How to Remove Pen Ink Stains from a Silk Dress

Co-authored by Safir Ali

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Because silk is such a delicate and elegant material, you may worry that a tough stain like ink would be impossible to remove from a silk dress. Luckily, there are several ways to remove ink from silk, most of which use cleaners that you should already have in your home. It’s important to act as soon as the ink stain forms so that the stain doesn’t have time to set. As long as you act immediately and use gentle cleaning measures that don’t harm the silk fabric, your dress will soon be as good as new!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Soaking the Stained Dress

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1
Make a solution of dishwashing soap and water.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Safir Ali
Professional Dry Cleaner

Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} If dabbing at the stain with hairspray and rubbing alcohol didn’t work, you may need to soak your silk dress in a solution of dishwashing soap and water to get the rest of the stain out. In a large basin or container, mix 3 parts dishwashing solution with one part water.^{[2]
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- Use a clear dishwashing soap as opposed to a colored soap.
Place the ink-stained dress in the basin of dish detergent solution, making sure that the stained section is fully submerged in the liquid. Soak the dress for 15 minutes to target the stain.^{[3]
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After you soak the dress for 15 minutes, take the dress out of the dishwashing solution and run hot water over it until the solution seems to be washed out and the water is no longer sudsy. Then launder the silk dress as usual.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Removing Ink Stains Using Hairspray

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Treating the ink stain immediately will make removing the stain much easier.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Safir Ali
Professional Dry Cleaner

Expert Interview. 15 September 2020.} If the ink stain is recent and hasn’t set into the material, blot the ink stain with a cloth or paper towel before using any cleaning method. Blotting the stain will absorb the excess ink from the dress so that the stain is easier to remove.
2
Place the stained silk over a paper towel. Though it is not often used as a cleaning substance, hairspray is one of the most effective ways to remove ink from a variety of materials, including silk. Before you use the hairspray to clean the ink stain, first place the stained portion of the silk dress over a paper towel or a towel.^{[6]
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- The paper towel or cloth will absorb the ink that may bleed through the dress as you try to remove it. You may need to put the paper towel or cloth inside the dress directly against the stained section so that the ink doesn’t bleed to the back of the dress.
3
Spray the stain liberally with hairspray. After you lay the stained portion of the dress over the paper towel, shake the can of hairspray, then aim it at the ink stain. Spray the hairspray on the stain until it is completely saturated.^{[7]
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- Use an alcohol-based hairspray as opposed to an alcohol-free hairspray.
- Don’t let the hairspray dry.
4
Dab the stain with a clean cloth. Once you have wet the stain with the hairspray, immediately dab at the ink stain using a clean cloth with gentle tapping motions. You should see the ink lifting from the dress and transferring to the cloth. Keep dabbing until the stain is completely removed or until the dabbing isn’t having any effect.^{[8]
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- Dab with patting motions instead of rubbing. Rubbing the stain can cause it to ingrain into the fabric, making it even harder to remove.
5
Repeat spraying and dabbing until the stain has been removed. If the first round of spraying the stain with hairspray and dabbing didn’t remove the ink stain, spray the stain again until the stain is soaked. Then dab the stain with a clean section of the towel to lift up more of the ink.^{[9]
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- Repeat the process of reapplying hairspray and dabbing with a cloth or paper towel until you don’t see any more ink lifting.
- If you did remove the stain, wash your silk dress as usual to remove any leftover hairspray.
- If using hairspray on the stain didn’t fully remove it, try another method of removing the stain.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Rubbing Alcohol To Remove the Stain

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If cleaning the ink stain with hairspray wasn’t fully effective, you may need to use rubbing alcohol, which is a more powerful cleaning solution. To begin, place the stained portion of the dress over a cloth or paper towel, just as you did before you sprayed with dress with hairspray.^{[10]
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After you lay out your silk garment, pour about 2 teaspoons (9.85 ml) of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) to a clean cloth. Use a clear rubbing alcohol as opposed to wintergreen alcohol, since the green pigment of wintergreen alcohol can stain your silk dress further.^{[11]
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Once you add the rubbing alcohol to the clean cloth, dab at the stain with gentle tapping motions just as you did when using the hairspray. Continue patting until you don’t see any more of the ink lifting from the stained portion of the dress.^{[12]
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4
Blow the stained area with a hairdryer. Rubbing alcohol can sometimes leave a faint ring-like stain where it is applied. However, if you use a hairdryer to blow hot air on the stain directly after dabbing with the rubbing alcohol, you won’t have to worry about the ring- like stain.^{[13]
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- Use the hairdryer to blow on the stained area until it is dry. Make sure to use the hairdryer directly after dabbing so that the rubbing alcohol doesn’t have time to dry.
5
Repeat steps 2-4 until the stain is removed. If dabbing with rubbing alcohol didn’t work to fully remove the stain, repeat the process of dabbing the stain with rubbing alcohol and drying with hairspray until the stain is removed or you aren’t making any more progress in lifting the stain.^{[14]
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- If you were successful in removing the stain, launder your garment as usual. If you didn’t fully remove the stain, try another method to get it out.

Community Q&A

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Where can I get the rubbing alcohol from?

Community Answer

You can buy it at any drugstore, grocery store or online. It is usually in the first aid section.

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Things You'll Need

Hairspray
Rubbing alcohol
Large bucket or basin
Clear dishwashing soap
Clean cloths

Tips

Don’t put your silk dress in the dryer while the stain is still present. Drying the dress will set the stain.

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If the stain is still present, you may need to get the help of a professional. Visit a professional dry cleaner to get help removing the stain.

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