L.M. asks from Denver, CO on February 23, 2010
Sharpie Markers on Carpet
Does anyone have a suggestion on how to remove black Sharpie marker stains from carpet? My 2 yr old son decided to draw his masterpiece on our off white carpet. We've tried various carpet stain cleaners, but nothing has worked to date.
1 mom found this helpful
So What Happened?™
Since Oxiclean was the only product I had in the house at the time of this incident, I tried it and it worked! I wet the carpet with water (using a spray bottle), put a generous quanity of Oxiclean on the marks, then scrubbed for a bit. I then reapplied more water and Oxiclean, let it set overight, and scrubbed again the following day. Once the carpet dried, I vacuumed up the loose bits of Oxiclean and the marks were gone. Yeah! Thank you for all your advice. On a side note, I plan to buy the Magic Eraser several people recommended to remove the crayon masterpiece I just found on my wall!
Featured Answers
A.W. answers from Provo on March 01, 2010
My neighbor swears by hydrogen peroxide (liquid or gel). I have used in on mattresses with great success. Use it in small doses.
A.B. answers from Boise on February 25, 2010
I was able to remove Sharpie from my wall with Scrubbing Bubbles. Weird, I know, but it worked. It might not work the same on carpet but you could give it a shot!
More Answers
D.W. answers from Indianapolis on February 23, 2010
I would recommend contacting Sharpie directly to see what they recommend. They should have a customer service number on their website.
Treatment will likely be recommended based upon what kind of carpet you have.
But, that would be my recommendation - they will best know how exactly to deal with their product, and I have a feeling they receive this calls often.
T.W. answers from Denver on February 25, 2010
My dad swears by break cleaner that you use on cars. He says that it will take anything out. You might also want to try Goof Off. I am not sure if either of these will be able to conquer sharpie but it is worth a try. Worse case scenario, get a rug or have a professional come in.
Good luck!
S.M. answers from Fort Collins on February 24, 2010
I have a friend who's daughter just did the exact same thing. Apparently Magic Eraser has a carpet cleaner and it did the trick (almost perfectly) for her carpet. took some real scrubbing but it was worth it to save the light carpet! good luck!
M.H. answers from Atlanta on February 23, 2010
HI L.,
Like Kristin said, Solumel works great! I was out of Solumel once..only once! so I cleaned up a GALLON of green paint off a light colored carpet with Melaleuca's Tub and Tile at our church. I was at an elderly's friend's house shortly after that and she spilled an entire pint of black appliance paint on her light blue carpet and I was able to get it all up with the Tub and Tile as well. I kept spraying it with water to keep it wet so I didn't have to use all my product and you can't even tell it happened at all...at either place.
M.
H.Q. answers from Great Falls on February 23, 2010
I'm not sure how it will work on carpet, but my "lil artist" has used Sharpie on the walls - to my horror! Mr. Clean Magic Eraser took it off! Have to be careful as it will also remove paint, but it worked, can't say how surprised I was over that.
M.A. answers from Denver on February 24, 2010
Two ideas for you:
Motsenbocker's Lift Off (I think you need to look for #3 - it's the pen, ink, graffiti one) that can be found at Home Depot. You can also check other hardware stores in your area, but that's where I found mine. I had a blue ink 'puddle' on our creamy carpet - took it right out! http://www.liftoffinc.com/product-ink-remover.php
The other idea is called Grandma's Secret Stain Remover (or something really close to that). I've only seen it at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I'm sure you can find it in other places too. Since Sharpies are a permanent alcohol ink they should respond fairly well to this since Copic (another alcohol based ink) artists use it a lot. Here's a link to some instructions - http://ilikemarkers.blogspot.com/2009/06/cleaning-copic-o...
Hope that helps! :)
A.B. answers from Boise on February 25, 2010
I was able to remove Sharpie from my wall with Scrubbing Bubbles. Weird, I know, but it worked. It might not work the same on carpet but you could give it a shot!
D.P. answers from Pittsburgh on February 23, 2010
I will pray for you! Sorry, no ideas here...have you tried the Sharpie website?
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