Ink stains can be removed with one common item (stock photo) (Image: Getty)
Clothing stains could be a thing of the past with this .
We’ve all felt the sheer horror that comes over you when you realise that you’ve left something in your pocket before putting your clothes in the wash. Whether it’s forgetting about a tissue that’s going to take days to up once it’s disintegrated or something more solid like keys or coins that could damage your washing machine.
One of the worst things to leave in your pockets, however, is pens. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to retrieve them out of the wash without any problems, but sometimes they can cause untold disaster – as they can burst and cover your clothes in ink.
If this has happened to you recently, worry not. There’s actually a simple way to get out of your clothes. You won’t need to splash out on expensive stain removers either—in fact, you probably already have all the ingredients you need.
The hack was shared on after a mum confessed to accidentally ruining her daughter’s favourite white trousers.
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In her post, the mum said: “I did this to my daughter’s favourite cargo pants. The culprit was a ballpoint pen in my work lab coat. They’ve been through the washer and dryer. The store we bought them from no longer carries them. Is there any chance I can redeem myself?”
Commenters were quick to try and help the mum fix the stain before her daughter found out what happened. And among the cleaning hacks was one rather strange suggestion – to soak the trousers in milk.
One person said: “If it’s pen ink, I had milk work once to soak some out.” Another person agreed, insisting: “Try to remove ballpoint stains with milk. Sounds crazy but works! With that much, you may not get all out at once, but it’s worth a try before you reach out to chemicals. Good luck!”
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Someone else said that she would have to soak the trousers overnight if she wanted to try out the milk hack, as it might take a while for the liquid to absorb the ink.
Fashion brand previously shared milk as a hack to remove ink stains from clothes. They explained that milk is an emulsion that attracts both oil and water and as some inks have either an oil or water-soluble base, they can be dissolved by milk.
In another Reddit thread on the subject, commenters also insisted milk can be used to remove blood stains from clothes and bedsheets, too.
How to remove ink stains from clothes
- Milk: Pour milk into a bowl or container and submerge the stained area. Let it soak for several hours, or overnight if the stain is stubborn. After soaking, gently scrub the stain, rinse with cold water, and launder the garment as normal.
- Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitiser: Place a paper towel under the ink-stained area. Gently dab rubbing alcohol or hand sanitiser over the stand with a cotton ball or clean cloth. Avoid rubbing too hard to prevent spreading. Continue blotting until the stain fades, and then rinse the fabric with cold water and wash as usual.
- Vinegar and baking soda: Soak the stained area in white vinegar for a few minutes, and then sprinkle baking soda over the vinegar-soaked stain. Gently rub the paste into the stain with your fingers. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse with cold water and repeat if necessary before washing.
- Lemon juice and salt: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the stain, and then sprinkle salt over the same area. Rub the stain gently before letting the garment sit in the sunlight to naturally bleach the stain. Rinse with cold water and wash as usual.
In general, you should always use cold water when rinsing a stain, as hot water can set it and make things worse.