Pen marks on clothes are often an annoying problem, especially when the stains are on white clothes. The reason is, pen ink tends to quickly absorb into the fabric fibers, causing the stains to look striking, especially on white clothes. Many people are confused when cleaning these stains in the usual way because it often does not produce results, and the stains can even get worse if not handled properly.
However, it should be noted that pen ink is usually made of oil-based or water-based materials that dry quickly. This makes the stain more difficult to clean after some time. If not treated immediately, this stain can become permanent and certainly damage the appearance of clothing. Therefore, it is important to know effective methods for dealing with ink stains on white clothes.
Luckily, an Instagram user @harisusanto4121 once shared a simple trick when trying to remove ink marks on white clothes. Through one of the videos he uploaded, he admitted that he did not use detergent or bleach. However, there are two kitchen ingredients that can be relied on to remove ink marks on white clothes.
As reported by BrilioFood from Instagram @harisusanto4121 on Tuesday (13/8), the kitchen ingredients in question are vinegar and dish soap. The mixture of these two ingredients can be very effective in removing ink stains on clothes, especially if they are still new. Indeed, clothes that are stained with ink should be washed immediately so that the stain does not become more absorbed and will be more difficult to remove.
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The method is, take a white shirt that has been stained with ink. After that, pour vinegar directly onto the area of the shirt that has been stained with ink. Make sure the entire stain is completely soaked with vinegar.
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Next, pour dish soap into the area. Once done, scrub it using a toothbrush. While scrubbing, dip the shirt in water to remove the stain. Then scrub and rub occasionally so that the ink stain fades even more.
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Now, if the ink stains from the pen marks are gone, you can rinse the clothes with running water. Make sure there are no stains or soap left behind. If so, dry the clothes until they are completely dry. That way, the appearance of white clothes will be even shinier because they are free of stains and pen ink marks. Basically, vinegar and dish soap are an effective combination for removing ink stains from pen marks on white clothes. Vinegar, which is acidic, can dissolve ink components, especially water-based ones, making stains easier to remove from fabric fibers. The acidic nature of vinegar also helps neutralize some of the chemicals in ink, making it easier to clean. On the other hand, dish soap contains surfactants that can bind oil and dirt, and break down ink molecules left on the fabric. These surfactants work by reducing the surface tension of water, so that water can more easily penetrate the fabric and lift ink from the fibers. When used with vinegar, dish soap helps lift the remaining ink that has been softened by the vinegar, making stains easier to remove.