Treat recent ink stains as soon as possible. Acting fast is important because ink stains are very stubborn and hard to remove once they’ve set. If the ink stain has just appeared, get a paper towel and press it against the fabric very firmly for several seconds.

• Do not “blot” and never rub. Blotting and rubbing can spread the ink. The paper towel, on the other hand, will absorb the still-wet ink out of the fabric somewhat, making the stain less obvious, and easier to remove.

Use rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits. Rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits (denatured alcohol) from the drugstore or hardware store are ideal to remove ink stains, as long as the stains have not set. The alcohol neutralizes the pigment in the ink so it disappears. Either soak a washable garment in rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits, then wash as normal, or use the following process:

• Dip a clean cotton swab into rubbing alcohol.
• Dab at the soaked up ink mark with the cotton swab (bud) or small sponge.
• Repeat this each time with a fresh cotton swab or sponge, as many times as needed.
• Dip another fresh cotton swab or sponge into cold water and dab the area to remove the alcohol from the fabric. For best results, let the fabric dry before trying to remove the ink stains again. Rubbing alcohol works best on a dry fabric, but after each application you must rinse it with water. The process of removing heavy ink stains is a lengthy, cyclical process of blot, rinse and dry.
• Allow the area to dry. Wash the garment as normal.

Put a paper towel under the stain first then apply hairspray to the stain. Hairspray will cause the ink to dissolve, making it easier to wash the ink out of the material. Spray liberally until the stain is saturated with hairspray, then blot with a damp cloth (do not rub). Repeat application and blotting until the stain lifts, then wash. Be sure that you have gotten all the ink out before you dry the washed garment in a dryer, because the heat of a dryer will set the stain.

Try milk. There are several different possible methods for using milk to remove ink stains, as follows:

• Use cold Milk After dabbing up the fresh ink with paper towels as outlined in step one, soak the stain in milk for half an hour. Wash as usual.
• Use warm milk. Heat milk to lukewarm. Pour into a suitable container and soak the stained part of the garment in the warm milk as soon as possible. Rinse after soaking and wash as usual.
• Use rotten milk solids. Put milk into a container and put it into the sunshine to rot. When it turns lumpy and smelly, it’s ready to use; use a wide-mouthed container to speed up the rotting process. Using your fingers, grab some of the lumpy pieces and apply these direct to the ink stain. Once you see the ink bleeding into the lump, shake the lumps off the fabric. Dip a cake of bathroom soap into cold water and rub the stain. Once the stain has disappeared, rinse off with cold water to remove the soap residue. Wash as normal.

Use Glycerin Warm the glycerin slightly to lukewarm temperature. Apply to the stain, then flush with water. Add a few drops of ammonia.

Commercial stain removers are usually a good choice for more stubborn stains. Some choices include:

• Put Dry-Erase whiteboard cleaner or water-based “Goof Off 2” on the ink stain. These make a good pre-wash to quickly loosen the ink. Follow the instructions and wash off as usual.
• Apply OXY-CLEAN to really serious ink stains. This product can also remove permanent marker from clothes that have already been laundered.
• Take the garment to the dry cleaner if you’ve tried and failed, or if you’ve been too scared to even try! Any ink-stained clothing that cannot be washed should be taken to the dry cleaner immediately.