I have a pair of jeans that I really like, and I drew on them with Sharpie marker to design it and such, this was about 5 months ago.
I haven't used any alcohol or anything, but I want to ask if this long time period will make it harder to remove the stain.
By Jake from Istanbul, TR
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The marker being on it that long isn't the main issue, the fact that (I'm assuming) it's been washed and dried numerous time really sets stains in. Rubbing alcohol is probably your best bet. It works amazingly fast on hard surfaces, clothing is another story. Wet a cloth with rubbing alcohol and rub rub rub. Use a white cloth (old socks are great) and you'll be able to tell quickly if any marker is coming off. The chances at this point are pretty slim, but I would definately give it a shot.
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How do I get permanent marker out of jeans?
By ronda from Pittsburgh, PA
Use rubbing alcohol. When the alcohol starts to work and has sat for a minute or two and the pen starts "running", but before the alcohol dries, pour some liquid laundry soap into the area. Then brush it in with an old toothbrush. You may have to repeat this.
If for some reason this does not work, you can try fingernail polish remover. Never use the dryer, hot water or even an iron on any stain until it is completely gone, because heat can "set" the stain and make it harder to remove.
The reason hairspray can sometimes work is because of the alcohol it contains. At most fabric stores they sell a wonderful brand of specialized stain-removers. In their display they have 6 or 7 different types of stain-removers to choose from depending on your exact stain (grease, mustard, pen, grass, etc.).
(03/22/2010)
By Cyinda
I accidentally got Sharpie marker (not the laundry kind, but permanent) on my favorite jean skirt and I have no idea how to get it out.
Linea from Denver
Spot Shot removes it from carpet. It is available at grocery stores now. Don't rub, just dab it off. (05/26/2005)
By siris
I ended up trying rubbing alcohol several times and the spot faded to where you can't tell it's there. So try alcohol. (07/24/2005)
By Linnaea
I got red Sharpie on my favorite jeans. So I wrote all over
them to my it look like it was on purpose. It looks really cute. (11/16/2005)
By Jenny
If you are trying to get permanent marker out of your jeans try hairspray, it worked for me.
(11/27/2005)
By Sara
I had a real smart athlete sign his jersey instead of signing the replica. I used Jinx Ink and it worked like magic. Took everything off. Additionally, after that happened, I did clean out the inside of my dryer drum which had old Sharpie and ink stains from pens left in the wash. The stains were over 8 months old and the Jinx worked. (05/31/2007)
By Mike
Use alcohol prep pads such as those for treating cuts they work really well.
(10/21/2007)
By White Panther
I got permanent marker on my jeans so I heard alcohol would remove it, but I didn't have any so I used GERM X and it totally worked. You can only see a little spot were the marker was at GERM X is amazing. It's a miracle worker. (11/15/2007)
By Rebecca
My friend joey thought he would be cute and he wrote on my brand new $60 pair of jeans with black Sharpie. I was irate to say the least. I used Dawn soap and put it on the stain then soaked it in cold water for like 10 minutes then I put Spray 'n Wash on the stain and scrubbed hard with a old tooth brush and it came right out. (12/31/2007)
By Sarah
I used the hairspray trick which, yes, did fade the words out, but didn't take out the marker completely. But I then hand washed my jeans and sprayed the still faded marker with Shout, and the stain came right out. (06/09/2008)
By Mona
For the hairspray trick you saturate the stain and dab it with a rag. Use the non aerosol kind, the cheapest brands work best. (12/22/2008)
By Genius
I had a six inch streak of permanent red Sharpie 1/8 wide, on a new pair of blue jeans. Has been setting in the clothes hamper for the last four days. I took a folded paper towel placed it underneath the fabric. I then sprayed the streak with Spot Shot. I took a clean, white, old rag and rubbed and blotted it in all directions. I did this twice. After the 2nd application (in less than 3 minutes), the stain is gone.
By Jeff
My husband had a pen style Sharpie in his back pocket and when he got into the car it clicked on. He also wouldn't take the jeans off right away so it set in before I could work on it. I first used an alcohol wipe and that lifted a lot of the ink. Then I used Dawn detergent and a toothbrush. It looks great. Good luck stain lifters. (03/01/2009)
