How to Get Ink Out of Clothes with Household Items

So, you have a nice set of clothes that are now stained with ink. What can you do? You don’t want to toss these clothes out! Luckily, there are several ways to get ink out of clothes and avoid getting rid of your clothes.

Many ink stains can be removed with common household items. Common household items that get ink out of clothes include rubbing alcohol, vinegar, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, and aerosol hairspray. 

Some ink stains are easier to get out than others. If you’re attempting to get ink out of clothes, it’s helpful to figure out what type of ink stain you have.

Type of Ink Stains

How quickly and easily an ink stain comes out is often determined by the type of ink stain you’re attempting to remove. Identifying the type of ink will help you figure out what household item would be most effective in tackling the stain.

Water-based Ink

Water-based ink is the easiest to remove because water-based ink is noticeably thin and flows freely. T-shirt prints and washable markers contain water-based ink. You can also find water-based ink in Rollerball pens. Rubbing alcohol is effective in removing water-based ink.

Oil-based Ink

Oil-based ink is quick-drying ink that resists water and fading. Ballpoint pens and sharpies contain oil-based ink. Oil-based ink is more difficult to remove than water-based ink. Ethanol is effective for removing oil-based ink stains. Ethanol is found in common household items such as rubbing alcohol, aerosol hairspray, and hand sanitizer.

Gel Ink

Gel ink is also water-based, but much thicker than pure water-based ink. This ink utilizes pigments and various color varieties. Rubbing alcohol is also effective in removing water-based ink.

To remove Ink Stain from clothes, you will need:

In addition to the household item of your choice (rubbing alcohol, vinegar, hand sanitizer, or aerosol hairspray) you will also need a towel, a clean cotton cloth, cotton ball, or a garment safe brush (don’t use on wool, silk or other soft fabrics) to blot out the stain.

Here’s a tip, when using any of the household items suggested for removing ink stains, it’s recommended to test the stain remover in an inconspicuous area of the clothes first for color-fastness. After testing and determining that it’s safe, you can proceed with applying the solution to the garment to begin removing the stain.

Depending on what household item you have readily available at home, below is a list of common household items used for removing ink stains and how to use them.

How to get Ink out of clothes using hairspray

First, make sure that you only use aerosol hairspray and not spray pump hairspray.

Step #1: Start by putting down a towel or piece of cloth on a flat surface. This towel or cloth will go in between the ink-stained area and the rest of your garment.

Step #2: Use a cloth or paper towel to remove any excess ink on the garment. Be careful not to rub as this will further imbed the ink into the fabric of the garment.

Step #3: Shake up some hairspray and then spray it onto the ink stain.

Step #4: Let the aerosol hairspray sit on the ink stain for a few minutes so that it can penetrate the ink and get into the fibers of the clothing.

Step #5: After a few minutes have passed, take a cotton ball, clean cotton cloth, or paper towel, and blot the ink stain until it’s gone. You can also use a stain brush for working the stains out of the shirt, pants, skirt, etc. I don’t recommend using the brush on wool, silk, or other delicate fabrics that can be easily damaged.

Step #6: Ater blotting out the ink, if there is still some ink residue left, then repeat steps 2-5.

Step #7: Go ahead and wash the clothes as normal in the washing machine.

How to get Ink out of clothes using hand sanitizer

To get ink stains out of your clothes using hand sanitizer, follow these steps:

Step #1: Start by putting down a towel or piece of cloth on a flat surface. This towel or cloth will go in between the ink-stained area and the rest of your garment.

Step #2: Use a clean cotton cloth or paper towel to remove any excess ink on the garment. Be careful not to rub as this will further imbed the ink to the fabric of the garment.

Step #3: Apply hand sanitizer to the ink stain and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Step #4: Take a cotton ball, clean cotton cloth, or paper towel, and blot the ink stain until satisfied. As previously mentioned, you can also use a stain brush (don’t recommend using the brush on wool, silk, or other delicate fabric) for working the stain out of the garment.

Step #5. If the ink stain is still visible, repeat steps 2-4.

Step #6: After blotting out the ink, wash the clothes as normal in the washing machine.

How to get Ink out of clothes using rubbing alcohol

Steps for using rubbing alcohol to remove ink stains:

Step #1: Start by putting down a towel or piece of cloth on a flat surface. This towel or cloth will go in between the ink-stained area and the rest of your garment.

Step #2: Use a cloth or paper towel to remove any excess ink on the garment. Be careful not to rub as this will further imbed the ink to the fabric of the garment.

Step #3: Apply the rubbing alcohol to the ink stain with a cloth or paper towel. For stains with a larger surface area, you can pour the rubbing alcohol into a bowl and dip the clothes into the rubbing alcohol solution. Let the clothes sit in the rubbing alcohol for 5-10 minutes.

Step #4: Take a cotton ball, clean cotton cloth, or paper towel, and blot the ink stain until satisfied. A stain brush (don’t recommend using the brush on wool, silk, or other delicate fabric) for working the stain out of the garment is also an option.

Step #5. If the ink stain is still visible, repeat steps 2-4.

Step #6: After blotting out the ink, wash the clothes as normal in the washing machine.

How to get Ink out of clothes using vinegar

Use white vinegar to remove stains:

Step #1: Start by putting down a towel or piece of cloth on a flat surface. This towel or cloth will go in between the ink-stained area and the rest of your garment.

Step #2: Use a cloth or paper towel to remove any excess ink on the garment. Be careful not to rub as this will further imbed the ink to the fabric of the garment.

Step #3: Pour white vinegar onto the ink stain. For larger stains, pour the vinegar into a bowl and submerge the stained portion of the clothes into the vinegar. Then let it sit for five to 10 minutes. The ink should come out of the clothing easily. You can also use vinegar to pre-treat ink stains before washing your clothes, which will help remove ink stains that way too.

Step #4: Blot out the ink stain using a paper towel or washcloth to remove the stain out of the garment.

Step #5. If the ink stain is still visible, repeat steps 2-4.

Step #6: After blotting out the ink, wash the clothes as normal in the washing machine.

Can you get Ink out of clothes after drying?

There are times when you don’t notice that your clothes have an ink stain until after they come out of the dryer. You’ll have a bit more difficulty getting the stain out after drying, but you can still have success.

If ink has already dried on your clothes, you can still use rubbing alcohol, vinegar, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, or aerosol hairspray to get the stain out.

Simply lay the garment flat and completely wet it with rubbing alcohol, vinegar, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, or aerosol hairspray, then keep blotting at the stain with a clean cotton cloth until it disappears. Be patient because this will take some time to work out all of the stubborn dry ink in the clothing fibers.

Final Thoughts

Ink stains are difficult to remove. The ink can often penetrate the fibers of your clothes and become embedded in them, which makes it more challenging to get out. If you were unsuccessful with removing the ink stain with common household items such as rubbing alcohol, vinegar, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, or aerosol hairspray.  There are other options that you can consider. Stain removing products, laundry detergent specifically designed for ink removal, and stain removing pens also do a great job of removing ink stains.