How do I get blue ink out off the walls of a clothes dryer?
Robin from Thousand Oaks, CA
You can try finger nail polish remover, the kind NOT made for artificial nails, it has Ketone in it. They say that hairspray will also work, but I think that's because of the alcohol in it. I've also read that Tea Tree oil will remove ball point ink.
Some years back the cleaning pros came to our house to clean up a recliner chair my boyfriend had bought a 2 year guarantee on. His son had drawn all over it with a ball point pen and it was a mess! They quickly and easily got every single bit of the ball point ink out while I watched. I asked them what they used and they showed me a bottle of professional ink cleaner. I bet you could buy some of it on the internet!
But remember there are all types of ink, some alcohol based and some pigment or oil based. You didn't tell us exactly what kind of ink you have in your dryer. Is it from a pen or did one of the kids throw in a old printer ink cartridge? Grin. (11/08/2008)
By Cyinda
Without a doubt the magic eraser and the non-acetone nail polish remover worked instantly. Make sure to run the dryer for a few minutes first to heat it up. Thanks for the advice and website! (11/09/2008)
By Aaron
(submitted via email)
Off Family Care with Skintastic! I know it sounds weird but the ink just starts running. I tried everything!
Nothing worked! But the Off took it off almost completely. Don't use a towel, use paper towels.
Jessica (11/10/2008)
By Jess
I use hairpray and a papertowel. But I have also used alcohol. Good Luck! (11/13/2008)
I recommend the towel method by far over any of the other tips offered. I drenched 2 towels in bleach and some hot water but not as much as I did bleach. I put them in the dryer and let it run. My predicament was far worse since I had 2 not just 1 ink pen explode in my dryer. Big blotches of ink all over the drum of my Cabrio dryer. I trusted my son who said he had cleaned out the pockets to all of his dirty clothes. I have been a mother for over 26 years so you think I would have learned by now but I haven't.
It was a giant mess and I was going crazy since my dryer is barely 1 1/2 years old. Now I know why I don't trust my son to wash his own clothes. I used the Off method also but it didn't get the big globs of ink off very well and it smeared the ink when it came to trying to clean the big globs up. The smell was awful. The towel method was far easier and with perfect results. Martha Stewart would be proud of me. You can believe my son and I will be having a discussion about leaving pens from work in his pockets again. A bottle of bleach is also far cheaper then the Off. (11/23/2008)
By Lori T.
Paint Remover!
That is the answer. At least for a normal ball point pen. After trying 4 of the above suggestions, my boyfriend, whose Cargo shorts were also the culprit figured it out.
Remember: paint remover, not paint thinner. You can get it at Ace Hardware. (12/07/2008)
By rhondaar
I used OOPS Water Based it worked great you can find it at any hardware store its also made by the same company as Goo Gone. (01/31/2009)
By Ann
Alright, I found the easiest way to get the ink removed. Just use Shout Ultra Gel, with the cleaning brush. This works effectively and effortlessly. Just scrub the area a little and then it lifts the ink right out. After that run a sponge or hand towel and it comes right off. (02/02/2009)
By Richi
I used the Avon Skin So Soft with sunscreen to remove the ink from my dryer. It worked perfectly. No smudges no stains. Thanks for the recommendations. (02/08/2009)
By Chris
I found something new that hasn't been mentioned yet. The hand cleaner called Fast Orange. It is abrasive, and you will need to scrub, but it will smell like oranges. (02/24/2009)
By Jim
I left a blue ink pen in my coat. My friend washed my coat without checking the pockets. So now we have blue ink everywhere in the dryer. I used fine steel wool to clean the ink out it took some scrubbing but worked very well and you did not have to worry about a fire from using flammable liquids. (02/25/2009)
By James D.
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