If the unthinkable happens, and your trusty fountain pen has exploded it's inky contents all over your favorite shirt, do not panic, because there are effective ways to remove ink from clothes. Although it might look hopeless, your ink-stained clothing can be salvaged if you act quickly. Acting quickly, while the ink is still wet, is very important. Once the ink is dry and set into the fabric, the stain will be much harder to remove. The next time ink is spilled onto your clothing, follow these steps promptly for a chance at keeping the fabric spotless and avoiding a costly trip to the dry cleaners.
Press stain with towel or tissue
Look nearby for a washcloth, tissue, or towel that you will not mind getting dirty. Dampen it with warm water. Hold it to the stain for a couple of seconds to prevent the ink from setting and remove some of it in the process. Make sure that you don't rub it, as rubbing can make the stain larger.
Apply rubbing alcohol to stain
If you have rubbing alcohol handy, or live close to a pharmacy or drug store, dip a Q-Tip or cotton ball into the alcohol and apply it to the stain. This should dilute the ink enough to make removing it easier. If you do not have rubbing alcohol, ammonia, hairspray, glycerin or nail polish remover should help remove the ink.
Wash
After you have dissolved most or all of the ink in step 2, you will definitely want to put your affected piece of clothing through a regular wash cycle but let air dry to avoid heat setting of any remaining ink. The stain should be gone. If it's not, however, you still have a few choices before taking it to the dry cleaners. Dry-Erase whiteboard cleaner or OxiClean products have been known to remove stains where other products have failed.
- Stain by vlorzor from Fotolia.com
