How many of you have experienced the horror of finding out your children have just used your furniture for their latest art project?
Are you raising your hand? I am.
There’s nothing like the joy of discovering ink marks on your lovely new couch or carpet, or chair. Whether it’s a regular pen, or permanent marker, or crayons, it can be FRUSTRATING to say the least.
Shelley just experienced this very thing not very long ago. Leather couch + 3 kids and Sharpie permanent markers= “AHHHH!”
{Here is a picture of her couch after she removed the ink. She was a little too preoccupied at the time to take a before picture. Just picture this couch with huge ugly black marks all over it.} 😉
So what is the best method for removing the lovely art from your furniture so it doesn’t have to go into the “stuff my kids have ruined” pile?
We wanted to know so we took this question to our awesome Facebook friends, who came to the rescue immediently with literally hundreds of helpful comments! You guys are pretty much the best ever.
Ok, back to Shelley’s couch fiasco. What was her secret ingredient for getting the marker off? A little bottle called Amodex that a FB reader suggested.
You can find Amodex in the ink section of your Hobby Lobby. 🙂 Shelley swears by this stuff now!
Bye-bye ugly black marker stains! You will not be missed.
Our FB friends shared so many wonderful tips and tricks for getting out all types of stains from different fabrics. We just had to share a few of them with you!
Here are just a few of our favorites:
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Jennifer P. says, “Hairspray works wonders!”
Kelley M. says, “I JUST took pen out of my mother in laws cream micro fiber couch…OXYCLEAN FABRIC/CARPET STAIN REMOVER W/ SCOTCHGUARD…Gray bottle. Walmart for around $3. You can spray it on and literally wipe it off w/ your finger. I LOVE anything Oxyclean.”
LeAnn O. says, “Baking soda and vinegar in a paste form. You can also do rubbing alcohol. You may need to do it a few times to get it out all the way.”
Tracey H. says, “I know my friend had this problem at a rental when her little boy used an ink pen on cream leather. Rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball worked wonders.”
Rebecca W. says, “ My little girl used a black permanent marker on my sage microfiber couch…ALL over 2 cushions! I highly recommend a carpet/fabric cleaner called Folex! It took it completely out and have I been using it for years!! It used to be sold at my local Walmart, but now I’ve only found it at Ace Hardware or Home Depot (or online, of course) It is in a plain white spray bottle with purple lettering. It’s odorless, too!!”
Kristina S. says, “Honestly the same thing happens to me and hairspray got the majority out but not all of but what DID work was the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!!!! I was really magic I could not believe it!!! Good luck.”
Haylee M. says, “Use hairspray.. the cheaper the better usually. And then blot it out and reapply if necessary. Then clean it with water to get the hairspray stickiness out. It should come out fine! Hope it does!! Good luck.”
Stephanie M. says, “Spot Shot” is the miracle cleaner! It’s my go to for most stains in most places. Just try it in a small place first but I bet you will be very pleased. You can buy it at most stores, Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc.”
Emily A. says, “ Sol-u-mel from Melaleuca. Takes red nail polish out of white carpets.”
Veronica M. says, “I swear by this stuff it even gets blood out. Blue Magic found in the auto section. When my mom saw how great it worked she bought 10cans.”
Brittney A. says, “SPOT SHOT! This stuff is awesome. It is for carpet but we use it all over the place: couches, carpet, car, etc. You can find it at Walmart in the cleaning section. It takes pen off very easily! Good luck!”
Brenda W. says, “The alcohol in hairspray is what does the trick… So you can use rubbing alcohol too. Blot with a q-tip /cotton ball, don’t rub or it will spread.”
Emily B. says, “I use Sol-U-Mel from Melaleuca. It took sharpie marker off of my moms silk throw pillow after my little girl found a sharpie!”
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What a great list for getting those pesky stains out!
I do suggest trying out any new cleaning solutions on a small portion { preferably on the back side} of your furniture to test it out first. 🙂
What is your favorite stain remover? Come back and let us know what works for you!
Happy cleaning!
Kimberly Odasso says
Oh my goodness!!!! I LITERALLY just found ink stains on our leather couch today from my oh-so-sweet 18 month old. What perfect timing!!!
alysha says
Yay! You’ll have to let us know what worked for you. Good luck! 🙂
Kiera Chambers says
a fun one that I learned years ago from my daughters kindergarten teacher…
dry erase markers removes Sharpie
…it needs to be on a flat solid surface, like a table or counter or door or piece of wood furniture, but it you find permanent ‘art work’ on any of these surfaces try just tracing over it with a dry erase marker and wiping it off….it’s magic!
Grace says
I use the Ammodex stain remover for spots and clothing… the ONLY time it hasn’t worked is with an ink stain on a 6yr old’s shirt that had been washed and dried about 20 times after the stain occurred. Other than that, it’s worked absolute wonders.
vicki mulkey says
How do you get oil stain out of leather? My husband dropped an ear of buttered corn and UB continued to rill three places. Help ¡
Milago says
Nice! Thank you for sharing your ideas.
carpet cleaning Carmel IN
Rose says
My husband took Dawn to our leather (caramel color) couch to take the ink stain out and it actually took the color out of the center of the cushion. Any suggestions? The ink stain was better!