All it takes is a clumsy or a bit of bad luck for a ballpoint pen to leave a mark or leak on clothing or other surfaces in the home. Sometimes, children also think they are budding artists and decide to draw on the linoleum or on their clothes! You must then act quickly and find the best cleaning products to remove stains without leaving marks. Whether it appeared on a leather jacket, a suede sofa or a wooden piece of furniture, here you will find all the best tips to finally know how to clean a ballpoint ink stain in a simple and very effective way.
What stain removers for a ballpoint pen ink stain?
In the household products section or in the cupboards, you will often find all the stain removers you need to remove an ink stain from a ballpoint pen. Most are natural, economical and ecological. As a cleaner, you can for example opt for:
-Milk (which is the best stain remover against ink stains)
-White vinegar or lemon
-Hydrogenated water
-Marseille soap or beef gall soap
-70° or 90° alcohol and household alcohol
-Baking soda
-White toothpaste or hairspray (sometimes even nail polish remover)
-Acetone
-Salt
-Turpentine
-Etc.
Very often, the choice of maintenance product will depend on the surface to be detached. However, in all cases, be sure to use little product and prefer to dab from the outside of the stain towards the inside instead of rubbing. That will thus limit the risks of spreading the ink. After stain removal, also remember to rinse the stain remover and put the garment in the washing machine.
How to Remove Ballpoint Pen Ink Stains from Clothing or Carpet
Removing ballpoint ink stains from cotton or silk
To remove ink stains from white cotton, use lemon juice or white vinegar instead. However, for colored laundry, we would prefer 90° alcohol. For silk, instead use a mixture of one part household alcohol with two parts cold water or glycerin and leave to act for half an hour. Add a drop of alcohol if the ink stain is persistent.
Removing ballpoint ink stains from suede or wool
If hot water and dishwashing detergent aren’t enough, step it up a notch with rubbing alcohol. If you can’t find any, replace it with lemon juice, acetone or rubbing alcohol. Rub gently, then rinse with a damp cloth.
Removing a ballpoint ink stain from leather
Mix three parts rubbing alcohol with one part water and gently dab the stain until it is completely gone. It is also possible to use hairspray, 70° alcohol, vinegar or even lemon for stubborn stains. If you have hairspray or a magic sponge, that can also work in this scenario.
Removing a ballpoint ink stain from synthetic
On synthetic fiber clothing, you can easily use a sponge soaked in hot milk. This tip will also work for linen as well as velvet. Otherwise, you can also mix equal parts alcohol and water or lemon juice to erase the stain.
Removing a ballpoint ink stain from light-colored pants
Apply fresh lemon juice to the stain by dabbing and leave for a few minutes. Then cover everything with toothpaste and leave it on for another 30 minutes. Then remove the dried toothpaste and finish the stain removal with warm milk. All you have to do is put it all in the washing machine.
Removing a ballpoint ink stain from jeans
On thick, sturdy fabrics like jeans, stubborn stains like ballpoint ink or blood can be more difficult to remove. However, the combination of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol can be effective. After applying the mixture, scrub well and put your pants or jacket in water to dilute the stain.
How to remove a ballpoint ink stain from an object or surface in the house
Removing an ink stain from linoleum or plastic flooring
Here, it will often be enough to rub the stain with a clean cloth soaked in turpentine, white spirit or 70° alcohol. You can also simply use an ink eraser, although this does not work every time.
Removing a ballpoint pen stain from marble
Unfortunately, few solutions prove effective on marble which tends to get dirty quickly and on which we cannot use any product at the risk of damaging it. For effective stain removal, make a solution composed of 1/3 ammonia and 2/3 hydrogen peroxide at 20 volumes. Use this mixture on the stain, rinse with a sponge, then finish by drying the treated area well.
Removing a ballpoint pen stain from wood
Here, everything will depend on the type of wood:
-If it is about waxed wood or raw woodwe can consider sanding the stain. You can also use 90° alcohol, lemon juice or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia on raw wood if you do not wish to resort to sanding while 90° alcohol ° and salted lemon juice will be preferable for waxed wood. The wood will then need to be waxed after cleaning.
-Regarding the varnished woodmix a tablespoon of olive oil, another of rubbing alcohol and a spoonful of turpentine. Use a silk cloth soaked in this solution to polish the wood. If this is not enough, however, you will need to remove the varnish from the wood to treat it.
-As for the teckyou can rub the stain using very fine sandpaper to remove the stain without leaving any scratches.
Removing a ballpoint pen stain from tiles or brick
Here, we often advise diluting bleach in a small amount of cold water, scrubbing and rinsing with clean water. Not very natural, but it’s the best option…
Removing a ballpoint pen stain from concrete
Detach your concrete patio or garage using 10% oxalic acid and a stiff brush.
Removing a ballpoint pen stain from seagrass
For classic carpets, we can refer to solutions intended for clothing. However, in the case of seagrass, it will be better to use 90° alcohol or a dry carpet stain remover directly.