Kujakunobyl: On Cleaning Up The Aftermath Of An Inky Accident

[KLscribbler]

So there I was, merrily beginning my weekly bonding ritual between my favorite bottle of Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku and my pens. Having unscrewed the cap, I found the white inner cap liner stuck fast to the mouth of the bottle. Seems I screwed down the cap too hard the last time I used the ink. While trying to pry open the cap liner, of course Murphy's Law came into effect, I accidentally prodded too hard and it flew right off together with a generous splash of ink spilling out onto my tablecloth and shirt.

 

Which is why I'm scrubbing all the fabrics under the tap right now. With the amount of ink spilled, however, I wonder if I'll ever get it all out. (Thankfully this happened with Ku-Jaku and not one of my permanent inks like Sailor Sei Boku...)

 

Does anyone have tips on how to completely clean out this sort of big ink spill on fabric? Any advice/experience-sharing would be much appreciated. In the meantime, may you all stay safe from the sneak attacks of Murphy's Law!

[bfoutch]

No personal experience with a large stain like yours, but found this which I hope may help guide you:

 

http://www.housecleaningcentral.com/en/cleaning-tips/stain-removal/tips-to-remove-ink-stains.html

[inkstainedruth]

Amodex, if you can find it where you live. That stuff *really* works. Takes a bit of elbow grease (the bottle comes with what looks like a little toothbrush), and you scrub it into the stain while having paper towels behind it to blot the stain. Unfortunately, I think that you are supposed to use Amodex before doing any sort of other laundering (so I'm not sure if just rinsing counts as "laundering" or not.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[AD64]

I have often used hydrogen peroxide to whiten things and remove stains. I hear that this is what those in the medical professions use to remove blood stains.

 

Keep us posted. Curiosity abounds.

[Flaxmoore]

I have often used hydrogen peroxide to whiten things and remove stains. I hear that this is what those in the medical professions use to remove blood stains.

 

Keep us posted. Curiosity abounds.

 

'Tis, but that only works because of the iron and enzymes in blood. Peroxide won't knock out any ink, except maybe iron gall.

[KLscribbler]

A little update (cleanup still in progress) :

 

- Rubbing alcohol did *not* work

- Rinsing alone helped but did not completely remove the stains

- Most effective method so far is wicking the ink stain off in one direction- pressing a wet wad of paper towels on the back side of the fabric and a dry paper towel on the stained side to lift the ink off. It seems to remove the ink completely given enough time, but is very time-consuming (approx. half an hour per ink-spot)

- A strong directional jet of water passing through the back side of the fabric and out the front directly through ink patches seems to work similarly, but is only slightly faster than the wicking method.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, by the way. I live in Malaysia, and have never seen Amodex sold anywhere, but there seem to be distributors in Singapore - hopefully they'll ship across the border. Meanwhile, I'll go get some hydrogen peroxide at the pharmacy today and give it a try (ink spill happened yesterday night so shops were closed).

[cleosmama]

Do you have those Mr. Clean sponges? They work pretty well in taking ink off fingers; I have not tried them on fabrics, but they may help.

 

You might also try Fels-Naptha, which has helped me take out various stains, including ink.

Edited August 3, 2016 by cleosmama

[PS104]

Fuhgedaboudit.

Wash all the tablecloths and clothing

Cut off all buttons etc

Donate everything to an animal shelter.

[Arkanabar]

No advice for your issue, other than this is why I always fill pens in the immediate vicinity of a sink.

[AD64]

 

'Tis, but that only works because of the iron and enzymes in blood. Peroxide won't knock out any ink, except maybe iron gall.

 

Very handy to know. Thank you!