How can I remove ink from my wood breakfast table? The wood is a light brown color.
Onesummer
Thank you for the tip about the baking soda. My daughter wrote on our computer desk with a ballpoint pen and the baking soda took it right off. I'm so amazed. Thanks! (02/28/2007)
By Tina
Hairspray on a q-tip (cotton swab) worked wonders for my dresser, none of the finish was removed. Rubbing the hairspray soaked q-tip on the spot and then wiping with water as a safety measurement did its job. (04/08/2007)
By Cassue
Baking Soda! (04/27/2007)
By shaylee
Thank goodness for this website and the internet. The baking soda mixed w/ warm water took ball point pen right out of my butcher block island top. Thank you for the tip - what a lifesaver. Now I don't have to freak out if my 2 year old does this again (but hopefully he won't). (04/30/2007)
By Margot
I used the water + baking soda and it worked perfectly, removing green felt-tip ink from a cherry table. I recommend making a slurring of the baking soda and water and using your finger to rub off the ink. No damage to the table. It only took a few minutes to remove several ink lines. No need to use alcohol, just the water. Good luck. (06/19/2007)
By Ronn
Absolutely incredible! Baking Soda took an entire ink pin that my 4 yr old opened, off my oak desk without damaging the finish too badly. It was solid ink about 4 inches by 4 inches wide. After making a mess of it with rubbing alcohol I found this site and to my astonishment it worked, well. Thank you so much for this tip!
P.S. If you do make a mess with the rubbing alcohol, clean the mess up with the baking soda first then go back over the haze with rubbing alcohol and it'll look like new. (06/24/2007)
By Daniel
Hair spray works! Thanks Adam. Our monitor also suffered an ink attack from a two-year-old and some hair spray and a q-tip took it off without any trouble. This also works for leather, which is why I had the hairspray in the first place, but I never dreamed of trying it on a monitor. (07/25/2007)
By Ashley
Baking Soda Wins! Just made a paste of it, put it on a finished oak stool top with ball point pen all over it. Rubbed the baking soda mix with my finger, all ink was removed. Excellent! (07/28/2007)
By Nick P.
I just bought a brand new cherry desk for my office, and a ball point pen leaked into a puddle on the wood. I first treated it with hairspray, and the small spots came off. Next I tried a baking soda paste and wiped it off with vodka, and it came off. (08/23/2007)
By Shelby
Baking soda worked. My son is getting into all the pens and drawing on everything. I work at home and am an artist so drawing I don't discourage, but on the furniture? No way. He drew on our coffee table and our dinner table. Both cherry wood and the pen came right out. Thank you. My wife will be very happy. (09/20/2007)
By Jim
Baking Soda. We had our 2 year old daughter's daily report card from day care sitting on our brand new $2,000 wood dining room table. Water spilled on the card causing the hot pink dye to stain the table. After rubbing it with everything and getting no results, I found this post and Baking soda saved the day. Cold water, Baking soda and some rubbing with a paper towel. With in a few minutes everything was gone. Thanks everyone for the posts!
(09/26/2007)
By Jeff H
Thanks for the feedback everyone. This worked like a charm. We had a ballpoint pen explode spontaneously on our dining room table. After trying a few household cleaners that did nothing I found this. Thanks again! (10/27/2007)
By Mike K
I tried using baking soda and rubbing alcohol but it did not work. I do not know what kind of wood this is but, it's not coming out. I need help. (12/07/2007)
By vanessa
Baking soda and water worked. I had an ink stain that leaked from a bag on the table. The table was a very light finish. I tried everything, but nothing worked. Then I found this site and tried the baking soda and water...wow, thanks guys! (12/16/2007)
The baking soda saved my desk from a broken pen that had been sitting there for an entire day. It took a lot of rubbing with paper towels, but after fifteen minutes it came off. The finish was hurt a little bit. (12/18/2007)
By lucky man
Have you tried toothpaste? it works like a charm! (12/20/2007)
By Natasha D
Baking soda worked really well when removing pen's ink from the table. Thank you for advice. (12/24/2007)
By Alec
I wouldn't have believed it. I had a small spot and tried alcohol which made the spot huge, and baking soda removed all like new, amazing! (01/06/2008)
By Rez
Baking soda worked on felt tip pen marks on light wood. Thank you (01/29/2008)
By bray
Amazing! Thank You. Ball Point pen scribbled on my light Alder wood dining table is magically removed with water, a paper towel and baking soda. Who woulda' thought? (02/01/2008)
By Kathy
I used baking soda toothpaste and it was remarkably effective. (02/20/2008)
By Al
Exploding pen on a white wooden table - I used every cleaning product I had - which just spread the ink, but then came across this website - the baking soda worked! Thank you so much for the tip. (02/24/2008)
By Fiona D
This just worked on ball point pen ink on an Ikea coffee table -- baking soda and water and a little scrubbing. Brilliant. (03/31/2008)
By sp
My 3 year old son wrote on my oak night stand and dresser. I tried the baking soda and it did not work. If you have any other advice please let me know. (04/30/2008)
By Desiree N.
Thank you so much. I spilled ink on my parents' table and they would have killed me if they found out. I tried every stain remover in my house then found this. I used the water and Baking soda and that got most of it off, then I used tooth paste and a paper towel and that made it disappear. Thank you so much. (06/18/2008)
By Robert
I just had this same thing happen to me. I tried toothpaste and it worked! I was so relieved. (07/13/2008)
By manda
Bicarbonate of Soda worked like magic! (07/13/2008)
By Sceptical
I got permanent ballpoint pen ink all over my sister's $3,500 white desk. A toothbrush and lots of toothpaste took it off in 30 minutes. (07/21/2008)
By Pezzz
Thank you so much for the toothpaste advice. It was incredible, crisis averted! (07/21/2008)
By Rowan
Just tried the baking soda with a tiny bit of water on a paper towel and it took off the black ink from a leaking ballpoint pen. You just saved my new cherry wood coffee table. Thanks so much for this idea..I never would have thought it was possible. (07/26/2008)
By Mrs. Z.
I had some black ink from a stamp pad that had gotten on corian countertops and had sat for several hours. I tried everything and then tried Soft Scrub Deep Clean and a scotch brite pad - stain is gone, whew! (07/28/2008)
By sally
I absolutely freaked out when my two year old drew on my newly distressed cabinets with an ink pen. I used the baking soda with a toothbrush and it came right off. Thank Goodness I will not have to show her dad. (08/08/2008)
By Chrissy
Baking soda was amazing. Thank you so much. Now my mother won't kill me! (08/10/2008)
Wow, Toothpaste is the winner. I guess having baking soda in it really helps. Make sure you use plenty of toothpaste and scrub for at least a few minutes. (08/21/2008)
By Chris
Thank you, thank you for the baking soda advice. You just saved my life, literally! Lol (08/30/2008)
By Jade.
Thanks so much for the baking soda tip for getting out ink stains on wood-- my floor looks like new even after the stain sat overnight! (09/11/2008)
People who made this site rock. You guys saved my life because my girlfriend would have killed me for spilling ink on her table, thanks! (09/24/2008)
My son drew on his oak toy chest with a ballpoint pen. I tried the baking soda technique and it didn't work. The pen marks are kind of engraved in, maybe that's why. I also tried the magic eraser and also toothpaste, no luck with those either. If anyone has any more ideas please let me know. Thank you. (10/21/2008)
By Lacey
Honestly, the tooth paste did a little bit, baking soda nothing, and nail polish remover took it right off. (11/05/2008)
By Fenella.
The nail polish remover worked. Thank you so much. (11/09/2008)
By Saved Me!
I had a pen break and dump ink all over the wood dining table I had inherited. Thanks for the advice. I used a wet paper towel and baking soda and scrubbed it right off. Amazing! (11/15/2008)
By Keri R.
I tried toothpaste, and it pretty much took all the stain away. I tried a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol, and it went away.
(11/30/2008)
By debby
The baking soda worked, but it also took the finish off our rustic furniture. I think sandpaper would have been as equally effective. (12/05/2008)
By Kris
I just bought a used Ikea Gutvik bunk bed (light wood) and it had green crayon heavily scribbled on it in one spot, and a little girl's name carved in black ball point pen on another spot. I was going to use baking soda to remove the pen, since it seems to have the highest success rate based on everyone's feedback. Turns out that I'm actually out of baking soda, so I turned to toothpaste since that worked for others.
My toothpaste happened to have baking soda in it (Tom's of Maine Natural Fluoride Free Peppermint), and it got the pen out very, very well. The only spots that still seem to remain visible are marks from the pen that are too deep to rub off. Rubbing the toothpaste onto the wood with a dry paper towel and some elbow grease took the pen right off. I'd say the writing is about 90% removed, as I can still see her name in the wood, but WHAT a difference. It looks so much better. And the toothpaste didn't affect the finish at all, as far as I can tell.
Also, for the crayon, mayonnaise worked wonders (got that from another post about removing crayon from wood). I suppose it's the oil and the vinegar combination that does the trick. I let it sit for a few minutes, as was recommended, and rubbed it with a dry wash cloth. No more crayon and the wood looks great! Thanks for everyone's suggestions and experiences!
Attached is an "after" picture of the ball point pen taken with my cell phone (I didn't take a "before" picture unfortunately). (12/21/2008)
By Rose
Thank you so much! We rent and my 2 year old wrote all over the cabinets with an ink pen. I tried everything and then I looked on the internet and saw that you guys said to try toothpaste - who would think, but it worked! I thought I was going to cry, so thanks for taking the time to put good info up! (01/15/2009)
By Sunder
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