Last Updated on 6 months by Susan Mayrich
Maybe you wondered and asked yourself: does Sharpie wash out of clothes? Don’t panic. You can get the marker out with some time and a few everyday household products. There’s no need to trash the item.

Getting a Sharpie stain out of clothing isn’t easy, but you can do it. The key is to work quickly before the ink has time to penetrate too far into the fabric.
Perhaps, you and your kid had a little slip-up with a sharpie marker, and now there are ugly black marks all over your favorite piece of garment. Keep reading this article for tips and a step-by-step guide to getting Sharpie out of clothes for good. Let’s have fun!
Is Sharpie Permanent On Clothes?
The Sharpie marker is permanent on fabric; even after being washed multiple times, a sharpie mark remains intact on a garment. If you use the proper steps, it will wash off clothes and other materials. It might be possible to wipe the ink off with a cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol. Test this first in an inconspicuous area before trying it on the whole garment. Do not rub too hard, and you might remove part of the fabric’s dye.
Does Sharpie Wash Out Of Your Clothes?
In this paragraph, you’ll learn does Sharpie wash out of clothes. Sharpie does not wash out of clothes easily unless you use a solid stain to remove the stain to break down the Alcohol and oils in the ink. Sharpies are permanent because they use Alcohol as the solvent for their dye.
Alcohol is insoluble in water, so it doesn’t dissolve when exposed to soap or water. The only way to get Alcohol out of fabric is with a cleaning solvent such as vinegar or rubbing alcohol. When you wash clothes with Sharpie on them, the ink will bleed into the fabric.
This can create a permanent stain that you won’t be able to remove from your clothing. So the first step in removing Sharpie ink from clothing is pretreating the area with an acidic compound.
Will Sharpie Bleed In Wash?
Washing the item may cause a color bleed. Sharpie permanent markers are made from ink that contains dyes and pigments that can react with the fabric in certain fabrics. The amount of bleeding can vary depending on the type of fabric.
Ways To Remove Sharpie Easily
The ink is permanent and will not come off quickly, which means you’ll have to spend time and energy scrubbing at the stain with a detergent or harsh chemicals. Luckily, there are a variety of ways to remove Sharpie stains. Here are a few tips that help you to remove these marks:
#1. Using vinegar and lemons
These work as powerful cleansing agents that can help remove Sharpie stains from your clothes. Due to their acidic nature.
#2. Using baking soda
Baking soda works best for grease-based colors; however, you can use it for other types of stains.
#3. Using rubbing alcohol
Rubbing alcohol will break down the oils in the Sharpie ink and dissolve them. It also acts as a disinfectant to kill off any bacteria left behind by the ink.
#4. Using alcohol
Alcohol-based products, the products such as hairspray and nail polish remover also work well on Sharpie stains, as they contain high levels of Alcohol themselves.
#5. Using hand sanitizer
hand sanitizer contains alcohol, a solvent, which can break down the chemical bond between the dye in the marker and the fabric fibers.
Hand sanitizer also contains other ingredients that help break down ink on contact without damaging fabric fibers.
Ways To Remove Sharpies From Clothes
below, we have discussed some methods to remove the sharpie stains from cloth. let’s dig on:
#1. Rubbing alcohol
Follow these simple steps:
#1. Place the stain face down on a paper towel or cloth. Apply rubbing alcohol directly to the stain, and then dab at it with another paper towel or cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol.
#2. The ink will transfer from the clothing onto the paper towel, and you should see much of the color lift away.
#3. Change the paper towel to absorb as much of the stain as possible.
#4. Continue dabbing at it until you’ve removed as much as you can.
#5. Then place the clothing in your washing machine and wash it as usual.
Try not to saturate your clothing when cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. In some cases, soaking the cotton fabric in rubbing alcohol for prolonged periods can cause discoloration or yellowing of the material.
#2. Vinegar
Here are a few steps to follow:
Steps #1. First, mix 1 part whtite vinegar with five parts water and place it in a bucket.
Steps #2. Place the garment in the solution for about an hour to soak up some vinegar and set the colors.
Steps #3. After soaking, rinse out the garment thoroughly to remove all traces of vinegar.
Steps #4. The last step is to wash the garment on a permanent press cycle using cold water.
#3. Hand sanitizer
Follow these steps:
Steps #1. Use a cloth to spread it over the stain, and let it sit for 15 minutes as you gently work on it into the colors. Be careful not to rub or scrub at the stain with your fingers because more rubbing will worsen the stain.
Steps #2. After 15 minutes, dab off as much of the excess sanitizer as possible. If some of the colors remain, repeat this process until it’s gone
Steps #3. Once you’re sure there is no more stain left in the fabric, throw your article of clothing in the washer and wash like normal.
#4. Hair spray
You can spray hairspray directly on the stain and wait for five minutes. Then dab off the dissolved ink with a clean paper towel.
Repeat this process until all sharpie ink is removed from the fabric. Once the stain has been removed, wash your clothes as usual.
How To Remove Permanent Marker From Clothes After Being Washed?
After washing the clothes, you can remove the permanent marker stains by rubbing alcohol.
Using rubbing alcohol
If the stain has been washed and dried, you’ll need to follow the steps below to remove the stains:
Steps #1. Place a towel under the stained area to protect your carpet and pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol directly on the stain.
Steps #2. Wait 15 minutes, then dab with a clean sponge or cloth until most of the ink comes up.
Steps #3. Repeat until the stain is gone.
Steps #4. Then rinse out your cloth and rub again if necessary.
Steps #5. Wash the garment as usual and let them air dry, or pat them dry with paper towels and hang them up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below we’ll give a brief answer to your question:
How to get Sharpie out of fabric couches?
To get Sharpie out of the fabric couch, mix a solution of one tablespoon of vinegar, one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, and two cups of cold water in a bowl. Take your clean sponge, soak it into the solution, then dab the spots until they are damp.
Leave it on for about 30 minutes, then wipe or blot with a dry clean white cloth to absorb the ink. Finally, rinse with cold water using a clean wet cloth to rinse the mixture off the couch.
How to get Sharpie out of leather?
Removing permanent markers from leather is not as difficult as you may think, although it is a process that takes time. To clean the stain, apply distilled white vinegar directly to the affected area with a wet cloth or sponge and then let it soak for 5-10minutes.
Next, gently wipe away any excess product with a dry cloth or sponge. Continue this process until all of the stains have been removed from your leather surface.
How to get Sharpie out of carpet?
Removing this ink using plain water will only stain your carpet more. Rubbing Alcohol is an excellent solvent and can break down the bonds of the ink, making it easier to be removed. First, blot up as much ink as possible with paper towels.
Then dab rubbing Alcohol on the spot with a clean cloth and let it soak in for a while. Finally, blot the area with a clean cloth until the stain is gone. You can also use white vinegar, which is acidic and can break down some types of ink.
Create a solution by mixing one part white vinegar with two parts water, then get a clean cloth and sponge it onto the stain. It’s also best to know how to get Sharpie out of hair.
Can you put Sharpie on a shirt?
Yes, you can use Sharpie markers to create a work of art on a T-shirt. Sharpie markers are great for decorating fabric. You can draw on T-shirts, pillowcases, towels, curtains, and any other piece of fabric you can think of. The ink is permanent and will last through wash after wash.
Can you wash a shirt signed with Sharpie?
Yes, you can wash a shirt signed with Sharpie in the most general sense. However, the main thing to remember is to use cold water and regular laundry detergent. The water temperature is critical because hot water will cause the ink to bleed into the fabric. As for laundry detergent, anything that gets clothes clean will work just fine.
Is Sharpie bad for your skin?
The ink in Sharpie permanent markers is undoubtedly not toxic, but it is made up of chemicals that may irritate sensitive skin. Sharpie is aware that some people experience health concerns after using their products, and the company advises against using the marker directly on the skin.
Does toothpaste remove Sharpie?
Toothpaste is a great way to remove sharpie markers without damaging the surface. The paste will gently break down the Sharpie ink, so you can use a wet rag or sponge to wipe away the excess.
Does Sharpie wash off plastic?
You can remove the sharpie marker with a dry-erase marker. This works best on hard plastic, but it may also work on cars, desks, and other surfaces that are a bit softer.
It’s A Wrap!
We hope that reading this article is just fun for you, and after reading it, you’ll learn does Sharpie wash out of clothes. Above we’ve discussed all the methods, so to remove these stains read the article carefully. Thank you, friends, for being with us until the end! You may also want to read about how to remove sequins from clothes and how to get brake fluid out of clothes.
I’ve never had this problem before, but I’ve heard that Sharpie ink does wash out of clothes. Is there a way to remove it?