Cleaning Permanent Marker Off

Hi D.:

It happens to the best of us! ;-)

If you go to the Sharpie website, it will list all sorts of ways to get its product out of different things.

Seems they get asked that question a lot!

This happened to me a year and a half ago except my daughter managed to write all over the kitchen cabinet doors! Believe it or not, what finally got the permanent marker off was a toothbrush and white toothpaste!

Scrub and wash away.....

Hi D.,
Been there with the Sharpie. For wood work, I used the brand Goo-Gone cleaner with a rough terry cloth rag and a whole lot of elbow grease.

As for sheets, you can try the stain remover Zout, it comes in a red bottle and you can find it at Target, some grocery stores and sometimes Big Lots. This stain remover gets nearly everything out, so even if it can't get the marker out, it's great on everything else the kids have. I found this when my first son was a toddler and have never gone back to other brands.

Good luck!
K.
Mom to 3 ages 7, 5 & 3

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - it cleans sharpie off carpets, it should take it off wood. Good Luck!

Soak the sheets in rubbing alcohol for a LONG time, changing it out frequently. It won't get it all, but it will lighten it quite a bit. It happened to me, too, but I eventually came to love my "designer sheets". Now she's 11, and I wish I still had them!

honestly I dont know about the wood my son did the same thing to my dresser and wonderful expensive white sheets! the sheets i tried stain remover and bleach nothing worked! so I just have to live with my sheets having a blue line the would I just gave up on I hope someone else can help us both!

Hey D.!

Been there, done that when my kids were smaller! There is 1 product that I have found that gets it off the MAJORITY of the time (as well as stains out of just about anything)... it is called Solumel and it's from a company called Melaleuca... give me a call and I can share with you how to set up your account with Melaleuca for $1 so you can order this (and many other awesome products for your home and family) directly from the company at wholesale prices. You can call me at ###-###-####. T.

www.marthastewart.com

I had heard from someone who worked at a grocery store, that Lysol spray removes Sharpie writing. We had dropped one and marked up our white-painted base boards. I tried that and it worked. I also googled this and found a few links that had good ideas that might be worth trying before going out and buying a bunch of products:

This site says use a pink or white pencil eraser to remove from wood:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf788353.tip.html

I haven't encountered the clothing situation yet, but most match what you've been told: alcohol, hairspray, spot shot.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf151533.tip.html

Good luck!

Depending on the service, you can mark over the sharpie marker with a dry erase marker and sometimes it will come up.

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works on furniture but be sure to oil it really good after your done. I notice it seems to dry the furniture out.

I have the same issue. If you happen to find out, please let me know, thanks.

Try hairspray and rub a lot. G. W

My son did the same thing and we have discovered that Rubbing alcohol removed quite a bit off walls and furniture. As for the sheets, I don't know.
good luck!

Try a magic eraser. They will take pretty much anything off. I have used it on my dining table when my kids have marked on it. It also took spilled red kool aid that stained on there.

This has happened to me before. I used toothpaste. it has to be just the paste kind. make sure you test in a small place first. if it works, apply to the sharpie marker and rub. keep doing this and it should go away. it takes off all pen marks i had on my table. Good luck. as for the sheets have you tried oxy clean in the blue bottle spray. this has help too. Goo Gone is a great product also. you can buy the toothpaste and goo gone at the dollar tree. oxy clean is about 4.00 at Kroger.

Try using small sections of thick orange peels. They can disolve the ink in the wood. It will lift the ink but depending on how porus the wood is, it still may stain a little. This would work to lift the ink off initialy.
You can try it on your sheets as well.

My daughter also found a sharpie and wrote on her dresser. Believe it or not, I used nail polish remover and it took it right off. Try and use as little as possible so it doesn't take the finish off your furniture. Her dresser is a light pine that is whitewashed and that one spot looks a little dull, but you would not notice it unless you knew to look for it. I would do a test spot before you attack the whole thing. Good luck.

try rubbing alcohol goo be gone oxy clean for the sheets see if you can call a 1800 number for sharpie and see if they have any ideas too... google for the # I think BIC makes them..... good luck. Kiss your little artist!

You can try contacting the Sharpie manufacturer. I bet they have gotten this question before. On the wood you could try a magic eraser product but test it first because it will remove some of the finish. For the sheets try rubbing alcohol. I've used it to diminish other ink stains. The best way is to put something absorbent that you don't mind being stained under the spots and then soaking them with the alcohol and blotting on the top.

You can try to use fingernail polish remover on everything except the sheets. I dont know of anything that gets sharpie out of fabric. But daycare centers use fingernail polish remover to remove sharpie from everything that they have to label. You also might try googone. Goodluck!

I have the perfect thing, it is called Sol-U-Mel. It is from a company called Melaleuca. They are a green company that makes natural products so it will be safe around your children too. I have been a customer for almost a year. I love it!!! Email me at ____@____.com and I can tell you more.

I haven't found anything that works on sheets. Rubbing alcohol and Magic Eraser work on furniture and walls.

When my son took a sharpie to our beige couch (and he REALLY did a number on the couch, I really feared we would have to replace it) "Spot Shot" got it all out. It comes in a blue can with an orange top - sold at Walmart and grocery stores. It's supposed to be used on carpets, but I have used it on everything from upholstery to laundry stains with no problems ever. A day after this incident, he got a hold of a red sharpie and decorated my office door. Goof off managed to get that off. I only used a little at a time because I feared it taking off the paint, but the paint looks perfect. Needless to say, we keep a much better eye on markers in this house! Fortunately, I think and hope we are past this little stage of development :)

Hairspray worked for me on white fabric, couldn't tell it was ever there. Good luck!

I am with the Sol-U-Mel response! It will get it off of everything!
H. M.

As far as the sheets I am not quite sure but off everything else rubbing alcohol. We have experience with this one and it has saved us much heart ache as it was and heirloom that was sharpied.

When my daughter was 3 she found a sharpie and drew on my antique dining table that belonged to my grandparents. I used the Magic Eraser and it came off just fine without hurting the finish!! I love those things!!

As far as the sheets... you might Try LOC made by Amway. My brother is an artist and when we were teenagers he got India Ink on... something, I don't remember now what. LOC took it out. It too some scrubbing, but it worked. I'm not sure where you can get the LOC but it's worth a shot. (My parents were into Amway back then.) I think I've seen on the commercials that Amway is Quixtar now.

Good Luck!

Solumel will work great!!!

toothpaste gets it off skin really well. I used magic eraser on my wood floors that my son did the same thing on. I would test it in a small corner before trying it. As far as the sheets good luck I don't know if anything gets it off of fabric. Sorry
H.

Try "Barkeepers Friend" it works on everything for me. I get the liquid form from Elliot's Hardware and the comet type from Home Depot. Good Luck!

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser got off our Sharpie from our bed -- 3 year-old got ahold of a blue one and drew a big A and J on our footboard. The silk comforter came clean with rubbing alcohol, Magic Eraser, Goo Gone and a lot of scrubbing!!! Hope this helps.

Magic eraser did not take the sharpie off my dining table, although it works for most things. What worked for me was toothpaste and rubbing alcohol. A toothbruch could help with the not smooth areas. Not sure cuz my table was smooth. This did take some of the luster away, but I put some orange oil spray afterwards and you cannot tell there was ever anything there. Hope this helps you.