Ink, invented in the 23rd century BC, coincides with the first screaming of profanity. Ink, the worldwide medium of written and printed communication, has a darker, personal side. Made partially from plant fibers, it longs to get back to its "roots," meaning cloth, wood, flooring—anything, really. But an ink stain doesn't have to be an occasion for deleted expletives. Read through some of these ink-stain cleaning hints and find out how other chemicals and techniques can make a black-and-white difference.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Ink Stains' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   How to Remove Ink Stains From Silk
Finding an ink stain on your silk fabric might seem scary. You may, however, be able to remove the stain with careful cleaning.

   Ink Stain Remover
Ink stains are quite difficult to get out in some cases...difficult, I say, but not always impossible. Here are a few ideas on how to get rid of those difficult ink stains.

   Removing Gel Ink Stains
Over the past few years gel ink pens have become an ever increasingly popular item around the country. Unfortunately, as with any kind of pen, these pens can occasionally leak and create a stain. As with any other kind of stain, you will need to remove gel ink stains if you would like to keep your clothing looking its best.

   Removing Ink Stains
To remove ink stains from pens or markers, saturate the stain with hairspray. You can also blot the ink away with rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or acetone. For stains that just won't come out, you may have to use bleach.

   Removing Ink Stains from Clothes
After you remove any excess ink by blotting it with a paper towel spray the stain with aerosol hairspray and blot again. With a little Oxy-Clean or 1/2 cup white vinegar in the wash water, launder the garment as the tag instructs. Make sure the ink is completely washed out before putting the clothing through a dryer cycle.

   Removing Ink Stains from Cotton
It is easy to accidentally spill ink or draw a line with a pen on our clothing. It can be tough to remove, but there are many effective methods that you can use to get the ink out.

   Removing Ink Stains from Dryers
It goes without saying that one of the more frustrating and maddening experiences of doing your laundry is finding ink stains on your clothes after you have dried them. Once you have finished your ranting and venting, you are still faced with the problem of removing ink stains from your dryer. Well, here's how you can do that simply, easily, and (most importantly) inexpensively.

   Removing Ink Stains from Silk Clothing
It happens. Pens leak and ink spills. Anyone who has ever opened a backpack or briefcase to find a broken or leaky pen knows how exasperating and troublesome the clean up can be, but this feeling can quickly turn to panic if the ink stain happens to be on silk. Thankfully, fast action and a few common tools can calm the panic and restore the fabric.

   Removing Magic Markers from Plaster
Whether you have children who really like to draw, or you got a little carried away with the magic marker, everyone can expect to have a marker mess that needs to be cleaned. Removing magic markers from plaster, while a little frustrating, is possible if you are willing to do a little bit of work and experimentation.

   Removing Permanent Marker
Permanent markers can be a great help when you are moving, coloring a poster for your child's school project, or simply want to label something. However, they can be a major pain when it gets onto something that you don't want—such as your table or cabinets. Don't worry though. Removing permanent marker can be a fairly easy thing to do. Here's how.

   Removing Permanent Marker from Vinyl
Considering how common both vinyl and permanent markers are it only stands to reason that the two will come into contact at some point. When this happens, it can be a little frustrating to try and remove the offending stain. However, removing permanent marker from vinyl doesn't necessarily need to be all that difficult. Take a look.