm the resulting mixture. Moisten a cotton swab with it and carefully wipe the contaminated area, periodically replacing the swab with a clean one.
One of the most effective ways to remove ink at home is the usual acetone. Surely every girl has it in her cosmetic bag... They need to moisten a clean piece of cloth and wipe the stain with it. But this method is not suitable for all types of fabric.
If the stain is on colored things, then it will help to save them a mixture of alcohol, ammonia and clean boiled water. Mix all ingredients in a 1:1:1 ratio, then treat the contaminated area.
Mustard will help save silk items if suddenly a ballpoint pen stain ends up on them. To do this, brush the ink stain with dry mustard diluted in water, then leave the mixture on it for a few minutes. After this, rinse the clothes with cold water and wash with powder.
This will help remove such stains from woolen clothes. lemon acid, which should be diluted with water.
Clear a colored item you can get rid of an ink stain in this way: dilute glycerin with warm water, soak the item in the solution for several hours, and then wash it with washing powder.
Removing ballpoint pen ink from furniture and carpet at home
Removing ink from carpet or furniture is not much more difficult than removing ink from clothing. The only negative is the dimensions. Furniture or carpet cannot be completely soaked, so you will have to improvise.
The first step is to try to remove the stain from the carpet or upholstered furniture using medical alcohol. Apply it to a cotton swab or a piece of clean cloth, then gently work the stain until it disappears. After this, you can wash the area with soapy water.
Do not try to rub the stain, otherwise you risk increasing its size. It is best if you carefully blot the dirt.
It can also help remove ink stains in your business. soapy solution of detergent and warm water, which should be applied to the stain, wait half an hour, then rinse with a clean wet cloth.
You can try to remove a ballpoint pen stain at home using glycerin. To do this, you do not need to dilute it with water, just apply the substance to the ink stain, wait a few minutes, then arm yourself with a dry cloth that absorbs moisture well and blot the stain with it.
Mix in warm water glycerin with dishwashing detergent, pour the resulting solution into a convenient container with a spray bottle, and then spray it onto the ink stain. Moisture must be removed with a dry cloth or toilet paper. Repeat until the stain disappears.
Ballpoint pens have been familiar to everyone since childhood. And everyone knows how easy it is to stain things with them. Either the paste will leak out of the refill if handled carelessly, or the cap will get lost and the pen will scribble all over your pocket, bag or furniture. Or the child will get to the stationery and decide that he can decorate a new sofa, mother’s jacket or wallpaper in the hallway with a drawing. Whether you like it or not, you will have to figure out how to remove the stain from a ballpoint pen so that there are no colored stains left.
Many people simply take the item to the cleaners to instruct cleaning specialists to remove dirt from the ballpoint pen paste. But, unfortunately, the cleaning result is not always successful. You can try to remove stains from clothes or furniture at home using your own resources and simple means. Substances for home dry cleaning are quite affordable and quite effective.
Home remedies to remove stains
Surely at least one of the remedies listed below can be found in your home.
- Alcohol and alcohol-containing solutions: cologne, vodka. Alcohol dissolves the paste, but color stains may remain on the fabric. On artificial leather, alcohol only removes fresh marks. It will not be possible to completely remove an old ballpoint pen stain with alcohol: it will only lighten, but will not disappear. You can then try to remove colored stains with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, but be careful with brightly colored materials: peroxide may cause them to lose their brightness. The item will need to be washed well after cleaning.
- A mixture of alcohol and acetone works great even on old marks from a ballpoint pen. But be careful: some materials dissolve in acetone. Try dropping a little solution in an inconspicuous place first.
- A mixture of alcohol and glycerin in equal parts. Once traces of paste disappear under your cotton swab, wash the item or rinse the surface with warm water.
- An alcohol-vinegar solution also helps remove stains from a ballpoint pen. After removing the stain, it is necessary to wash or rinse the item well in water.
- Ordinary baking soda also copes well with paste, and soda ash is even better. This method is gentle and can be used to tidy up even delicate fabrics. You need to make a paste out of soda by adding a few drops of water. Gently spread the paste over the surface of the soiled item, leave for 15-20 minutes, then rinse carefully and thoroughly.
- Oddly enough, fresh marks from a ballpoint pen can be removed from clothes with sour milk or whey. If you cannot immediately wipe off or wash traces of the paste, you can soak the item in sour milk for 1-2 hours, then carefully wipe the damaged area with a brush, and then wash it as usual. In this way you can remove stains from linen, cotton, synthetics, even silk and wool. The paste can also be washed off artificial leather.
- Another remedy that can be found in your own refrigerator is lemon. Lemon juice and salt can be a great way to remove fresh ballpoint pen stains. If you don’t have fresh lemon, dissolve a little citric acid in warm water.
When removing stains from fabric, place paper towels under the stained area so that the dissolved paste is immediately absorbed and does not spread across the fabric. You can use starch instead of a paper towel.
There are several other substances that can help remove ballpoint pen stains from clothes and other items. But they are either less accessible, or more dangerous, or have an overly pungent odor. For example, turpentine can remove traces of a ballpoint pen even from wool and silk fabrics, but then you will have to tinker with it to remove the strong characteristic odor from the item.
It dissolves stains from paste and ammonia well. Especially if you warm it up slightly. But the vapors of this substance are harmful, and it is better to use ammonia outdoors or in the presence of good exhaust ventilation.
Oxalic acid is also effective, but this caustic substance is not available in every household, at least in its pure form. Oxalic acid is part of the most caustic household chemicals designed to remove rust. It is absolutely forbidden to work with it without durable rubber gloves, otherwise the risk of getting a burn or irritation is too great. You can remove ballpoint pen stains from cotton and linen with this substance. After exposure to acid, the item should be washed well in a solution of neutral detergent. When rinsing, you should use conditioner-rinse aid.
Ready-made stain removers
If you have stain removers at home, you can try using them. According to reviews from housewives who have learned from their own experience how to remove a stain from a ballpoint pen, the following products have a good effect:
- "Vanish";
- Amway;
- SANO.
Marks from a ballpoint pen on white linen and cotton fabrics can be removed with “Whiteness”. You should try to wash off fresh marks with Antipyatin soap.
A pen is a simple and familiar object; we use it regularly. And for schoolchildren and students this subject is simply necessary every day.
But sometimes it happens that ink leaks and leaves stains on various things. Even more incidents occur if this item falls into the hands of small children. And if ink can be washed off your fingers, although not immediately, with soap and warm water, then it can be quite difficult to remove it from things.
To ensure that there are no traces of ink left and things are not spoiled, you need to wash stains correctly.
How to wash ink correctly?
Almost everyone has encountered stains from a ballpoint or gel pen. But not everyone knows whether there are effective and safe means for things.
Fortunately, there are tools and methods for cleaning a pen, and there are quite a few of them. But they cannot be used indiscriminately - It is imperative to take into account what material the soiled item is made of.
Ballpoint and gel pens dissolve well in alcohol and alcohol-containing liquids, acetone, gasoline, various solvents, and even hairspray and face cream. But they can wash away the paint from the surface of the material being cleaned, leave unsightly stains and even dissolve some materials.
There are also many folk remedies that we always have at hand. They act on various surfaces much more softly, but they cope with the task no worse. However, they are not effective on all surfaces.
It should also be remembered that fresh stains are much easier to treat and remove.
Before using the product, it is always advisable to try how it will act on an inconspicuous area of the product.
How can you remove stains from different surfaces?
During work, a leaking pen can leave a stain on any object: furniture, floor, clothes and bags. And children can even put stains in the most incredible places.
From furniture
Most often, stains appear on the table.
If the table is covered with plastic, you can try to clean the ink using regular soap, dishwashing detergent, or other detergent. Wet wipes will do.
For larger pen marks, you can use nail polish remover. It effectively dissolves the ink, so be careful not to smear it onto a clean surface. Then use a swab with the same liquid to wipe the table until all traces disappear. Finish cleaning with a damp cloth.
A fresh stain from the table can be removed with an eraser.
Products that you have on hand in the kitchen will also work.
if you have lemon, squeeze a few drops onto the ink. Leave for a couple of minutes so that the sour lemon juice dissolves the dirt, and wipe the table.
Schoolchildren often paint their desks. It is best to try rubbing desks covered with plastic or painted with oil paint with chalk and washing them with regular washing powder.
For a chair with a leatherette seat, use salt or soda.
Apply the soap solution to the dirt, sprinkle salt on top and wait 2-3 hours. Then remove the composition and wash the surface. Or make a paste of baking soda and water and leave it on the stain until it dries. After drying, remove it from the surface and wipe the chair with a soft, damp sponge.
Doors painted by a child are also washed. Do not rush with strong chemicals - they will wash away the ink, but along with the ink they can remove the paint layer from the door. Try treating the stained area with grease - any grease will do, for example, what is available in every home vegetable oil.
You can remove ink stains from a wooden surface using dishwashing detergent.
5 grams of this liquid (a teaspoon) is mixed with a third of a glass of water. The solution must be mixed well to obtain abundant foam. Be sure to test the safety of the solution for your furniture. If everything is in order, then use a cotton swab or a soft cloth to take a little foam and rub the stain. Then use a clean, damp swab to remove any remaining solution and dry the surface.
If the ink is deeply embedded in the wood, rub the area steel wool. Be very careful not to remove too much wood with the scourer.
A less aggressive product for wood - soda. Leave the paste on the stain for a quarter of an hour, and then remove with a clean, damp cloth. Dry the surface.
Well-proven remedy - White Spirit, which is sold in hardware stores. A safety test is mandatory. Apply mineral spirits to a rag and scrub away the stain. For old, stubborn stains, apply the product to a steel wool pad.
Then you need to thoroughly wipe the surface.
Sometimes ink gets on the lampshade of a table lamp. If it is glass, it is best to apply soap solution or alcohol-containing liquids. In this case, you need to make sure that the liquid does not wash away the paint from the lampshade if it is colored. Wash off ink from a fabric or plastic lampshade with soda slurry or soapy water.
There are even more ways to remove paste from linoleum. This is a very unpretentious material, so you can safely use both chemical liquids and much of what you have in your kitchen.
Wash off fresh stains with soap or dishwashing detergent, hairspray, or even an eraser.
Mix salt with citric acid and leave on the stain for a quarter of an hour, or apply mustard or soda slurry and wait a longer time. Warm vinegar, glycerin, hydrogen peroxide and match sulfur can also help.
Can be used for linoleum gasoline or turpentine, nail polish remover. The liquid used to clean the car of bitumen is very effective.
From things
A dirty bag gives a woman a lot of grief.
To remove marks from a handle on a bag made of leather or leatherette, it is best to use ready-made special preparations from the store. They will clean the product without damaging it.
If you don’t have this drug, it doesn’t matter. Every woman has face or hand cream, hairspray. They will do a great job of solving the problem. In addition, the cream will bring additional benefits to your leather bag.
The stain can also be washed off with soap, alcohol, cologne, or soda slurry.
Modern children go to school with backpacks, and mothers periodically have to clean them of ink.
Lightly moisten a fresh stain and sprinkle salt on it. Leave the salt for several hours, then carefully remove.
To remove a stain from a backpack, you can use alcohol, vodka, any liquid containing alcohol.
The only condition is that the liquid must be colorless, otherwise stains may remain, which you will have to get rid of later.
Using a cotton swab moistened with liquid, carefully blot the stain without rubbing it, so as not to increase the area of contamination. The dissolving ink will remain on the cotton. You will have to change tampons frequently, as this is a long and labor-intensive procedure.
Items that have ink on them will have to be washed. Powder washing generally works well to remove pen marks, especially on man-made fiber fabrics. However, it is best to try to remove the stain before washing.
Use salt, soda. Do not experiment with aggressive liquids: some of them can damage the fabric.
An unconventional effective method. Pour into a small container kefir, and dip the stained area into it. Leave it for half an hour and then wash the item.
From leatherette
If you or your children have stained a sofa or armchair upholstered in leatherette, then do not panic - there are many products that can clean the surface.
Try washing a fresh stain with soap.
It will be effective to use ethyl or ammonia, glycerin, cologne.
Special stain removers made from natural or artificial leather are available for sale. When developing them, the characteristics of the material are taken into account. Your task is to follow the instructions.
When you can’t visit a store, use products you probably have at home.
Prepare a mixture of soap solution and salt. Apply it to the stain, rub a little and leave for a couple of hours. Then rinse and dry the area thoroughly.
Also suitable soda, vinegar, lemon or citric acid. Lemon juice can be mixed with milk.
From plastic
In our everyday environment there are many parts and coatings made of plastic.
Since the plastic coating is quite resistant to various substances, it can be used alcohol, vodka, lotion, eau de toilette and other available alcohol-containing liquids. To clean, apply liquid to a cotton swab and gently wipe off the stain. Change tampons as they become dirty.
You can use a means at hand - ordinary household matches. Their heads are moistened with water and rubbed onto the stains until they disappear.
Silicone is a modern material; phone cases and other items are often made from it. Unfortunately, they also get ink because we put them on the table, in a clothing pocket, or in a bag pocket along with pens. You can remove ink from a fountain pen from a silicone case with nail polish remover. You should take a liquid without acetone.
The refrigerator may also come to the attention of young artists. Chemicals cannot always help remove their drawings from the refrigerator. In addition, chemicals can damage the surface.
Use an unconventional remedy: hairspray. From a short distance, spray the varnish onto the design until a small puddle forms. Then wash the surface with a wet cloth.
From paper
Students, office workers and people in other professions who need to write a lot or fill out forms periodically encounter a problem - a document is damaged.
Small marks on some types of paper can be removed without the use of any means.
Using a sharp blade, carefully cut or scrape off the ink stain. Then sand the area with a smooth object.
Be very careful not to remove too much paper. Never use the blade on thin paper.
There are also correction fluids. They are sold in office supply departments. They are convenient to use, as they are equipped with a thin brush, dry quickly and can be written on top of them. True, sometimes it happens that they do not match the tone of the paper.
The corrector can be used to remove stains from the textbook and correct the wallpaper in white areas.
But the corrector cannot be used on some types of paper and colored wallpaper.
Content
Ballpoint pens are a common item in the life of any person. Therefore, everyone at least once in their life has encountered the fact that paste flows out of them, contaminating the most inappropriate object (expensive clothes, furniture, fabric, paper, etc.) or a child, while playing, drew something with this very pen in the wrong place . Therefore, any economic person should be able to remove ink from most surfaces, because sooner or later they will have to face this problem. So, is it possible to remove ballpoint pen marks from any surface? Of course, this possibility exists for almost all materials. If you act correctly, select a detergent depending on the type of surface, you can not only save the necessary item, but also significantly save on cleaning, because cleaning specialists will charge a lot of money for their services. So, let's look at ways to clean ballpoint pen marks from the most popular materials.
How to clean a ballpoint pen: choose alcohol-based products
In any home there are many options for cleaning ink from a ballpoint pen. Like any liquid, they can perfectly mix with other liquid substances, dissolving in them. For example, ink dissolves well in alcohol. This means that to remove them from the surface you can use vodka, cologne, alcohol itself and other means. But this method has its own subtleties. So, it will not be possible to perfectly wash a ballpoint pen from clothes with alcohol, since it leaves multi-colored stains. And if you try to remove ink from leatherette, the operation will be successful if you wipe a fresh stain. Alcohol does not remove old marks well, as it can only lighten them. Some housewives, after partially removing old stains with alcohol, try to bleach the remains with peroxide, but it can spoil the material, making it duller and lighter.
What other ways are there to remove ink stains using alcohol? You can prepare mixtures of solvents based on it. Thus, the alcohol-acetone mixture is especially powerful, which removes even old stains. But acetone has a strong solvent effect, so it should not be applied to materials that it could damage. To find out how the mixture will work, it is better to first apply it to a less noticeable place.
Less strong, but still effective solutions of alcohol with glycerin or vinegar. In both cases, an equal amount of substances is taken for the mixture. After swabbing the material with any of these liquids, the item is washed (if possible) or wiped with copious amounts of water.
How to clean ballpoint pen paste: use folk remedies
In addition to alcohol-containing products, both purchased and made yourself, you can use several folk recipes. So, a detergent based on baking soda or soda ash washes out traces of ink well. At the same time, the product acts gently on the fabric without impairing its properties. Do the cleaning as follows:
- take soda and add a little water to it, turning everything into a paste;
- apply the substance to the entire dirty surface, including clean areas;
- leave the mixture to infuse for about 20 minutes;
- remove the remaining powder and wash the product with water several times.
Another successful remedy is lemon juice. It (or citric acid) is mixed with salt and applied to the contaminated surface. And if possible, place a paper towel under the fabric so that it absorbs the paint.
Among the available means, dairy products - whey and kefir - can remove ink. To do this, clothes are soaked in them for a couple of hours, and if the paint is not removed, then lightly rub with a brush, after which everything is washed as usual. By the way, this method is included in the list of means for washing a ballpoint pen from leatherette. In this case, you just need to apply milk to the surface and cover it with gauze or cloth, and then wash off the remaining paint with water.
There are other ways to remove ballpoint pen marks. This is the use of ammonia, oxalic acid and other substances. But they are more dangerous to use and are recommended only as a last resort.
Using ready-made detergents
A stain from a ballpoint pen, if you have the means, can be removed with a commercial detergent. Today these are the following types of products: “Amway”, “Vanish”, “Belizna”, SANO, etc. These detergents should also be used carefully, observing all safety measures and working with seals, as they may contain caustic substances that negatively affect human skin.
How to wash a ballpoint pen from the leather of a sofa and other products
Sofas are a favorite place for children to play. They often stain them, including with a ballpoint pen. To get rid of these “arts”, you need a lot of effort and knowledge of how to wash a ballpoint pen from a sofa in order to get rid of stains and not spoil the finish of the product.
Sometimes parents may come and find that a sofa or other piece of furniture covered with leather or leatherette has been almost destroyed by ink. Is there a chance to bring the product back to normal without resorting to the services of expensive dry cleaners? If we are talking about the upholstery of the sofa, then you can clean it with a slice of regular lemon. They rub it on all dirty places, achieving absolute cleanliness. And when the juice dries, the surface is wiped again, only with a cotton pad previously treated with salt water.
How to wash a ballpoint pen from your skin?
After all, the action of caustic acids that may be in lemon can damage the real natural coating. It is recommended to use regular salt for cleaning. To do this, do the following:
- Regular table salt is lightly moistened with water to keep it moist.
- Lightly rubbing this salt, cover the stained area.
- Leave everything for several days.
- Remove the salt, wipe the surface again and treat with a damp cloth.
- Cover the skin with turpentine and rub until shiny.
Classic solvents- alcohol and acetone should not be used to clean sofas, the same applies to oil. The reason is that organic solvents, along with the ink, will wash out part of the paint, so a light spot will remain in their place.
But if the housewife is looking for a way to clean a ballpoint pen from a doll, alcohol is just the thing. It will be enough to purchase a bottle of pharmaceutical alcohol, moisten a cotton pad with it and wipe those surfaces of the toy that are contaminated with ink. And it’s even easier to remove stains from linoleum - just treat its surface with a sponge and soapy water. After a few minutes of work, dirt and its traces can be removed forever.
How to remove ballpoint pen from wallpaper
Although children love to draw pictures of sofas, wallpaper is a more favorite object. Sometimes it is enough to leave a child alone in the room for a few seconds for the unfortunate blue lines and scribbles to appear on the walls. And then parents need to think about how to get rid of these drawings, because re-pasting the wallpaper every time after the child’s adventures is not an option.
The easiest way to get rid of ballpoint pen marks on wallpaper is to use hydrogen peroxide. This liquid removes ink, but also discolors the item itself. Therefore, peroxide should only be used in cases where white paper has been damaged. Otherwise, you can spoil the wallpaper even more by “rewarding” it with new stains.
If the pattern appears on colored wallpaper, use turpentine. This is an odorous resin that has a wide range of actions and should be in every home. So, the area damaged by ink is visually isolated and rubbed with turpentine, wait 20 minutes, then wipe with wet cotton, achieving complete removal of the ink. You need to do the procedure quickly and carefully, otherwise you can rub off the wallpaper so that it looks unattractive.
If the drawings appeared on furniture whose upholstery is light and fabric, then another method of removing ink will come in handy. Use manicure polish that does not contain acetone. To do this, soak a napkin generously with this very liquid, apply it to the place with ink and lightly rub it. All movements must be smooth and gentle, otherwise the upholstery can be seriously damaged.
If the damage is too large or the ink was applied to an expensive surface, it is better to call a cleaning company that specializes in this rather than risk using cheap home methods.
How to Remove Ballpoint Pen Ink from Industrial Materials
In extremely rare cases, ballpoint pen ink can transfer to other types of materials that also need to be cleaned. So, sometimes you need to remove a stain from plastic or oilcloth. This is done using an ordinary match. Its head is dipped into water, after which they begin to rub the area with the stain until it disappears. As soon as success is achieved, the previously damaged area is wiped with a concentrated soap solution.
Removing ballpoint pen marks from paper
But most often, a ballpoint pen leaves unnecessary marks on paper. A child can draw in a valuable book, an accidental blot can end up on an important document, etc. Of course, a printed sheet can be reproduced again, but if we are talking about valuable things, you need to know how to restore them. If you work carefully, you can use one of the following methods:
- Application of vinegar essence with potassium permanganate. To do this, prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate, to which a little vinegar is added. Moisten a thin brush with the prepared solution. It is guided strictly by the ink itself, trying as much as possible to avoid contact with the rest of the paper. To make the procedure better, place a clean sheet of paper under the document so that it absorbs ink and excess moisture. When the manipulation is completed, the restored object should be dried - it will acquire a light brown color. This stain can be easily removed with hydrogen peroxide and dried.
- Prepare a special concentrated solution, for which you take a few drops of water, dissolving an equal amount of oxalic and citric acid in it. The surface of a cotton swab is treated with this solution, after which they try to remove the ink. Once the process is completed, quickly dry all the paper.
So, having ballpoint pen ink stains on most surfaces is not such a big problem if you do it right. Selecting the right cleaning product, careful work, following the instructions - all this will help get rid of traces of children's games or a poor choice of pen.
Pens with disappearing ink appear in at least one in four spy books. What is written disappears without a trace, to the joy or disappointment of the heroes. In life, everything is different: what your child drew on his white blouse or on your leather bag is not going to disappear on its own. This also applies to a blot on a pocket where paste or gel has leaked. A little carelessness leads to disappointment. But only if you don’t know how to remove a ballpoint pen stain using simple means.
With our tips, even the most ordinary paste of the simplest ballpoint pen will become disappearing, like in the best spy detective story. Removing stains from ballpoint and gel pens from clothes, although a troublesome task, is absolutely not impossible. Even if they are not planted on durable linen or cotton fabrics, but also on leather, wool, synthetics and delicate silk.
To successfully remove inscriptions and blots, you will need:
- a piece of gauze, calico or other clean cloth that absorbs liquids well;
- cotton swabs for large stains and cotton swabs for small ones;
- rubber gloves, as some of the substances used are quite aggressive.
Oilcloth is also useful for covering the surface of the table, washing basin and washing machine.
Gifts from chemical industries
You can remove it from a ballpoint pen using various substances and their combinations. After any of the methods, the item will need to be washed to remove any remaining household chemicals and the last particles of gel or ballpoint pen paste.
In case of need, it is better to keep the following products in your home arsenal:
- ethanol;
- White Spirit;
- ammonia of varying concentrations;
- acetic acid;
- glycerol;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- gasoline soap;
- acetone;
- fine table salt;
- soda
It’s not bad if you have a couple of lemons stored in the lower compartment of the refrigerator and a bottle of milk (slightly sour).
Methods for removing stains
The sooner you start cleaning, the easier it will be to remove the paste or gel from your clothes. Old marks are much more difficult to remove, especially if they have been subjected to heat treatment (ironed with an iron).
Since many of the proposed methods can leave colored stains along the edges of the treated area, it is better to clean from the edge of the stained area to its center.
- Wipe the stain with ethyl alcohol mixed with glycerin in equal proportions. Excellent for removing paste from a variety of fabrics, leather, leatherette, oilcloth, furniture.
- Pour a pinch of fine salt onto the stained area, and then squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top so that the salt turns into a paste. After an hour you can wash it. The method is suitable for linen and cotton.
- Soak the affected area for some time in milk heated to 50°C. Milk dissolves the ballpoint pen paste; as the milk becomes colored, you can replace it with fresh portions. After the paste disappears, wash the item as usual. Suitable for all types of material except leather. You just need to wipe the skin with a swab moistened with warm milk.
- On linen and cotton, you can remove a stain from a ballpoint pen with a mixture of ammonia and water in equal proportions.
- Gel pen stains can be easily washed off with heated vinegar.
- You can also remove stains from delicate fabrics, silk, and wool; to do this, you need to use gasoline soap.
- A mixture of acetone and alcohol will help remove stains from natural fabrics. Categorically not suitable for synthetic materials. May leave slight streaks around the edges, but regular washing will take care of this.
- Alcohol, acetone and hydrogen peroxide taken in their pure form will also help remove paste on clothes. You just need to check the color strength in a place hidden from view so as not to completely ruin the item.
- Ballpoint pen stains can be removed from the surface of natural leather using regular hairspray. You need to spray the stain with varnish, and after a few minutes rinse the area with water.
- Colored fabrics can be saved by using pure glycerin. Use a glycerin swab to wipe the stain, and then rinse everything thoroughly in warm water, adding a handful of regular table salt to the basin.
- A mixture of ethyl alcohol and vinegar will help remove ballpoint pen stains from light-colored natural fabrics.
- Baking soda can remove stains on light fabrics. A mixture of baking soda and water should be left on the surface of the stain for at least a couple of hours, then washed as usual.
No one has canceled hardware stores either. The range of stain removers is quite wide, and in almost any store you can find stain removers specifically for ink, paste, marker marks and other office supplies.
Expensive and especially delicate items should be cleaned. And if the item is simply your favorite, then stubborn stains can be made almost invisible if you paint the entire surface with a ballpoint pen. Creative people use lines from their favorite poems and any drawings and texts for this. Instead of being thrown into the trash as hopelessly damaged, the item becomes an exclusive work of art, the envy of everyone around.