How to Remove Marker Stains

We have all had those moments where we sit our child down to color and less than a minute later, he or she has colored everywhere but on the piece of paper! You find marker on the child’s hands, feet, arms, legs, and clothes. How should you tackle such a stain? Purex® shares tips for how to remove marker stains from clothes.

The advice I am going to give you is a bit non-conventional, so make sure to test the materials we use to remove stains on the inside seam of the clothing item. If the clothing is dry clean only, please take it to a dry cleaner and point out the stain to them. To tackle a marker stain, get a stack of paper towels, rubbing alcohol, and a cotton ball. Place the stained area face down on a stack of paper towels. Make the cotton ball wet with rubbing alcohol and dab at the back of the stain. Check the paper towels periodically to see if the marker stain is being transferred to them. Replace the towels as necessary so you don’t transfer the stain to another part of the fabric.

Another option to use other than rubbing alcohol is nail polish remover. However, please check the inside seam again to make sure this does not damage the fabric. Use the nail polish remover as you use the alcohol, dabbing at the back of the stain.

Once you have removed as much of the marker stain as possible (the paper towels no longer show evidence of transfer of the stain), run cold water through the stained area to rinse out the alcohol and/or nail polish remover. Then, apply a little bit of your favorite liquid detergent. My favorite is Purex® Mountain Breeze laundry detergent and let it sit for five minutes.

Launder as directed to on the tag of the clothing item, using Purex® liquid detergent or Purex® Pacs. Purex® Pacs allow you to toss and go, with the perfect amount of laundry detergent in each Pac so you don't have to worry about measuring or spilling. Before you place the item in the dryer, check to make sure the stain has been removed. If it has not, repeat the dabbing process and pretreating with detergent.

Happy Stain Fighting!

Cleaning up after your kids’ crafting mess? Check out how to remove paint stains from clothing and other arts and craft stains.

Purex® offers an array of great products, all at an affordable price. Discover Purex® liquid laundry detergents, Pacs and Purex® Crystals. Purex® products will keep your clothes smelling fresh in a variety of scents while keeping them looking brand new.

We understand that life gets messy and want to make laundry as easy as possible for you. With quality & value continuing to be at the core of our product development, we continue to create highly effective laundry detergent & supplies. We tested some of the toughest stains to keep your clothing looking brand new. View our Stain Lab for our best recommendations to get life's toughest stains out of your clothing.