With children across the country back to school and into the swing of lessons, one of the most frustrating – yet common – stains to wind up on their uniform is ink. Pens explode, cartridges leak, or kids leave them in their jacket pockets without a lid. While it might feel like nothing will get the ink out, particularly without intense scrubbing, there actually is a hack that will save the shirts.
Cleaning influencer Kaye Marie says that she has found the perfect solution to getting ink out of clothing – and the hack uses a product you likely already have at home in your bathroom cupboard. She told her 555,000 TikTok followers that nail polish remover can be dabbed onto the affected area for efficient stain removal.
The art to removing the ink stain is “dabbing”, she explains, and you should be careful not to rub nail polish remover in.
Kaye shows how she gently dabs the liquid onto the affected area with a cloth, which lifts the ink stain right off. She adds that hairspray also works, but it “just takes longer”.
It is important to act quickly when it comes to ink stains, cleaning brand Vanish explains. This is because the longer the ink sits on the fabric, the more difficult it can become to remove.
If the stain is fresh, the first thing you should do is blot the area gently with a cloth or paper towel to absorb as much ink as you can. You should avoid rubbing the mark as “this can spread the ink and make it worse”, Vanish warns.
Laundry hacks
Kaye also shared her method for brightening white socks which may seem like they’re beyond saving. She says: “All you’re going to need is some Milton tabs. Milton is such a good whitening agent; you can find it on the baby aisle.” She demonstrates how she adds the socks to a bucket with the tablets and boiling water.
Another issue that affects shirts is sweat marks. Fortunately, all you need to tackle these is white vinegar. The cleaning guru says: “Pop it in a bowl and douse the whole area. I like to leave it on the area for at least a good hour then I pop them on a 60 wash. No odours, no stains, they completely disappear.”
For dirty collars, meanwhile, the best solution is Fairy Liquid, Kaye explains. She continues: “Rub the Fairy Liquid into the collar and pop it on your normal wash cycle, your shirts will come out looking brand new.”
