{the very bad before}
Ah, good times.
Tackling this mess took some doing. The items I used to clean up the permanent marker are as follows:
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Blood, sweat, tears.
{the morning after}
Now for the process everyone wants to hear about. By the way, you all don’t fool me one bit. The only reason you want to know is because if you know how to remove Sharpie from fabric, you will most likely never have to remove Sharpie from fabric. It’s kind of like bringing a first aid kit on a short trip because you know if you don’t bring the kit, that’s when someone’s going to lose an eye. It’s okay, I don’t blame you. :)
The first thing I did was to spray the arm of the gray arm chair with some Folex. Not a lot, but just to see what I was dealing with. This wasn’t the first time a marker kissed the furniture, but it was my first time dealing with permanent marker. With the regular marker, the Folex cleaned it up right before my eyes. This time, the red just bled into the fabric. It did not fade in the least.
I panicked and called a carpet cleaner who advertised upholstery cleaning as well. He estimated it would cost about $120-$140 to clean, and without thinking I booked him. Luckily, I was on the phone almost constantly with my sister in law, Stephanie (my brother in law’s wife, not my brother’s wife who just had the baby), and she balked at the price. She thought that since the company wasn’t offering any guarantees, the money would be better spent on slip covers or towards a new sectional. She was right, so I called and canceled the appointment and decided to do what I could to remove the stains. I headed out to buy the Lift Off No. 3, Oxi Clean, and strong laundry detergent. While I was at the store I saw the Tide Stain Release and tossed that in the cart as well.
I got home and decided to forget the arms (the left arm of the sofa was covered, too, although it isn’t in the picture) and started working on the cushion covers, which I could at least remove from the sofa and chair. I suspected the only way to remove the stains was with a long soak, making the arms a lost cause.
I unzipped all the cushions and sprayed them heavily and meticulously with Lift Off No. 3. There was minimal improvement, meaning the marks faded, but only to a bright pink. I gave up and threw the covers in a full washer of warm water. You should know that the tags say clearly to avoid wet washing. I didn’t care. I knew I ran the risk of the fabric coming apart (it’s happened to me before with other furniture) but it’s not like I had a lot of options.
The sofa and chair are a year old. We do not allow dogs or shoes on the furniture. Still, when I put those covers in the washer the water turned BROWN. Brown, like tea. It was really one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen and I had to drain the wash and start all over again. In only a year, the fabric had absorbed I don’t even know how many kilos of dust. Disgusting, and my new reason for buying washable slip covered furniture or leather in the future.
After I refilled the washer, I added about 1/4 of a small container of Oxi Clean and soaked for about 30 minutes, as instructed. I then added Tide and two Tide Stain Release packets according to the instructions. I washed everything on hand wash/extra delicate.
One cushion turned out okay, the rest looked like they hadn’t even been touched.
I did everything over again. I laid out all the cushions and again sprayed them with Lift Off No 3, this time letting the solution sit for 30 minutes, during which time I read all the recommendations here. Several people suggested alcohol, so I went I grabbed some from the medicine cabinet.
The marker disappeared when I applied the alcohol (like magic!) but as soon as it dried it would return again. I really don’t know what to make of that, except maybe the stains were in layers? Still, I applied the alcohol to each cushion cover.
Back into the washer, more warm water, more oxi clean. This time, however, I soaked them for a couple of hours. After that, I pulled them out for a spot check. It didn’t look much better, but I added the Tide, the Tide Stain Release, and washed it all on delicate again.
Two came out looking good, two looked like the stains had faded slightly.
Repeat everything again. (spray, scrub, dab, soak, wash)
Stains look lighter.
Repeat everything again. (spray, scrub, dab, soak, wash)
Green cover looked clean, gray one looked like it needed one more round, but it was nearing 10:00 pm. I decided to let the covers dry, including the gray one, and just flip it so no one can see the pink. One day, if I am feeling saucy, I will spray, scrub, dab, soak, and wash the cover again.
It was time to start working on the arms. For that, I alternated between Folex and Lift Off No. 3. I saturated the arms and frames of the sofa and chair. Saturated. I went through nearly an entire roll of paper towels (you have to use something white or the color from your towels could bleed as well!) and all the white wash clothes in the house.
A couple of disclosures and pieces of advice:
The sofa and chair look much better online than they do in real life. The arms still have one or two stains, but I think they are something I could remove with more elbow grease, Folex, and Lift Off No 3.
The problem with Folex and Lift Off No. 3 is that you really have to saturate the stains for them to work. This means that, sometimes, there is a line of demarcation where the stain removers evaporate from the fabric. It’s like editing a picture in photo shop without using your feathering tool. I believe that I will have to have the sofa and chair professionally cleaned if I want to get rid of this very faint, yet visible, line.
My cushion covers, most cushion covers, should not ever see the inside of a washing machine. But, too bad. They (luckily!) did not tear or fray, although some of the threads on the inside did get very tangled after the first wash. I cut those as delicately as I could. One thing I did this time that I haven’t done before (and I think really worked) was to stand by the machine while the washer drained. When there was almost no water left, I carefully took out each cushion and made sure to turn them right side out, snip any loose threads, and return them to the washing machine in a neat fashion. I didn’t realize until my first spot check how tangled everything gets in a washer, even on hand wash/delicate. The cushions were half inside out, one nearly inside the other, etc. and I think something similar may have contributed to the tears I have experienced in the past.
Lastly, as good as the sofa and chair look, they will need professional cleaning. The multiple washes the cushions received means they now look much cleaner than the poor frame of the sofa and chair. It’s not obvious in person (too much) but I can tell the difference. Plus, the thought that the backs are as dusty as the seats is giving me the vapors.
So, that’s how I did it. Feel free to ask any questions! :)
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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
Man! What a workout! I’m amazed you got as much out as you did though. Where did you get your furniture? I love the clean lines (no pun intended).
Sadie,
It’s the Corona collection from Macy*s.
Ok, now I’m the one with the “vapors”…we’ve had our (cotton fabric) couch and loveseat for almost 9 years. 8/ We cleaned them once (w/ the Rug doctor attachment thing) after the summer of the “Osbournes” (I think it was you that named my babysitting kids that ;) )…
No wonder LIndsay has horrible allergies. **blushing**
but how do I tell her we’re going to get new furniture rather than go to Disney World next Spring…hmmmmm.
Hah! I remember you babysitting those little monsters. :)
Can you take off the cushion covers? Get an upholstery guy to come out and clean them?
My 3rd son colored the carpet in the dining room in black permanent market. The carpet cleaning company came out and it came right up! Like magic! They definitely have some product I don’t have! I know how you felt! The frustrating, panic, frustrating, determination, frustration, and exhaustion!
BTW, I love your couch and chair!
You are SO patient. kudos.
thanks for telling us how to clean them, hopefully you’re right and I’ll never have to actually do it. But just in case, I’ve got this post bookmarked.
I love that you compared the process to a photoshop function : )
I went from washing my couch covers every week to care-free leather. Never looked back.
wow! good work. I have the exact furniture and bought the worry no more plan from macy’s. Had that happened to us (which I am hoping it does not, but with a 2 and 4 yr. old, you never know) I would just call and they’d clean it or replace it. What a lifesaver.
Oh my goodness! That’s great that you got that out. Came by via Apartment Therapy.
Wow that is great. This doesn’t make me less worried though. I just ordered this couch from Macy’s. I have two children and wonder if its going to hold up at all….I am now hiding and confiscating any markers in the house before it arrives. I ordered it in the cappichino color. I also got the worry no more plan. But its nice to know there are some options out there in case disaster does strike. Great work though.
I had this happen to me… with sharpie marker. My biggest success was with fingernail polish remover…. the stain came out wonderfully… and there’s no hint of it anywhere. I put a little fingernail polish directly on the marks, then used cotton to “absorb” the stain out of the cloth.
There’s a product sold by the Melaleuca Company that gets permanent marker off just about anything (although I don’t think that’s what the product is marketed to do). I got some of the Solu-mel solution from a friend and I’ve used it on printed pictures (completely removed the permanent marker without damaging the photos at all), rugs, walls, wood furniture, and an antique chair, all without causing any damage or leftover evidence!
God bless you! At first glance it looked like your ‘after’ picture had been photoshopped clean!
I am now logging off to go hide all the Sharpies in the house so I never have to do that. Oh my goodness! Also, feeling grateful for my dark brown living room couch.
You are a miracle worker. I’m printing your post and filing it just in case!
Dude. Wow. Ok, so my DOG got a hold of a sharpie when she was a puppy and ran with it, and wrote on the bottom of my sofa. It’s still there.
I stand by my original opinions that dogs are more work than children. As I type this, I look up and see her laying on my sofa (not allowed) staring at me, waiting to get yelled at.
Damn dog.
That’s exactly what my sofa looked like a couple years ago (the before picture)… except my sofa is WHITE. And I tired after a few less scrubbings than you. But luckily, oh-so-luckily, we had those silly arm protector thingys on, so the arms were still clean and could flip the seat cusions and then bought new throw pillows. Ack. I wonder if all your work woulda done it on white? And FYI to maryleigh: we have a carpet-cleaning friend who got the spots out of the carpet easy-peasy and tried in vain to make ANY difference to the sofa. Mysterious but true.
Someone forwarded me your blog, I love it. But how come nobody asked about what happened to the child that did this? Or what you did when you first saw it? That’s what I want to know. =)
HOW do you find that kind of time?….. to be dedicated to eradicating the stains? I applaud your success, but cant imagine how I would ever get that kind if time? I guess I have more than sharpie problems!
Carolyn,
That’s all in the comments of other posts. :) But, long story short, I didn’t do much. Mainly I gasped loudly and said, “NICHOLAS! WHAT DID YOU DO?” My face must have been scary, because he immediately started crying and hugging my legs while jumping up and down and said over and over, “I sorry, mama! I sorry, mama!”
He’s only two years old, and it’s my fault for not giving him enough credit to go through my drawers looking for markers when I know he loves to color. Of course, never did I imagine he would color on the furniture. I *still* don’t know what possessed him to do that!
Danielle,
When you don’t have the money to buy a new sofa and chair, suddenly your entire day opens up. Funny how that works. ;)
This happened to me too! Did not realize that my 2 yo would figure out how to get a sharpie down from his height chart. Its about 6 feet off the ground, but he swung the chart back and forth until the sharpie popped out of its holder. My bad! He drew on a chair and the rug. (and all over his body too, that came off after 2 baths!) I used Resolve carpet cleaner and a majic eraser. It worked really well, except the chair fabric faded a bit from the majic eraser.
So, this news may be a bit late to the party, but there is a product called PEC-12 which is an archival film cleaner available at some camera stores. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009R72R) I have used it to remove sharpie from clothing and upholstery many times. The catch is that is smells AWFUL, as in major petro-chemical fumes. It does however work surprisingly well though it may require several applications of spraying, saturating, and blotting. Over such a large area it would be a chore for sure.
Thanks, Justin. I will remember that…and hopefully I will never find myself needing to use it! :)
You’re photography is wonderful, by the way.
Our daughter covered (from top to bottom – Bravo!) a new chair with peanut butter when she was two. Not as bad as marker, but the grease and the smell were a bear to get out. I can barely stand the smell of peanut butter even today – five years later.
OMG I could not imagine something like this happening. My mouth dropped to the floor. You must have been devastated. and for them to only be a year old…omg. you poor thing!
Whoa. I’m shocked and awed. For what it’s worth, I have the same couch in the brown color, and I’ve washed the cushion covers quite a few times. (Cat puke + fabric couch = machine washing the cushion covers.) Cold water, handwash cycle, dried outside. There are a bunch of loose thread on the insides, but those were there before I even washed them. Of course, you already know that you can wash your cushion covers. :/
I couldn’t believe your picture when I saw it – my son did this exact same thing with a red Sharpie. I found a stain remover called AMODEX. It is recommended by many ink manufacturers, including Sharpie, and removes nearly everything! (inks, food stains, grass, grease, Georgia clay, food coloring, etc). However, I was newly pregnant and couldn’t muster up the energy to clean them myself, so I took the cushion covers to the dry cleaner. They charged $5 per cover and the cases came back good as new! Good luck to you!
I like how you can see the EASEL in the next room…but kids prefer walls and furniture!
Glad to hear I am not alone with these crazy kids of mine. :)
Beth, that is hilarious, and you are so right! I didn’t even notice that!!
I’ve actually been so tempted to wash my cushion covers several times. Now, I’m almost tempted again! I’m so amazed that you got those stains out!
I had to add this to the mix just to show you that you are not alone: http://bungalow23.com/2009/07/14/how-kids-learn-curse-words/#more-916
Well done! But honestly, how many hours did this take? The process, though simple, required 3-4 complete cycles, plus watching the washer. I am guessing, added up, you might have spent 2-3 hours? At your hourly rate (you did say you were a lawyer?), I am thinking the quote of $140 was as steal. I would not have balked at it, but, like you, I also like to give things the ole college try whenever possible.
Use a garment bag for delicate items in the washing machine. They are cheap and prevent things from getting tangled/mangled in the wash!
Great tip, Angela! Thank you. :)
I’m thinking about the permanent markers that have an eraser on one side of the marker? … I wonder if it works on fabric?
Great job & lovely furniture! Oh what a sinking feeling to find the beautiful art work!
Similar thing happened to me. When my two boys were young, they decided to do a masterpiece…..on the exterior of our home! Yep, white house paint on red brick of stick people on a mountain. At least it was on the back of the house & only went up about 4 ft….on tippy toes most likely!
Worked hard & long & only a faint outline remains 15 years later. Now it makes me smile; not so much then!!! :)
My son did that to me only 30 mins after steam cleaning my white furniture, but he used a black sharpie. I think I was lucky that I applied some Scotch Guard and that helped me a little.
I typically rented a steam cleaner once a month, or borrowed one from my family if it was available. I had to with the furniture being white. Next time, darker colors!!!
I ran across the photo of your couch on Apt. Therapy thinking, “that’s the couch we’re going to buy this weekend.”
And after reading the comments, I’m glad to see it’s true.
Thank you so much for this post. Just knowing I can even put the covers in the wash in case of an emergency has sealed the deal.
What a great set.
My little monster looks a little older than yours so I’m also off to make sure all Sharpies are hidden away forever.
Oh my gosh. My daughter better never do that. Actually, what am I saying? She smeared poo all over the carpet yesterday…it was disgusting…! So glad you were able to get the stains out!
http://cherryblossomsdesign.blogspot.com
Holy moly – what a save!
Wow – very impressive, and a pretty happy ending :-) And be even happier – the brown color you saw in the wash was just dye from the fabric (and possibly some from the markers) and not dirt. That’s why the fabric is marked don’t wet-wash. If you vacuum the furniture and cushions regularly (and even if you don’t) it’s pretty near impossible for it to actually be dirty enough to make the water discolor. So, no heeby-jeebies, you’re not sitting on a germfest.
Whew – great story! That’s why I recovered our sofa in Krylon! Fortunately, no one’s taken a Sharpie to it yet, so I haven’t had the chance to test the manufacturer’s claims to imperviousness. Before I found the fabric we seriously considered putting off buying “grown-up” furniture until the kids were grown up.
Just and FYI, I just passed this post along to a girl on my Ju Ju Be message board. Her daughter wrote with a Sharpie all over her bag.
Your celebrity continues LOL.
some nutter of a saleswoman stopped by, colored sharpie all over her clothes and then washed it right out with her “wonder” citrus spray.
http://www.advanage.com/
then she drank some to show me it was non-toxic. i still didn’t buy any. but since my couch got colored on last week, it would have been nice to have around. *m
I’m with Corinne — I use nail polish remover to get rid of permanent marker on things…even the non-acetate type works…check in a small hidden spot first, just in case.
What a day you had…ugh.
I dont know why I found this entire episode so amusing. My kids are now adults, but I remember one of them using a red sharpie to “connect the dots” on her sleeping baby brothers diaper rash covered butt……
Oh my, I came here via Abbey Goes Design Scouting. I don’t have kids, so I can’t say what a parent would say when they find their little angel has done something like this, but my first thought was “oh my God, I’d be put in jail for murder.” I’m sure the little guy thought it was just about the best thing ever, too. I mean, he was decorating, right? :) Well done!
Did anyone notice the ‘culprit’ sitting, smiling in his high chair?
Good post. I would have gotten new covers. But I’ll keep all the detergents used in mind.
I have a couch that is a similar color to yours, and whenever I wash the covers (I know I shouldn’t but I do it anyway), the water turns brown even if they were JUST washed. I always assumed it was dye running. Since they are not supposed to be washed, the dyes probably aren’t colorfast. Just a little input, in case that helps the icky feeling that your carefully-protected couch is stewing in major grunge.
When my daughter was 2, she found the Marks-a-Lot and colored the walls, the carpet, and some wood furniture with it. My husband used the Kirby and their carpet cleaner on the fabric, and everything came out. The wood furniture was old, so we sold it at a garage sale to someone more ambitious than we were. The wall we sanded and repainted.
Forgive me for taking pleasure in knowing that other moms share in this most memorable of toddler horror stories. After having been through nearly the same thing with our daughter and our permenant sharpie, i did not see anyone mention the product we were luckly enough to find through frantic googling and phone calls. Amodex was the name and it was a lifesaver. This nontoxic product went on with a toothbrush on our microsuede beige couch with unremoveable covers or pillows. At first it seemed to do little but with some elbow grease, reapplying and waiting (it actually seemed to work when we walked away for a few minutes at a time and gave me time to collect my breath). 2 years later, the slashes and spotted cushions are no more. I still have more than a bottle of it left as it did not take much and she got it alllll over.
Wow. I’ve never had to do that. I couldn’t believe you got that all clean. I will have to save this for someone who has this problem. It’s great to know.
I have a portable steam cleaner (Bissell Little Green), it was relatively cheap on amazon.com (free shipping too!) and is great for a monthly “wash” of my “do not wash” couch – even the arms/back. It really is pretty grody how much dust/dirt gets in there, especially with two dogs.
I got blue sharpie on my phone cover. I’ve tried rubbing alcohol, soap and water, and acetone MIGHT make the colors fade away. Is there a way to get it off? PLEASE HELP!!!
I know this is an old post but I just saw it today on apartment therapy. The best thing I have found to get red out is a product called Krud Kutter, sold in hardware stores (Lowes, HD). It got red marker/Kool Aid stains out of my carpet when nothing else did. Then again, the stains were fresh. Might want to give that a try. Someone at the hardware store recommended it. It stinks, but it works.
Wow great tips, permanent marker can be a nightmare
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