How do you clean permanent marker off of wood coffee and end tables without ruining the finish?
Laurie from Havre de Grace, MD
Do you have permanent marker on your wood furniture? Well, don't worry. Go to the store get Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Apply it and wipe the marker away, it doesn't hurt your wood.
By Desiree W.(10/17/2005)
Thanks so much for the help. I tried Pledge. It didn't work, then I tried some wood cleaner that didn't work, then I tried alcohol. It removed the stain right away! (11/13/2005)
By Celeste
I was so mad at my son for using a Sharpie on our new office furniture (also really mad at myself for letting him in the office unsupervised!) I saw the postings and rubbing alcohol worked like a charm! No need to go out and buy the Magic Eraser!(02/28/2006)
By vienna
Wow!! Great site, my five year old found a Sharpie and used it early this morning on laminate flooring, a computer desk, linoleum tile, a small wooden desk, the freezer, the fridge. I'm half expecting to find others.
I went to the drug store and sure enough both Mr Clean Magic Eraser AND Rubbing Alcohol (I used 95% Ethanol NOT 70% Isopropyl) were in stock. I found that the Ethanol worked well on the wood, but it left a trace in the linoleum. For some reason, it left a trace on the microwave, but took all the marker off the freezer and small wooden desk. I will post back with results of the Magic Eraser... but this has been interesting if nothing else.
Thank you VERY much to all for taking the time to post your experiences. (03/10/2006)
By Jim Jütte
My daughter was using permanent marker to make pictures, YIKES. It leaked through onto our brand new wood coffee table. I read on a site to use a regular old fashioned eraser. I didn't believe it, but what did I have to lose? It worked like a charm! You need a little elbow grease, but my coffee table looks new again! (03/10/2006)
By Tracy B.
Wow, what a life saver! My daughter just got permanent marker on our wood table; black, blue and red. Googled this site and found the answer. A regular eraser worked like magic. Thank you -- and my daughter thanks you since it will not be coming out of her allowance after all. (03/27/2006)
By Cali Nurse
I just told my daughter that when she goes to Sunday School tomorrow - she better Praise the Lord for the Magic Eraser! I cannot believe it just got green Sharpie off my family room coffee table! Thank you, everyone! (04/22/2006)
By Kathryn
I'm so happy I found this site. My 2 1/2 year old got hold of a blue sharpie pen and scribbled all over the front of my computer cabinet. I thought I was going to have to look at that forever. Using the pink eraser worked great but I had to really rub hard and my arm started to hurt. I then tried a magic eraser which worked fantastic. The marker came out completely and I didn't have to rub as hard. Thanks for the tips. I'm sure I'll be back for some other cleaning advice! (04/25/2006)
By Patty
I found that if you rub deodorant on the wood; then you erase it with a regular eraser, it will go away 99.9% of the way and the rest blends in with the wood. Thank you lots! (05/16/2006)
By Mark L.
A regular eraser was doing the job, but the Magic Eraser cut the time at least in half. Now I won't have to put the kids up for adoption when their father comes home! (05/18/2006)
By Carol
People! The eraser did remove most of the permanent marker from my hardwood floor (with a lot of elbow grease, because my 2 year old damaged a large area) but the eraser also took the finish off the floor. I stopped, went to the pantry and grabbed the Goo Gone and decided to go for it with this powerful stuff, since nothing else was going to work. Guess what! 10 seconds after spraying it on the site, I wiped it with a dry cloth and it disappeared immediately.
By Angela
I can't believe the Magic Eraser took the Sharpie artwork of my two year old out in no time - with little effort! Saved my brand new dining room table! It is important to go back and wipe-down, otherwise a chalky reside remains when dry. I just went immediately over it with half and half - H20 and vinegar. Looks perfect! Thanks for posting - your advice was a life saver... (06/03/2006)
By PK
I saw the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Idea and was about to run to the store first thing tomorrow, but I saw the Goo be gone listing by one guy and tried the stuff I have called Goof off. It took the marker off my laminate floor without the elbow grease. Cool. Thanks for the help. (06/11/2006)
By Janell in Roseville, CA
First, I tried Goo Gone, which did not work for me. Then I used an off-brand eraser. It worked like a charm getting the marker off, but it did scratch the table a little, which will no longer be noticeable the next time I polish the table (and it is probably only still noticeable to me).
Maybe it is more noticeable because it is a light colored solid wood table, and not a darker or laminate wood finish (it is probably the same with solid wood floors as opposed to laminate wood floors). If it happens again I will try the rubbing alcohol first and then the eraser, which takes the marker off because it is mildly abrasive, not some secret chemical.
If I use the eraser again, I will polish the wood first, that way hopefully only the polish will get scratched away with the marker. (06/18/2006)
By Roxanne
I am SO happy I found this site. My 4 yr old got a hold of a BLACK permanent marker and was putting dots on a piece of paper AND my husband was supposed to be watching her while I was cooking dinner. Needless to say, he wasn't on top of the situation and there were little black dots on 2 nice size areas on the table. I went and got the hairspray thinking it would take it out. WRONG!
Well, after she kept throwing a fit cause I took the marker away from her and after I chewed my husband out I found this wonderful site. I used a Magic Eraser without using very much effort at all it ALL came out. I then washed the table down with dishwashing liquid and then used furniture polish and now it looks like my 4 year old never touched it and my husband is out of the doghouse. (06/19/2006)
By Tarena
The regular pink eraser worked beautifully and FAST to remove black permanent marker from a Longaberger basket. I was amazed! Thank you! (07/22/2006)
By Valerie
I was writing on a CD with a permanent paint marker and somehow it got all over my hands without me knowing and then I proceeded to touch all over my desk with my hands. Brand new desk as well. Thanks for the advice. I used the deodorant and an average pencil eraser to help remove the oil-based paint marker. Thanks again! (07/22/2006)
By Single guy with marker
Thank you so much, OFF bug spray did the trick right away. How amazing!(08/05/2006)
By Cristen
I read the responses to this and thought, "No way this will work. I use the Magic Eraser for tons of stuff, but there's no way it will take indelible ink off of my mom's antique hutch. But it's worth a try."
Minutes later, the ink is gone. Unbelievable! Thank you so much! You just saved my three year old from boarding school! (08/17/2006)
By Erin
The off worked perfectly on my countertop. (08/20/2006)
By Kevin
Wow! Tropical Off worked on a black sharpie stain on my wood countertop. My 5 year old owes his video game privileges to you guys! (08/26/2006)
By Zak
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