How to Remove Ballpoint Ink Stains

Maybe you get pen on your beautiful handbag while putting the pen away or possibly the ballpoint ink pen leaked while in a shirt pocket.

Don’t despair, there are ways to get out ballpoint ink stains successfully. All it takes is a little ingenuity and a few items you may already have in the house.

Washable Fabrics:

So here’s the point. Always carefully sponge the stain to remove as much of the errant ink as possible. Then allow it to dry. Set the fabric, stain down, on some paper towels, or your all purpose “you don’t care if it gets inky” piece of clean cloth. Now, try one of the following to get the stain out.

• Spray the stain, from the back of the stain with hairspray
• Blot with rubbing alcohol using a q-tip or cotton ball
• Blot with nail polish remover

After you have tried one of the above recommendations, blot the back with another clean cloth or paper towel to remove as much of the ink stain as possible then:

• Pre-treat with laundry stain remover.
• Wash in warm water.
• Then hang or lay on a towel to dry. You never want to machine dry any item until you’re sure the stain is totally gone. The dryer can make the stain remain forever.

Upholstery Fabric:

Try one of these handy ideas for upholstered furniture:

• Mix a tablespoon of mild soap and 2 teaspoons of white vinegar in a cup of water.
• Dab on upholstery, or similar fabric, and rub gently.
• Leave it on for ten minutes and then wipe with cold water.
• Dab alcohol on the stain until all the ink is gone.
• Dab dry cleaning fluid on the stain. Repeat until the stain is gone. Mix up some clear, bleach free detergent and water and use that to remove the dry cleaning fluid.

Removing Ballpoint Ink from Leather:

Maybe the kids were doing their homework on the leather sofa or that beautiful leather handbag got an ink stain. Below are a few stain removal tips for you to try.

• Rub the stain out with cooking or salad oil. Use a soft cloth, q-tip, or cotton swab.
• Saddle soap and a little elbow grease will remove the ballpoint pen ink.
• Hairspray gently rubbed on leather will remove the ink, but try it first in an inconspicuous place to make sure it doesn’t change the color of the leather.
• Spray or wipe perfume on the stain and it will come out. Then use saddle soap or leather cleaner on it. Again – try it first in an inconspicuous place.

Removing Ink from Wood:

Do you have a budding artist in the family or were you doing your bills at the kitchen table and the pen leaked? Maybe you were writing on the back side of a piece of paper and the ink transferred to the top of the table. Here are a few cleaning methods to remove ink stains that should leave your surface looking new again.

• Make a paste of baking soda and water.
• Rub in the stain with your fingers or a soft cloth. Baking soda is abrasive so don’t scrub too hard, you don’t want to scratch the surface.
• Follow up with wiping with water and a clean cloth.
• Hairspray on a q-tip should remove the ink. Be careful not to rub using a lot of pressure so you don’t remove any finish.
• Non-acetone nail polish remover, used carefully, will remove ink from wood.
• If you don’t have hairspray in the house, try rubbing alcohol. Use gently so you don’t leave a mark on the wood finish.

Ink On Tile Or Linoleum Countertops:

What, the wooden surface wasn’t bad enough? The following method works well for surfaces such as tile, counter tops, linoleum, etc.

• Dab at the stain with hydrogen peroxide on a cloth or paper towel. Leave the cloth or paper towel on the stain for about five minutes and then rinse.
• Use an oxygen cleaner – apply it with a damp soft bristled brush. Let the product sit for 15 minutes and rinse.

Beyond banning ballpoint ink from your home, office, and everywhere else, you’re going to have these types of stains. So, next time it happens, don’t get stressed, just look to this handy list of solutions and get that stain out!