Dry-erase Marker Nightmare!!!!

hi, try Simple Green on the walls. Don't know about the other material. Recent Van Gohllish experience. good luck

have you tried hairspray? I know it works on permanate marker. Also some windex has worked on printer ink in carpet.

H.

Many dry erase markers and kids' markers are vinegar based (and hence non-toxic), and if you dilute the stain in vinegar, it will lift the stain, perhaps. (In contrast, sharpies and many other pens are alcohol based. So,hairspray, which is also alcohol based, dilutes it and helps with lifting those stains). Though I've never tried it on stains, my experience with this is soaking in vinegar the tips of dry erase markers (that my daughter forgets to cap) to restore the dried out markers. While soaking the dried tips, the pinch pot of vinegar fills with restored ink.

Years ago I found that hairspray took ink off of walls and clothing, although it may take a bit of paint also. It also might effect the colorfastness of the fabric.
I would check to see if the company that made the markers has a web site. Their web site may have solutions to getting the ink off surfaces and fabrics. If not they have a "contact us" link.
If that doesn't work try calling a professional cleaning company, such as Service pro, they may have a solution. I would also look up home based companies like Amwway--Fuller Brush, etc. A representitive from one of the home based companies might be willing to come over and try one of their cleaners on the stains. If they work buy the product and let us know. That way you will have the solution in case it happens again. And we will know for sure what to do.
Good luck with college and you will have a life again and believe me you are still "cool".

My 3-year-old son just did this in our church basement on Sunday. During a reception for a baptism, he and his little cousin decided to play/draw on the dry erase board in the back of the reception room to entertain themselves.

Though I hesitated at first, I finally let it go with the thought `great, something to keep them out of trouble while the big people chat.' Oh boy, what a mistake that was! After 10 minutes of the two of them busily drawing stick people and making multi-colored designs, he must have got "confused" and thought the wall next to the board was erasable too. To my horror I discovered a mondo "tornado" of black scribbles. Though concentrated to one area, he practically colored one spot totally black with no cream (the color of the "newly painted" church wall) poking through.

Before the pastor got wind of what was up, I found a spray bottle of "Spic and Span" under the church's kitchenette sink and a scotch-brite scrubber sponge (you know the ones for cleaning bathtubs, with the dark green scratchy/brillo type stuff on one side, regular sponge on the other). I sprayed on ton of the Spic and Span on the wall, and went to town scrubbing with the brush. It took a little elbow grease, but it all came off the wall, and miraculously the wall (which was in an off-white oil based high-gloss paint) the wall was not damaged, and no trace of it was left behind. Don't know where the church got this stuff, but I have seen it in some stores..places like K-Mart, Fleet Farm, Menard's.. more hardware type places.

As for fabric, about 4 days later, my husband somehow got black permanent marker on a mock-suede jacket of mine while working on something in our coat closet. He still hasn't given me a good reason why he was anywhere near that coat with a permanent marker! Anyhoo... he used this spray cleaner from Home Depot called "Folex". The marker came right out. No need to follow up with water or anything. The ink comes up pretty easily. Just rub gently with a dry cloth or towel. Apply spray as needed. This stuff claims to remove crayon, rust, blood, ink, pet stains and more...

Good luck..and hide those markers. I've certainly learned my lesson.

Hi I have something that I think would get that out. If you would like to know more please email me back at ____@____.com

If you repaint, use Killz first to help hide and cover the red. Also a flat paint will hide bleed-throughs a bit better than gloss.

If you can stand it, I'd say just let it be. Or have your angel help you repaint!

(we have several spots in the office- granted, not nearly as bad as you have described- where our son has "forgotten" to color only on the paper, and so far we have left it alone. My sister's child also made a "masterpiece" on the wall of their freshly painted living room, and they also have chosen to leave it alone for the time being. And, as a teenager, my sister decided to paint her walls and door and trim in bright primary red, blue, and yellow - without mom and dad's knowledge of course. They left it that way until she moved out. There are still paint spatters on the floor. My sister is and always has been an incredible artist, so maybe your little one is showing the first signs of a very creative mind :)

If you get the chance to, listen to Leo Kotke's song Leave it Like it Is. It helped mom and dad deal with my sister's artistry with a little more humor than they might otherwise have been able to muster.

Try Purell Hand Sanitizer. I saw it in a newspaper article and it worked for me. Hope that helps

C.

Dear B.,

I have had dry erase marker on my walls before and I just used a little squirt of soft scrub and a yellow/green scrub sponge. It took it off quite well. Rub gently and then rinse well. You may have to touch up the paint a little but it does work.

C.

try rubbing alcohol. i know it will work on sharpies. First though I would call the numbner on the back of the box, or go online and find a phone #for the company. Talk to them, and they will haver good ideas on how you can erase this product from the wall!!!

My son did the same thing with a permanent red marker, same age too. We used a cheap pump style hairspray. Took a few bottles, but at less than a buck a bottle, it seemed to work well. Good Luck.

Try rubbing alcohol. GOOD LUCK!

I have no idea if Magic Eraser didn't work I'd say nothing will.

But I had no idea how awful a dry erase marker could be so I will be taking away all of my daughter's TODAY and I have learned something new. Sounds worse than a permanent marker. And to think my daughter needed dry erase markers on her school supply list this year scares me she may stain all her school clothes.

My youngest did similar in our playroom last summer... but lucky for me the room isn't fnished yet so he only got the contrete floor and his jeans. NOTHING takes off dry erase markers. We tried even the board cleaner that is for dry erase and rubbin alcohol but nothing even touched it. When I realized the jeans weren't fixable (it was all over them) I bleached them.... and the green marker was still there.

I don't know if you could paint over it... but from my experience nothing takes it off.

oh boy.. what a mess.. I dont know for sure but I know hairspray works well with ink.. maybe it would help with that?? really no clue just a suggestion.. I hope you can figure it out.

Hi B.,
I haven't had that problem with dry erase markers, but I feel for you. My son wrote on walls all over the house with crayons and pencil when he was little.

My suggestion is to try alcohol or one of the dry erase marker cleaners, for cleaning the boards they are used for. If this doesn't work, contact the manufacturer of the markers. They should have suggestions for removing from various surfaces.

The walls can always be sanded lightly to remove the marker, then touched up with leftover paint.
I hope this helps!

C.

I don't think you'll get that marker off of the walls. It's been this old mother's experience that unless the walls are painted with semi or regular gloss paint, you might as well sand down the area where the marker is and repaint the area. The only thing that more lasting than a laundry marker is those dry-earse markers on fabric. Good luck and hopefully she won't attack anything else.

L. T.

You can try rubbing alcohol. What kind of paint did you use? My daughter did this also and the magic eraser and some elbow grease got it off. Then I wiped it with warm water with a drop of vinegar and dish soap. You could also try baking soda on a damp wash cloth and then wipe it off with water. good luck!

Hi,
Did you try nail polish remover?

Ginnyg

One thing you can try is plain hand sanitizer, I have used it on my counter for a few different things that have stained and it worked, I have also used it while doing hair and if I get color on my clint I use it to remeove the color and you can't tell it was ever there.
I am sorry but I told my husband about this and I admit we did laugh and then we were feeling the same way how kids are so angelic and then they grow horns and suprise you and all you can do in the end is laugh. Take lots of pictures and keep them for her memory book and show every boyfriend and even her kids one day.
It just reminds me of when my niece took all my maxi pads and put them on the walls and it took the paint off, we had to repaint.
good luck,
Barbara.

Try a paste of baking soda & water. You'd be surprised what this combo can do.

As a teacher, I get a lot of pen, marker, and pencil stains. Usually hairspray the spot heavily and then wash it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. You could try it on the walls, but this could be a tough one! Hide those markers until school age!!

try nail polish remover. it works permananet marker

Not sure if this has been suggested or not or if you have tried it but my husband works at a middle school and he suggested using some AWESOME. we buy ours at our local Dollar Store. Its cheap and cleans about anything. Its a degreaser. I am also a mom to a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn. I turn 28 in a month. However I am just a stay at home mom and don't go to college. I have been married for 7 years. I realized LONG ago that I needed to get a life other than sitting at home talking to a 4 year old. SO far though it has not worked and I am about to go out of my mind. LOL. Thank God for Online groups like this though. hope this helps. Laterz J.

B.; hey just tell people you let her decorate her own room, hahahahaha sounds like you will live with that design for a while, ahhahaha not to get more depressed on yah but some inks dont even paint over, oh well, do your best, hahahahha and have fun, maybe give her another color and make a nice rainbow scattered room, just enjoy life and take a picture of it, so you can show it to her when she becomes a famous room designer, ahhahaahahhahaaaha D. s

I have had good luck using baby oil on a cottonball to get ink pen and marker scribbles off of wood furniture, might give that a try!

Hi Brandon -- Have you tried contacting the manufacturer of the dry-erase pen? They probably have an 800 number buried somewhere on the package. Also, a million years ago when my daughter ball-point-penned all over her new Mme Alexander doll, I called an Amway representative in my neighborhood who was able to walk me through removing the pen. Or maybe calling Procter & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson.

That's all I can think of. Good luck! L.

You got a lot of reply's here and I didn't read them all, and not sure if this was mentioned, but try Melalueca Sol-u-mel. My son drew on the carpet and walls with PERMANENT marker, I was so happy that it removed every last trace of it, and best of all...it's non toxic.

"Never Dull brand"(Magic Wadding Polish) will clean permanent marker off of any smooth surface. It'll also clean any old dry-erase shadows .
Not for textiles.

GOOD ??? for all of us with little artists

Did you try rubbing alcohol?? That should work on any alcohol based ink product. Works great for ball point ink stains on clothing, too. Some people recommend hair spray, too. Most hairspray has alcohol in it.