Ink Stains & Spots

Has a pen leaked in your favorite purse or jacket pocket? Have you gotten ink on a dining room chair, or new sofa? Have you ruined a towel trying to remove ink stains from your fingers?

Common Types of Modern Ink

There are many different kinds of ink and removing it from clothing, upholstery or carpet is difficult, particularly once it has dried. Many of today’s inks are designed to dry quickly and leave a permanent mark - bad news if you get ink where you don’t want it. Common types of modern ink include:

• Ballpoint pen - this is an oil based ink that is difficult to thoroughly remove with ordinary household cleaners.
• Printer ink - although securely encased in its little container, somehow it manages to escape and frequently gets all over things.
• "India" ink - contains soot and lamp oil, and is commonly used for art and calligraphy. Many people think it’s impossible to remove, but it’s not.
• Fountain pen - not as popular as they once were, but still in use, with spills and spots and dribbles and drops a common problem.
• Soy - used for printing newspapers, this soy-based product is nowhere near as likely to rub off on your clothes as the petroleum-based version it replaced, but it still happens.
• Gel pen - a synthetic color pigment in a water based gel, makes this a little easier to remove than other kinds of ink stains.
• Cash register or credit card receipts - doesn’t look black on the paper but if you get it wet it leaves a bright purple stain on your counter!

Fortunately, although these inks are made of widely varying ingredients, they can all be removed quickly and easily in one simple step.

As with many other types of stains, removing ink is much easier if you can get to the stain before it has dried. But even if it has dried, Goof Off^® Heavy Duty Spot Remover and Degreaser can get ink out of just about anything . . . even if your stain is "permanent" marker (also called Magic Marker).

Goof Off^®’s powerful micro-emulsion formula is designed to remove what most household cleaners cannot, including ink stains and almost all types of household stains. To remove ink from upholstery, carpeting, clothing or just about any surface, try Goof Off^®. You’ll see why we call it the "Miracle Remover."