Mistakes happen, but some mistakes are more disastrous for our clothes than others.  Take markers, which can leave quite an obvious mark on our favorite garments, especially if we’re wearing light colors.  Fortunately, both washable and permanent marker stains are removable, as you’re about to find out, with the proper steps below.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Marker Stains

We’re going to cover both types of marker stains – stains caused by washable markers, as well as permanent markers, as these two types of stains require different stain removal methods.

Washable Markers:

If you’ve stained your clothing with a washable marker, the good news is that washable markers are, well, washable in terms of their ink. 

1. It’s helpful to pretreat the stain, so remove the garment and rub some Grab Green Liquid Dish Soap directly into the stain before giving it a good rinse in hot water, which will help loosen up the ink before it goes into the laundry.
2. Now it’s time to throw the stained clothing into the washing machine. Wash it using whichever cycle is used for heavily soiled clothing, running hot water, using an effective Grab Green Laundry Care stain-fighting detergent, like our 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods, 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder, Bleach Alternative Pods, or Stoneworks Laundry Detergent Pods. 
3. Let the garment air-dry to avoid setting any remaining marker in the fibers.

Permanent Markers:

Unsurprisingly, permanent markers are tougher, so you will need to follow these steps carefully, and try to treat the stain as soon as it happens.

1. Test an area of the clothing unseen to others, like part of the inside, by dabbing rubbing alcohol onto a small portion and waiting 30 seconds. If the color does not fade or change in any way, you can proceed.
2. Next, dab rubbing alcohol directly onto the ink. Alcohol is the best way to break up the ink so that it lifts away from the stain.  Blot the stain repeatedly with a dry, clean cloth until the cloth is no longer picking up ink.  Then, turn the garment around and repeat the process from the other side of the stain.  If during the blotting process, the cloth becomes saturated with ink, grab a new cloth.  Should you not have rubbing alcohol available, a clear alcohol like vodka works also.
3. Now, wash the clothing item as you normally do according to its care label, with a stain-fighting detergent like our 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods, 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder, Bleach Alternative Pods, or Stoneworks Laundry Detergent Pods, which uses natural ingredients to break apart stains of all kinds.
4. Check the stain to make sure that it’s gone before putting it into the dryer. If the stain still remains, repeat the above steps again.

Even Permanent Marker Stains Don’t Have to Be Permanent

While there’s no guarantee that a permanent marker stain can be fully removed, acting quickly and using the steps above can give you a high chance of success.  And as for washable markers, removing the stain entirely is even more likely since washable markers are designed to not stain clothing permanently.