Plagued by stubborn ink stains? Here’s how to easily remove them with a grocery staple
- Replies 5
If you keep a pen in your pocket, then you might have dealt with a pesky problem: ink stains. As you already know, putting the item in the laundry does little to remove it. But all hope’s not lost: a common household product can be just what you need!
One user from the social news website Reddit learned that milk works great in washing out ink stains. Who knew?!
With a post entitled ‘Today I learned you can dissolve ink stains with milk’, the Redditor shared their discovery through a series of photos:
The Redditor owned a light-coloured pouch with a noticeable blue ink stain. Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
The milk in the glass container became blue after the user dipped the fabric in the liquid. Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
Completely dried, the pouch is ink-free, appearing good as new! Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
The cleaning hack left many Redditors in awe.
One said a sentiment shared by many: ‘That is actually amazing!’
Another wrote: ‘They're a witch! That's crazy. I'll have to try that. My kids are always inking things.’
A third chimed in: ‘Oh wow, this is very useful information. My husband seems to have some pen ink explosion on some article of clothing or backpack at least once a year.’
The author of the post also received some queries.
A user asked: ‘How long did it soak?’
The original poster said: ‘I did not let it soak. I kept dipping the fabric for a few minutes in the milk as I did not want the blue milk to colour the pink pencil case blue. I refreshed the milk three times and used 1-litre milk in total. My guess is this was ink from a fountain pen. It was a pencil case that I bought at a flea market.’
A second said: ‘Will this work for clothes that were washed with a pen and now are stained?’
Someone else who successfully cleaned an item with milk answered for the author: ‘My auntie did this for me once when a ballpoint pen leaked in the back pocket of my jeans. I was like, "oh well I'll live with it," but she got it out. She put a little bowl of milk (probably low fat, knowing her) in the washer. She stuck the pocket with the stain in the milk and let it sit for a few days (adding a little milk daily as it evaporated). You can put a plate or cover over it to keep evaporation low. But only the stain needs to be submerged. As the milk sours, the enzymes dissolve the ink. It took 3-4 days but did not impact the jeans' dye. Amazing!’
Another was not as enthusiastic: ‘So the stain is gone, but your stuff smells like sour milk?’
A Redditor responded: ‘You need to launder the item before wearing it, LOL.’
Milk is not only great for milk stains. Someone shared: ‘It works for blood too. The milk pulls out all the red and turns pink like strawberry milk.’ Just be sure not to drink it - yuck!
It really is as simple as that. And it seems that the kind of milk doesn’t matter as the liquid – made out of water, fat, lactose, whey, and casein – effectively breaks down stains. Dirty Labs explains that the acidic nature of milk makes ink stains soluble and removable. Meanwhile, the fat dissolves organic pigments and oily residues from the ink stain.
Dabbing or submerging in milk won’t give you immediate results, however. More set ink stains might require leaving the fabric in the milk overnight. Others add vinegar, another highly praised kitchen item, to make the mixture more potent. Still, it is a good solution, especially if you have milk that you can’t finish before its use-by date.
Speaking of almost-expired milk, you should hold off on throwing out your milk cartons. The third most wasted food item can still be useful in the kitchen, even if it’s a bit past its use-by date. Bon Appetit recommends using it for baking and frying or turning it into cheese. You can also use it to water plants, keep insects away, soak your feet, and clean tarnished silverware!
Will you be trying this easy trick? Or do you have other hacks for removing ink stains up your sleeve? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
One user from the social news website Reddit learned that milk works great in washing out ink stains. Who knew?!
With a post entitled ‘Today I learned you can dissolve ink stains with milk’, the Redditor shared their discovery through a series of photos:
The Redditor owned a light-coloured pouch with a noticeable blue ink stain. Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
The milk in the glass container became blue after the user dipped the fabric in the liquid. Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
Completely dried, the pouch is ink-free, appearing good as new! Credit: Lorien93/Reddit
The cleaning hack left many Redditors in awe.
One said a sentiment shared by many: ‘That is actually amazing!’
Another wrote: ‘They're a witch! That's crazy. I'll have to try that. My kids are always inking things.’
A third chimed in: ‘Oh wow, this is very useful information. My husband seems to have some pen ink explosion on some article of clothing or backpack at least once a year.’
The author of the post also received some queries.
A user asked: ‘How long did it soak?’
The original poster said: ‘I did not let it soak. I kept dipping the fabric for a few minutes in the milk as I did not want the blue milk to colour the pink pencil case blue. I refreshed the milk three times and used 1-litre milk in total. My guess is this was ink from a fountain pen. It was a pencil case that I bought at a flea market.’
A second said: ‘Will this work for clothes that were washed with a pen and now are stained?’
Someone else who successfully cleaned an item with milk answered for the author: ‘My auntie did this for me once when a ballpoint pen leaked in the back pocket of my jeans. I was like, "oh well I'll live with it," but she got it out. She put a little bowl of milk (probably low fat, knowing her) in the washer. She stuck the pocket with the stain in the milk and let it sit for a few days (adding a little milk daily as it evaporated). You can put a plate or cover over it to keep evaporation low. But only the stain needs to be submerged. As the milk sours, the enzymes dissolve the ink. It took 3-4 days but did not impact the jeans' dye. Amazing!’
Another was not as enthusiastic: ‘So the stain is gone, but your stuff smells like sour milk?’
A Redditor responded: ‘You need to launder the item before wearing it, LOL.’
Milk is not only great for milk stains. Someone shared: ‘It works for blood too. The milk pulls out all the red and turns pink like strawberry milk.’ Just be sure not to drink it - yuck!
It really is as simple as that. And it seems that the kind of milk doesn’t matter as the liquid – made out of water, fat, lactose, whey, and casein – effectively breaks down stains. Dirty Labs explains that the acidic nature of milk makes ink stains soluble and removable. Meanwhile, the fat dissolves organic pigments and oily residues from the ink stain.
Dabbing or submerging in milk won’t give you immediate results, however. More set ink stains might require leaving the fabric in the milk overnight. Others add vinegar, another highly praised kitchen item, to make the mixture more potent. Still, it is a good solution, especially if you have milk that you can’t finish before its use-by date.
Speaking of almost-expired milk, you should hold off on throwing out your milk cartons. The third most wasted food item can still be useful in the kitchen, even if it’s a bit past its use-by date. Bon Appetit recommends using it for baking and frying or turning it into cheese. You can also use it to water plants, keep insects away, soak your feet, and clean tarnished silverware!
Will you be trying this easy trick? Or do you have other hacks for removing ink stains up your sleeve? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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