Ideas on Removing Pen Marks

Hi,
It is June 2007 and I am reading this. So my advice may be late. I worked as a custodian in a junior high school. As you know ink pens break and get ground in the floor. Believe it or not the way to get up ink is floor wax. Put some on a rag and wipe the area. It worked each and every time for me. Thats how we got the writing off the desk, floor and walls.

I'm sorry I don't know of any ideas to get pen marks off a leather couch but know how you're feeling. My lil boy is also 2 and decided to mark on stuff with a permanent marker so don't feel bad.

My two year old exploded a pen on my new couches, they aren't leather but are that microfiber material. I went and got that mean green you can get a walmart. It comes in a white bottle with green and orange lettering. It got them out but it took some time and scrubbing.

V.

Have you tried hair spray? My 1 year old did the same in the car. It leaves it a little sticky, but that can be cleaned up easy. For some of the darker mark I had to spray it more than once. I used an aerosal to cover more area quicker.

I am not sure how it will work with leather - but perhaps a Mr. Clean Eraser??!
I would try WD - 40 as well, it has an oil base that happens to clean some stuff like crayons!
Best of Luck! - A.

I've heard that magic erasers (made by Mr. Clean, I think) work well, but rubbing alcohol has worked well for me, too. It was a tip from the book "Haley's Hints" and worked well on our microfiber sofa, so it should work on leather, too. Good luck!

I have found the Mr. Clean eraser works wonders, and if its a white couch, the white drafting erasers work well too, if its a ball point pen.

I only have one suggestion and it will work beautifully and easily, but it may be hard to find, because it is not sold in stores. It is called Sol-U-Mel, which is a natural tee tree oil cleanser and is safe for leather. You will need to use it full strength. It even removes nail polish and has taken black car grease out of my light carpet! You can order it from this website: http://www.melaleuca.com
Good luck.

Give hairspray a try. It works for pen/ink on fabric. Not sure about leather.

I agree with the other poster - the Magic Eraser. My daughter got some acrylic paint on her new Ralph Lauren outfit (the one grandmother bought for Xmas photos BTW) and with a little Dawn and Magic Eraser, it came out.

I have used Magic Eraser on a leather sofa before. It takes the pen or marker off the couch but I used it on a black leather couch and it also takes the die and shine off. It is not that obvious, I don't think I'd do it again.

I have been able to take off pen and some marker from the leather seats in our car with the Armoral Leather wipes. I am also a big fan of Greased Lightening (at WalMart with the other cleaners). It has never damaged our car seats, but like with anything, you may want to test it on a less noticeable area of the couch before you dedicate to using it on the visible surface.

Hi B..... have you tried a magic eraser? they are the BEST!!!! they work FLAWLESSLY on EVERYTHING!!!!! walls, leather couches, crayon you name it it works on it!!!!

good luck
C.

Linda Cobb author of "Queen of Clean" recommends using cuticle remover or petroleum jelly. She says you may have to really work it in and leave on for a few days.

Hope you can get it off.

B. :)

Have you tried saddle soap? I use that on my leather furniture and whilst it takes some time, it really makes a difference. You can find it in the shoe polish aisle....use a warm damp cloth to apply it, work it in well, and then use another clean damp cloth to wipe it off.

Beware of using too many products with abrasive in them on leather furniture. You can REALLY ruin your leather that way....

Much love,
K.

You might try GooGone, I have found it has worked on many things, not sure about for this or not. It will remove tar from table tops...so I would think it would work with pen.

have you tried windex? thats what everyone has told me to use.. it worked a little.. but i have a white leather couch so you can still see the pen pretty good.. you might also try some leather cleaner..

Suggestion: Aqua net hairspray! (Something about the alcohol in it I believe.)

According to Heloise:

Inks: Caution: Regular laundering removes some types of ink but sets others. If you have doubts, take a good garment to a professional. Also some inks require color remover and some permanent inks can't be removed.

Method 1: Pre-treat first by placing stain facing down on paper towels and then sponging the back fo the stain w/alcohol or dry-cleaning solvent. If some ink remains, rub with bar soap; rinse; launder.

Method 2: Dampen stain with water and rub with bar soap. Rinse. Soap in enzyme detergetn or oxygen bleach in hottest water safe for fabric; launder. If stain remains, launder again with chloine bleach if safe for fabric.

Method 3: Dried Ink Stains: Rub non-iodized table salt in and dribble lemon juice over the salt. Launder after train is gone.

Method 4: Old Wives Tale That Works on Some Fabrics: Soak ink spots in warm milk before they can dry. Then launder as usual.

Other Sources:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/home/articles/06...

http://www.ehow.com/tips_17962.html

http://www.ehow.com/tips_3138.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006...

Or put "Removing Ink from a leather couch" and see what other links pop up if the ones above doesn't work. The Heloise one is more for ink stains on clothes moreso than leather furnature.

Hope this helps!
A.

B.,

Try saddle soap to clean any leather product. You can get it at any farm and ag store. You need to be sure what type of leather you are cleaning before using any product. There are several types of leather. Whole grain vat dyed leather is the thickest and most durable. There is also split grain leather, which is a cut hide that is thinner and backed with a fabric liner. The final leather product is not even leather. The term Genuine Leather is a trademarked name copy writed for vynil products which simulate leather. Just be sure that the cleaner is appropriate for the type of leather on your sofa. Good luck and happy holidays!

J.

Hi!
According to "Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean", she suggests using cuticle remover. "Dab in on the spot and rub gently with a soft cloth, wipe and buff. You may need to allow the cuticle remover to sit for 10 minutes or so before rubbing for difficult stains. Reapply if necessary" pp.55-56

This book is great, as she gives a million cleaning ideas for everyday use~using household items..."old school" type cleaning! Good Luck!

When I was 2-3, I took a BIG PERMANANT MAGIC MARKER TO A FAMILY FRIENDS' FRESHLY PAINTED KITCHEN AND DREW ALL OVER IT, AND THEN MYSELF!! The story goes I did it in about 5 minutes!!! Then, I heard something about Comet being used....Thank Goodness I don't remember that!!! LOL :)

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great on walls/floors. I don't have anything leather to try them on, but can't imgine that they would do anything worse than what you already have. I also found that the regular Mr Clean Magic erasers work better/longer than the "extra strength" ones. You may want to buy both and give them a try. Also for the company maybe a decorative throw or pillows (holiday motiff??) would work quicker. Keep smiling, company is coming to see you and the kids, and celebrate the holidays, not to inspect the furniture!! :) Merry Christmas!!

I have found that if you use aresol hair spray that works too. My son wrote on out van seat and used that and it seemed to work. I hope this helps
K.

Hi B., I was wondering if your couch was suede or the real leather. If it's suede you might as well live with it cause I've had that happen before with a coat and it was hopeless to get it cleaned, even professionaly. If it's real leather you might try dawn diswashing soap or look it up on the internet, maybe at a Martha Stewart web site. Just my unknowlegeable suggestion. Wow, you got snow?? We just got ice and all the kids got stuck in the house with me ALL DAY cause it was really too cold to go out. They enjoyed the day off though.
Good luck with the couch!!
M. (mom of 6 crazy and messy kids)

Try Oxyclean (spell?) it always worked for my mother. She would make a paste of it and let it sit for 10 minutes and then it would come off.

I have had very good results with Carbona ink remover. It comes in a small yellow bottle in the laundry aisle of the grocery store. There are about 10 different formulas. Get the one for ink stains. Blot the ink stain with a white cloth over and over again, don't rub. You will see the ink gradually transfer to the white cloth. I have successfully removed ink marks this way using this product including permanent ink marks off a white sweater. It will also easily remove ink marks off of your hands.

I use something called GOOP or GOJO you can get it at anyplace like Auto zone or anything like that. It is a hand cleaner for mechanics. I use it to get all stains out. The trick is to make sure your hands and everything is dry when you use it. It works great for may things!!!

Baby oil works great.

B.,
Hello and good morning. The best thing I have found for any cleaning that needs done is the Mr.Clean Magic eraser. The little thing will do anything. All you do is get it wet with water or what ever your favorite cleanining product is, and rub it on the stain, or in your case that markes.
I am a cleaning person at a local motel, and I use these erasers for everything.
Classie