# How can I get rid of pen mark stains on clothes?



## naturallyspeaking (Sep 1, 2006)

HI,
My daughter was playing with a pen the other day and her dress got some pen marks (two short lines). I put some "Shout" stain remover stick on it and left for a few days and washed. I forgot to check whether the pen mark cleared up and put the dress in the dryer. The pen mark didn't go away. Now how can I remove this stain that's been washed/dried? I really like this dress...
Thank you.
fyi, it is white cotton material and the tag says "non-chlorine bleach".
Kim


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## 59046 (Jun 24, 2006)

hairspray. Just spray a bunch on the stain and let it sit, repeat and scrub a little by rubbing the fibers together. Not too much or it can make a pilly spot. I think it's the alcohol that does it. It's too bad that you washed and dried it though, I only know that this has worked 100% for me on pen stains and even dark wood stain off of colored cotton without a trace of a stain.


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BornInSeptember* 
hairspray. Just spray a bunch on the stain and let it sit, repeat and scrub a little by rubbing the fibers together. Not too much or it can make a pilly spot. I think it's the alcohol that does it. It's too bad that you washed and dried it though, I only know that this has worked 100% for me on pen stains and even dark wood stain off of colored cotton without a trace of a stain.









: Don't know if it'll work after it's been washed and dried, but it's worth a shot. Also, if I have a stain on something that I really like, sometimes I'll just wash it, set it on the washing machine and throw it in wish the next wash until I give up or the stain comes out! Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.


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## chel (Jul 24, 2004)

I also do the wash, check, and then put back in the dirty pile to get washed again.
Hairspray works most of the time for us. Dh use to wear suits to work and would always drop pens (from his mouth) onto the front of his shirt. Stains don't come out as easily after a trip to the cleaners








dd always manages to find the pens that don't come out with hairspray







:


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## oneKnight (Aug 4, 2006)

I've always used dish detergent for stains because it removes the oil in oil-based inks (like sharpie). You might give it a try.

The only time I ever got plain ink pen on me I immediately sprayed it with Windex and soaked it up with paper towels - no stain. (I was at work, it was all I could get my hands on, we're talking ink pen explosion not just some lines)


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## Bekka (Nov 20, 2001)

Straight rubbing alcohol, gentle abrasion. Something to try; the alcohol is a solvent for most inks. It may work, may not after the dryer. DS decorated our fairly new 100 per cent cotton sheets with ballpoint pen last year, and after a few washes, they have faded significantly. Not completely washed out, but definitely not striped anymore!


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