Pen Marks on Shoes

Updated on June 07, 2011
A.M. asks from El Paso, TX
29 answers

My 2 year old daughter wrote on her white leather shoes with a black pen and Ive tried lots of things to get the ink off the shoes. I tried soapy water, the mr.clean magic eraser and those things didnt work. Any advice to get it off would be great

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So What Happened?

Well i want to thank you al for your advice. This is my first time on this website and now i love it. Well i used to goo gone, hairspray, and the alchohol and i didn't work. I used the hairspray and it just faded the ink off of the shoes. I think i let the ink sit in for too long. I have decided to just leave the scribbles on her shoes. But thanks a bunch everyone for the great advice. And now i know what to use the next my daughter decides to draw a picaso. Thanks!!!!!

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L.B.

answers from Parkersburg on

I hope you have gotten the mark out by now, but if not try bacon grease. weird i know, but i used to us it to get pen and crayon marks off wooden doors and my fridge.
If all else fails get some fabric paint and put designs on the shoes.

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E.F.

answers from Austin on

Since the mark is already there and the shoes may already be ruined, my suggestion is to try a tiny bit of Comet and rub very lightly on the spot. I use Comet when my kids get a hold of Sharpies and it usually works well and with little or no damage or scratches to whatever they have written on. I don't think they've ever written on shoes but it's worth a shot, I think.

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A.N.

answers from Odessa on

This may sound funny but try perfume . I know that it works on other things . My daughter use to write on everything.

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A.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Have you tried Oxy Clean?? That works for me!

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R.G.

answers from Austin on

I've had the same experience, and my daughter was two at the time.....it doesn't come out. You're talking about a regular Bic Pen, right? It's nice to have an artist in the family.

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A.B.

answers from Lubbock on

Have you tried Goo Gone? That stuff is amazing!

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E.M.

answers from Odessa on

Even if the pen is not erasable, there are erasers out there that work on ink, the funny looking ones that are half white and half grey... you might try that. G'luck!

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D.O.

answers from San Antonio on

If that is ball point pen, try putting alcohol (rubbing) on it. My DD wrote all over my new leather sofa w/ a ball point pen a few years ago and it mostly came off w/ the alcohol. Good luck!

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M.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Go to the grocery store and pickup something called bartenders friend. It's a powdered cleanser used to shine stainless steel, but i have found it takes just about everything up--even blue magic marker off toilet seats--don't ask. You'll probably find it with all the other pot scrubbing stuff like Comet and Brillo.

Hope it works for you!!

(about me--mom of 3--8,6,4 and married happily and rockily for 10 years...such is life yes?)

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B.W.

answers from Austin on

have you tried fingernail polish remover? my son colored on the tv today with sharpie... it got it off easy. :)

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K.S.

answers from Austin on

Try rubbing Alcohol. It works for alot of things.

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B.W.

answers from San Angelo on

Do nothing. She is just showing her artistic talents... Does it really hurt to leave like it is?

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K.M.

answers from Abilene on

mix a little bleach with tide to make a paste worked for me good luck

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C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Hairspray gets ink out pretty well.

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L.S.

answers from Lubbock on

Hi A., I am part of a wellness company that promotes naturally based products. They have this product, called SolUMel, that works wonders. It will get all sorts of stains off and odors away from things. If you want, contact me. I would love to tell you all about it!

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K.M.

answers from Amarillo on

try hairspray. it works wonders. alchohol also works good. if either of those don't work, try rosonol oil for lighters. that will usually take anything out.

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M.V.

answers from San Antonio on

Try using GOO BE GONE, or GOOF OFF. The next best thing is that cleaner that the door to door kids sell. They usually come by one time per year and the bottle is about $35.00. After years of telling them no, I decided to purchase it and it has been one of the best investments ever. If you want the phone mnumber to order it contact me and I will look on the bottle and give it to you. If you don't want to go that route, go to Home Depot and look in the paint dept. and cleaning department. They carry some good products.

M.
____@____.com

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A.

answers from Killeen on

hi A.,
If you can't get it of. Cover it up with either white shoe cream or that stuff, that they cover up writing in the offices, i don't know how its called.
A.

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A.L.

answers from Austin on

You should try babywipes. Babywipes get everything off!

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G.

answers from San Antonio on

Have you tried rubbing alcohol or even hair spray.

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M.G.

answers from San Angelo on

Boot polish the shoes black. Always classy!

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A.P.

answers from Austin on

Hi A.,

I had to get black Sharpie off of our coffee table yesterday when my daughter decided to have an artistic moment. How she got it is a different story but I used Goo Gone to get it off. I normaly use it to get adhesive off of things but it's great to get just about anything off - gum, tar, lipstick (we may need it for this as they get older) and ink. I've used it to get small ink marks off of our leather furniture so hopefully it will work on her pretty white shoes too. :o)

Good luck!
A.

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L.M.

answers from Hickory on

Nail Polish remover just worked on my son's white leather shoes.

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A.S.

answers from Abilene on

If it is patten leather, then hair spray may work. I know it sounds crazy but when my daughter who is now 6 was 1 and 1/2, she wrote on the white wall with a black pen. I was watching Oprah and she had a show where there were stay at home moms who gave old wive's tale advice. When I heard about the hair spray thing, I grabbed my Rave 2 and it really worked. I was so excited I gave my daughter another black pen and told her to write away. I spent the whole afternoon just cleaning pen marks off the wall and actually enjoyed it. Of course she was my only child at the time (Now I have 4). And the paint on the walls had a glossy finish. I've tried the same trick with walls that had a matte finish. It doesn't work very well there. So if the shoes aren't patten leather then I wouldn't try the hair spray.

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M.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Plain rubbing alcohol works very well in getting out ink stains. I would test first on an inconspicous area. Good luck!

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V.H.

answers from Odessa on

i hope this works if its just get shoe polish and fix them up

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L.G.

answers from Columbus on

JUST TRIED THIS TODAY AND IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!
Acetone! Works like magic to get pen off white leather shoes!!!
you can find it at any hardware store......you could try nail polish remover but i used pure acetone! NO MORE PEN MARKS!!!!! 100%

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T.G.

answers from Odessa on

my mom always cleaned my white church shoes w' comet { try on a small spot to make sure it doesnt damage you daughters shoes. also alcohol is a good cleaner for white shoes.

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J.A.

answers from Amarillo on

Try some W-D 40, I read somewhere that it will even remove permanent marker.

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