One of the most frustrating things in life is when you’re wearing your favorite shirt and you accidentally get a pesky, hard to remove stain. It can ruin your day, but it doesn’t have to ruin your shirt! In honor of National Ballpoint Pen Day, we’re here to help you with one of the hardest types of stains to remove. You guessed it… we’re here to talk about ballpoint pen stains.
They’re annoying yet seem to happen way more often than we’d like to admit. That’s why we’ve put together these eco-friendly remedies to get stains out. So next time you accidentally mark up your clothes, give one of these DIY remedies a try instead of rushing to the chemically fuelled dry cleaners.
Baking Soda
One of mom’s magical elixirs comes in handy yet again. All you need to do is mix together baking soda and water so that it forms a paste. Then, using a cotton ball, gently apply the paste to your ink stain and dab it lightly. After the stain has lifted, or no more ink is coming off on the cotton ball, simply wipe the paste with a clean, colorless cloth or paper towel. The best part about this isn’t that every household is sure to have baking soda on hand, but that it is safe to use on all of your favorite materials!
White Vinegar
Another tried and true natural cleaner and stain remover is white vinegar. It seems to work for everything and doesn’t leave a lingering smell when used. To remove stains, soak your entire article of clothing in a 1:1 solution of white vinegar and cold water. Do not use hot water since hot water tends to set stains. Every 10 or so minutes, gently blot the stain with a colorless cloth but do not remove from the solution. After about 30 minutes, or whenever your stain lifts, take the clothes out and wash as usual! Just like baking soda, white vinegar is safe for all of your clothes. Win-win.
Another way to use white vinegar to clean the stain is to mix it with cornstarch to make a paste. Much like the baking soda paste, spread it over the stain and let it sit for a few hours. Afterward, wash as usual and violà! Stainless clothes.
Milk
Okay, so this one is a little less heard of and may seem pretty weird, but it works wonders. Take your stained article of clothing and soak it in a bowl of fresh milk overnight. In order to avoid curdling smells, just keep the bowl in the fridge. When you wake up, wash your clothes regularly and your ink stains should have disappeared.
In addition to these green stain-busting remedies, try switching to eco-friendly cleaners for your home and office. Greenhouse Eco-Cleaning has great products that work well without all of the harmful ingredients. If you have any DIY stain removing remedies make sure to comment below or write on our Facebook page!