Has your fountain pen stained your favorite shirt or jeans with ink? Are you considering throwing it or them away? Don’t throw it away just yet. There are several effective ways to remove ink stains.

Home & Garden Help with 1-on-1 Online Sessions 

Home &amp; Garden Help with 1-on-1 Online Sessions

Empty

Do you use salt for seasoning and cooking purposes only? Well, that’s not the case anymore. 

You can use salt on its own or mixed with other components to clean ink stains. Here are two cheap and awesome salt hacks for you.

This one works best if the ink stain hasn’t dried out yet:

Put a light-colored towel below the stained area to prevent it from spreading out to more fabric.

Use a warm, wet towel to press the salt gently against the ink spot.

Brush the salt off with a special stain brush. However, you should never use this brush on silk, wool, or delicate fabrics.

If needed, repeat this process until you get rid of the stain. 

You can use oxygen bleach afterward if the fabric is washable.

Just spray the ink stain and leave it for about 10 minutes to work its magic. 

Apply some synthetic vinegar to the inky spot.

Add some salt using a teaspoon and press it against the ink stain.

Spread some white toothpaste onto the salt.

Use an old toothbrush to mix the three ingredients and scrub the ink stain.

Soak the stained fabric in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Use Salt

This method would be of much help if you spilled ink on a carpet. You can soak the ink-stained part in milk overnight after using salt. Next, use a small, damp towel to blot the ink stain. 

You can also mix a little milk with a teaspoon of starch until it forms a paste. Cover the stained spot with the paste, and let it dry for a couple of hours. 

Lastly, you can scrub it and use the vacuum cleaner to remove the residue.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Milk and Cornstarch

Simply, spray glass cleaner on your carpet ink stain, then massage the spot a little bit. You may need to repeat until it’s all cleaned up.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Glass Cleaner

Soak the inky spot with white vinegar for 5-10 minutes. During that time, blend white vinegar and cornstarch to form a paste. Then, cover the stain with the paste and let it dry.

Now, you can use your usual cleaning solvents to wash the piece of clothes.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: White Vinegar and Cornstarch

This one can follow any of the previous solutions. You can use hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to oxygen bleach.

Although it won’t remove the ink stain, it’ll make it disappear or become colorless. It simply breaks down the chemical bonds of ink.

Just saturate a piece of cotton with hydrogen peroxide and rub the stain. Leave it on for about 5 minutes. Then, wash it with liquid detergent as usual.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hydrogen Peroxide

Just spray the ink stain with rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. You can get it at your local drugstore. Afterward, scrub it gently with a stain brush. 

Now, you can add some oxygen stain remover and wash your piece of clothing as usual.

One more thing, remember to put an old towel below the stained part before scrubbing it. You don’t want to mess up the opposite side of the garment.

Also, try it first on a hidden area to guarantee the alcohol won’t damage the fabric.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Rubbing Alcohol

You can carry out the previous instructions using acetone—AKA nail polish remover—instead of rubbing alcohol.

Be careful as acetone may ruin the cloth, so we recommend trying it out in an unseen spot first.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Acetone

You can apply hairspray on the ink stain to loosen it, especially if it’s drying up. Leave it for a few minutes. Afterward, choose any of the previous solutions to use.

Note that if the ink stain is old and dry, it may be too difficult to get rid of it. Added to this, if your hairspray is alcohol-free, this tip won’t work.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hairspray

Most hand sanitizers contain 70% alcohol or more, so you can apply an ample amount to a dry ink stain to release it.

From there, use an old toothbrush to scrub the ink spot for 2 minutes to allow the solution to work into the fabric. 

Now, you can launder the garment as usual.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hand Sanitizer

Also known as oxygen bleach, you can apply color-safe bleach to the ink stain after using any of the previously-mentioned DIY tricks.

It’s crucial to check out the care label to ensure it doesn’t warn against using this type of bleach.

If you use one of the methods and the stain is still too stubborn, try using multiple ways until it comes out at 80% at least.

Then, adding the oxygen bleach to the stain and washing it with warm water in the washing machine will make the faint ink stain come out.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Color-Safe Bleach

If the manufacturer’s label says that you should only dry-clean the shirt or blouse, don’t try to remove the ink stain yourself.

Instead, find a laundromat in your area that offers professional dry-cleaning services. It’s best to act fast and not let the ink stain get dry. The wetter it is, the easier it is to get it out.

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Laundromat Service

Let’s sum up how to get ink out of clothes. Just follow these steps:

Check the manufacturer’s care label to make sure the garment is washable.

Take quick action. Don’t wait until the ink stain dries up.

Choose the handiest solution, or utilize multiple tricks to remove 80% of the ink stain.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes to loosen the ink.

Scrub the ink spot with a stain brush or rub with a wet towel. However, never use the brush technique with delicate fabrics.

Spray the ink stain with oxygen bleach if it didn’t get out completely.

Wash the garment as usual, and the ink stain will be immediately gone.

Finally, you’ll have to resort to a professional laundry service to dry clean the piece of clothes if it’s a non-washable item or if it’s too delicate to handle by yourself. 

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes Effortlessly

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Use Salt

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Milk and Cornstarch

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Glass Cleaner

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: White Vinegar and Cornstarch

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hydrogen Peroxide

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Rubbing Alcohol

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Acetone

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hairspray

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hand Sanitizer

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Color-Safe Bleach

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Laundromat Service

Conclusion

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes Effortlessly

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Use Salt

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Milk and Cornstarch

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Glass Cleaner

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: White Vinegar and Cornstarch

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hydrogen Peroxide

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Rubbing Alcohol

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Acetone

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hairspray

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Hand Sanitizer

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Color-Safe Bleach

How to Get Ink Out of Clothes: Laundromat Service

Conclusion

Related Articles: