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How to remove permanent marker from clothes and skin

Don't believe the label - learn how to remove permanent marker from clothes and skin with our simple steps.

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removing a stain from a white material with a solution
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Key steps:

Remove permanent marker from clothes and skin with these easy-to-follow steps:

  1. Act quickly and work to clean the stain as soon as you see it.

  2. Choose your method and repeat if necessary.

  3. Give clothes a cool wash with OMO after treating.

Ever left the kids alone and come back to find them covered in pen? That’s the moment when you start speedily searching for tips on how to remove permanent marker from clothes and skin! There’s no need to panic, though, as once you learn how to get permanent marker off material, hands and faces, it’s a fairly simple process. Follow our simple steps below.

Would you like to know how to remove permanent marker from skin and give it a little pamper at the same time? Try rubbing in some coconut oil to get both jobs done.

How do you remove permanent marker from your skin

Permanent marker can be tricky to remove if you don’t know how, whether it’s on clothes, skin or surfaces. If you need to know how to get permanent marker off your skin, here are three methods that can get the job done:

  • Hand sanitiser. Hand cleaners that contain alcohol do a good job at breaking down ink stains. Check the label and give your skin a good scrub if you’ve got the right product.

  • Sunscreen. It’s not restricted to protecting your skin from the sun’s rays, it can also remove permanent pen! Rub a thick layer of the cream onto the permanent marker mark, rinse, and then repeat until the stain has gone.

  • Nail polish remover. The acetone in nail polish remover works at getting rid of permanent marker by dissolving it. It evaporates fairly quickly, though, so several applications may be required. 

How to remove permanent marker from clothes

Kids love playing with pens and generally aren’t that fussed if they get it on their (or your) clothes. However, it’s likely that you will be fussed! And if you don’t know how to get koki pen out of clothes fairly quickly, it might never come out. To remove permanent marker from clothes, you should act quickly, and try the following ingredients: 

  • Hairspray. Grab a can of your favourite styling product and aim it at the stain to dissolve it. Leave it for a minute, rinse, and repeat as necessary.

  • Lemon or lime. Citrus can break down permanent marker – all you need to do is squeeze some juice directly onto the mark.

  • Rubbing alcohol. Dip a microfiber cloth in a little rubbing alcohol and gently work at the stain to remove. Dab, don't rub.

  • Toothpaste. Use a clean toothbrush or some paper towel and apply your toothpaste to the permanent marker stain. Mix with a little water to make it easier to spread around.

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Once you’ve treated the stain it’s a good idea to give it a cool wash too. When it comes to stains in clothes you need a quality detergent like OMO – not only will it clean your clothes but care for them too. 

Once you know how to get permanent marker off your skin and clothes, you won’t need to panic when it happens. And if permanent marker stains find their way on surfaces in your house, you can learn how to easily remove them using tips from this article.

Originally published