It’s all too easy to despair once permanent marker has been scrawled on clothing, furniture and carpet.
Luckily there are a few simple cleaning tricks guaranteed to restore a range of surfaces to pristine condition.
A social media post that is going viral on Facebook has revealed that it is not only easy to remove the stains, chances are you’ve probably already got everything you need at home.
The ‘hacks’ include using hand-sanitiser to remove stains from clothing, toothpaste or hairspray for marker-stained walls and rubbing alcohol for wood.
One of the hacks revealed how permanent marker could be removed from clothing using hand sanitiser
The product is applied to clothing using a soft cloth (for best results using absorbent paper towels underneath to blot up excess liquid)
The garment after it has been blotted with hand sanitiser barely shows any traces of the permanent marker
According to the list of hacks, carpet which is notoriously difficult to clean once stained with permanent marker, responds well to white vinegar.
The list also extends to dinnerware, crockery and glassware. To remove marker stains from these items simply make a paste of toothpaste and baking soda.
The post also shared a trick for cleaning whiteboards. These can be restored to pristine condition by using a dry erase marker (these are markers specifically designed for use on a whiteboard).
Permanent marker can also be removed from walls using hairspray or toothpaste
Hairspray is simply applied to the affected area and then gently rubbed with a cloth
The end result shows the permanent marker has all but been removed
Permanent marker can be a nightmare to remove but this list of cleaning hacks (pictured) is guaranteed to make the job easier
If you don’t happen to have any of these markers handy, a pencil eraser will also do the trick.
As to be expected, the social media post is a hit with many and at the time of writing it had been shared 1.8 million times and liked by more than 53,000 people.
Many who left comments also chimed in with their own hacks for removing permanent marker.
Toothpaste also proved a handy cleaning agent for removing marks from ceramics, including tiles
Simply apply toothpaste to a cotton ball and gently scrub the affected area
The end result shows how the toothpaste has faded the marks to the point where they’re barely recognisable
One woman, Andrea said the swimmers she knew who used permanent marker on their bodies when racing, removed this with sunblock spray and a paper towel.
Another woman, Taira said hand sanitiser had worked a treat for removing from toddlers’ skin.
A third recommended for ‘facial Sharpie attacks’ to simply leave alone as the oil in the skin will loosen it and it ‘will wash right off!’