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I’m a writer who still likes to write on paper with a pen, so you’d think I’d have a lot of experience with how to remove ink stain from clothing. But I don’t, so I was weirdly excited when I got ink on this long-sleeved shirt because I get to show you how to remove an ink stain.
The Key to Removing Ink Stains
The main thing you need when you’re learning how to remove ink stain from clothing is alcohol. I use rubbing alcohol (we happen to have some we keep in a spray bottle and that’s perfect for this job).
You can also use alcohol-based hand sanitizer since you’ve probably got that hanging around. I’ve heard that hair spray can also work, but that’s not a thing I have on hand to test. I think clear liquor like vodka would probably also work.
This rubbing alcohol is 50 percent concentration, but you can also find 70 percent or as high as 91 percent if you find the lower concentration isn’t working. You may also find lower concentrations but I think 50 percent is good for general use.
How to Remove Ink Stain from Clothing
I’m going to preface this tutorial with the note that this ink stain had been through the wash (maybe more than once) before I noticed it, so it probably took more time/effort than a fresh ink stain would.
Start by spraying the stain with alcohol (you can use a cotton swab or ball soaked in alcohol instead if you don’t have a sprayer and don’t want to just pour it on).
Let it sit for a few minutes. I probably did 15 minutes or so on the first time, but this took multiple applications and I probably got down to about 5 minutes each by the end.
Rinse with hot water.
If your stain is fresh that may be all you need. Even my old ink stain lightened up with one application.
Next I did it again but used my handy laundry toothbrush (see also: how to get blood out of fabric) to help it get down into the fibers.
After maybe 4 applications I decided to go in with some gel stain remover and let that sit about 10 minutes before rinsing.
That just about did it! One more alcohol application and when I rinsed it I wasn’t even sure where the stain had been.
It might be this, but the shirt is a little pilled and multicolored so that could have already been there.
In any case it’s either totally gone, or gone enough that I won’t notice it, which is a win in my book.
And now you know how to remove ink stain from clothing, or your sheets if you write in bed, or anywhere else you might find it.
Easy, right?
