Permanent Marker and Skin Clean-up...

I have had this same issue with my crazy 5 year old son. He has tattooed his skin, table tops, etc. with permanent marker. The ONLY thing that has worked to clean it all up is a product called Solumel. It is a solvent form of tea tree oil and is magic, I swear! The only yucky part is that you have to order it through a company called Melaleuca. Go online and register on their site or I can refer you to a sales person I know. Their products are great, just expensive....but the Solumel lasts forever.

OH YES, I know what you mean about the coloring of the body with markers. I have twins that did that to match "daddy's tattoos". But the secret is toothpaste. rub it into the skin and wash off. It may take a few tries to remove all, I found crest or colgate works the best
Good Luck.
C. G

CHEAP HAIRSPRAY (Final Net, White Rain, etc.) They usually smell quite a bit. I understand that WD-40 can work and is non-toxic, but it smells strongly also.)

My PERSONAL preference is to use another product called SOLUMEL which is from the Melaleuca Company. This is a solvent cleaning product that uses tea-tree oil. (I am extremely sensitive to fragrances and chemicals and their cleaning products are safer for the environment and my asthmatic allergies). You can email me if you like. Good Luck! ____@____.com

S. i know of a all natural cleaner that wont harm the childern or anyone. one of my grandchildern got hold of a permanent marker and did leave their artist mark on our fire place and other places. it was there for two yearsbefor i found this wonderful safe cleaning stuff. its call sol-u-mel. belive me it works, go to melaleuca.com. it even works on carpets. good cleaning god bless lynn

I know this sounds far fetched but try hand sanitizer!! I haven't tried it on skin, but it works wonders on upholstery, carpet etc. It is safe for skin!!

rubbing alcohol and time...

Hi S.,,, Hmmmmm,,,It seems to me when my twin daughters did that umpteen years ago we ended up using{if i remember right)a lemon...It might have been an orange but lemon keeps coming to mind...The point is its the citrus acid that should help break it up....The best part is they smell so nice when your done..LOL..I hope this helps,,,it cant hurt to try! Good Luck.... P.S....You should have seen my bedroom when my daughter found my bingo daubers....Pretty pink dots all over my room...LOL,,,,Take care....

Baby oil works wonders! Or mineral oil...same stuff. It also works for taking off those fake tattoos. I love the stuff!

My 3 yr old rolled in tar last summer when I left her with my mother and my mom was trying to soak her in the tub, my husband was going to use my nail polish remover, thank god for Melaleuca, I had bought Tough and tender from them and all I had to do was just spray it on her and just wipe it off. Tough and tender is all natural household cleaner. check out gogetfacts.com I am in the Melaleuca member because my 3 year old has very sensitive skin and all the product's are family friendly.

Try rubbing alcohol, it may not remove it but it will lighten it so the fading won't take so long. It will also remove your standard ink pen marking completely.

Hi S....I know a girl who introduced me to a product called SOLUMEL, and it REALLY WORKS well, and it's safe to use around kids. Her name is Sarah and you can e-mail her at:
____@____.com
I think you're gonna LOVE what she has....!
:>) J.

Hi S., it's not 100% but I've used rubbing alcohol and that seems do do a pretty good job on skin.

J. S

I unfortunately had a permanent marker fiasco myself. My 2 year old (at the time) had colored his arms, legs, tummy with the marker. It only took SECONDS. I tried everything to get it off. This was when Magic Erasers had first come out. And I was "Magic Erasering" everything. SO I took the marker and made a mark on the back of my hand, let it dry. Then I used the magic Eraser on it, and it took it off, and it didn't hurt my skin in any way!! So I took the magic eraser and used it on him, no problems, and it took ALL of the ink off!!
Hope this helps!

Rubbing alcohol should do the trick on 99% of the marker and should take it off of a lot of the surfaces. If there's still stuff on the counters where he's been try using baking soda and a little bit of water and just rub.

Hi S.,

Congratulations, Morgan sounds like he is very creative! Over the last few years several people have sent in testimonials about their success in cleaning up things their kidoos had gotten into with our soy-based soap. You might want to give it a try! For more information you can visit:

http://www.bellamiacandle.scent-team.com

If you would like to try a bar sometimes the shipping can be spendy if a singly one is ordered over the website, so feel free to contact me via email or phone (contact info is on the website) and I can save you on shipping or possibly offer free delivery if you are in my area.

Good luck!

V.

for your nail polish on the carpet, i researched online and found that it comes up with shaving cream. it worked for us but the stain wasn't a year old tho. read around online if that doesn't work. i know there were some other options but that one was the most popular.

My cousins little one decorated her face with permanent marker and she used baby oil to get it off. It's worth a shot. Good luck.

I have so been in your shoes. Here is what works for me.
Alcohol on a huggies baby wipe and gently rub. It works great! (don't forget to rinse skin with lukewarm warer and add put on lotion afterward.

A lot of people told me to try nail polish remover - acitone free, but I just thought it might be too harsh so never tried it.

Another mom tole me to try making a paste with baking soda. it actually worked better than most of the things I tried too.

Good luck with your little tattoo artist! :)

J., mommy to four. Stephen 11, twins Alex and Alyssa 8,and Emily 4 . All of them get into permanent markers whenever they can manage it. I don't get it - they already have their own sets of washable markers...

I have found that rubbing alcohol removes most of it.

S.,
Try Avon Skin so Soft. It works really well on cleaning up the skin.

We have had this happen and we have also got it on a white couch...... What works is... PEROXIDE!!!!

Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing wipes work great and are gentle. You can also use baby oil and baby wipes but they take a bit of scrubbing. My daughter is also a self tattoo artist.

My daughter had surgery at Children's in Seattle, before she went in to surgery they marked her forehead with a big black sharpie. I thought "How am I going to get that off." After surgery and we got home, I got out the Kirkland brand diaper wipes(from Costco. Sure enough they took that pen mark off very easily. No scrubbing at all. They work great for other things as well!!!

Fingernail polish remover. It's safe enough to be left on the skin to disolve polish, and it works at getting Sharpie off about ANYTHING! Trust me, I have an affinity for Sharpies.
Then I would suggest getting this "artistic" child some temporary tattoos!!!
Good Luck!
R.
One Woman Spa
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What you can try is a product called "Gojo" usually found in the auto section of any store. Also, since permanent markers are alchohol based you can use rubbing alchohol. We are artists in our family and one of these usually works. Also, comet gets crayon off of walls and if scrubbed gently it will not take the paint off! Good luck!

My daughter has this same hobby. I use rubbing alcohol to get it off her skin and the carpet. It will not get it off the walls though, it will actually make it worse. The paint will smear and then its one big mess. Hope I could help.

Hello S..... My name is R. and I work from home with The M.O.M. Team and we've partnered up with an International Wellness Company out of ID. We have some amazing non-toxic necessity products, one in particular has removed permanent marker, finger nail polish, and lipstick, from our daughter's entire little body. If interesting in hearing more about our product lines and how you can get them in your home, feel free to shoot me an email at ____@____.com Luck!!! Make it a Great Day!!!

lol Time. Time and LOTS of soapy water. That's about it.

My vote is for rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. It takes permanent marker off alot of things, and that is why the baby wipes work (as others mentioned) because of the alcohol in them. Even use it on clothes, but it likely won't take it away completely, but lessen it quite a bit. The sooner you get it on the better. As for your carpet, I'd try the alcohol first, but a product called Biokleen Bac-Out (sold at Fred Meyer in the natural section) has taken every stain out of my beige carpets (and I have a potty training toddler and a spit up baby). Hope this helps.

don't know how u feel about getting a lil greasy...but a washcloth and baby oil gel should work good...i also have 4 kids...and know exactly what it is like to clean up these messes! lol....life would be so boring without our kids entertaining us!

My daughter did the same thing. Oxyclean will pretty much handle anything she can throw at you. Make a little paste with it and rub it off. pretty much works on everything. It actually took "Sharpie Marker" out of kahki pants she decided to decorate. Oxyclean.......the Mothers saviour!

I have heard many moms swear by perfume to get it off. I have also heard toothpaste, hairspray, WD-40, and bleach wipes (do it in the tub so you can rinse immediately!). But, perfume was the best suggestion.

My granddaughter, at 3, decided to color herself also. Big cross on stomach, totally black belly button, hands, face, feet. She had woke up from a nap, mom had a marker in the room. Not only did she decorate herself--but my wallpaper(which will not come off), window and sheets. I thought we will never get this off. To my suprise her father tried "baby wipes". Cleaned her up quick at could be. Some hard spots needed alittle something stronger. A spot remover from the hardware store, usually in paint department and then a bath. I will never forget the look on her face when she came out of the room all black--priceless!! Hopes this helps. Rebecca S--grandmother of 7.

I have spent many years in the child care industry and believe it or not baby wipes work sometimes....if that doesn't work try baby oil or a little nail polish remover.

Whatever you try, DON'T use a Magic Eraser. It is amazing on walls or hard surfaces, but don't use it on skin!

I have seen Magic Eraser and Gojo in the list. I would not use these because they are abrasive and his skin is much more sensitive than ours. Rubbing alcohol works well, along with all of the other things people have suggested that contain rubbing alcohol -- many perfumes, baby wipes, etc. Otherwise, what works best is time! ;)

I just got an email with a warning about using the "mr clean" magic eraser type sponges on children's skin...so don't use those. It wouldn't cross my mind to use them because they are a cleaning product, but apparently some chemical in them causes a terrible burn to the kiddos skin.

Have you tried baby oil or some oil based lotion? I'm a early childhood teacher and that is always our old standby if soap and water don't work. This is a fun stage for sure!!!