Clear Unsightly Blemishes: the Case of the Ballpoint Baby Doll
Blogging makes me weirder. My friend told me her son drew all over her childhood baby doll with a pen, and my first response was to excitedly ask "Could I borrow the doll?" I did have a legitimate reason for asking- we're testing a permanent ink remover for review and I had not yet tried it on a doll.
So wee Elizabeth came to visit (I can't say young Elizabeth as she's almost as old as I am). The young artist in residence had tattooed her with a giveaway ballpoint pen. He didn't just doodle a image here or there, we're talking full-pathology facial tattoos including eyelids (seriously, back away slowly from anyone with these), skull tattoos, leg tattoos, and marks on the hands and soles of the feet resembling stigmata.
I figured the inexpensive ink didn't have a chance against my long list of cleaning ideas. My friend's husband had tried a magic eraser which yielded no results.
The permanent ink remover did absolutely nothing against the ink. Across a week, I tried almost everything in my normal stain-removal arsenal (I skipped a couple things that seemed potentially damaging to the plastic/vinyl):
baking soda paste- 409
- rubbing alcohol
- vegetable oil
- Murphy's oil soap
- Simple Green
- dishsoap
- GoJo handsoap with pumice
- toothpaste
- CarpetAid+
- waterless hand cleaner (works well on grease stains)
- non-acetone nail polish remover
- adhesive remover
- evaporated milk (works like a charm lifting recent ink stains out of fabrics)
I trolled the Internet for answers and came up with one so insane I would normally have passed it up. Next thing I knew I was buying 10% benzyl peroxide acne cream for a doll. A toy collectors' forum suggested that acne cream and sunlight could remove the ink stains without bleaching the doll's skintone or removing painted accents.
On an overcast afternoon, I smeared a tiny bit on a test patch and left Elizabeth on our dining room table for the last hour and a half of sunlight. Having been disappointed by every other test, I didn't expect much from this solution with or without sunlight. When I checked Elizabeth, the test spot was entirely free of ink stains. Her plastic seemed otherwise unaltered by the cream.
Elizabeth spent yesterday sunbathing in the dining room. The darkest stains took around 4 hours of bright sunlight to disappear. Many of the lighter stains were gone in 2 hours.The top of her head was shadowed by her body, so I used a small regular mirror (don't use a magnifying one for this!) and bounced sunlight to the top of her head while the rest of her graffitied body got full sun. It worked on the same timeline as direct sun exposure. Later, I moved the mirror to give additional illumination to her curving hands. The reflected light could reach some frequently shadowed places.
Moral of the story? Don't leave pens unattended around toddlers -or- be very cautious about wearing acne cream in direct sunlight.***This is the independent opinion of Baby Toolkit. We have no affiliations with acne cream manufacturers. We are not chemists, skin care experts, nor professional cleaners, so take everything we say here with a grain of salt. (c) Baby Toolkit, 2007- all rights reserved.
41 comments:
Why not just use Goo Gone?
I forgot it on the list of products I tried, but Goo Gone did not work either.
Don't know if anyone's mentioned this, but benzoyl peroxide, like the other peroxides, is a strong oxidizer. The sunlight speeds up the action - you're basically bleaching the ink away.
It should work on fabric as well, provided it's already white, and the cream is washed out after the marks have disappeared.
Very clever, though.
Any idea if it would work on stamp ink? I have an original cabbage patch kid that in my young days thought she could use some tattoos and used a cabbage patch kid stamp and blue ink all over her head. My mom was so mad - i don't think I thought it was permanent until he yelled.
Last anonymous is right--as anyone who's ever used this kind of acne cream and then slept on a colored sheet can tell you. It removes blemishes from your face and creates them on the pillowcase.
that's amazing...i too am in the ink removal business (from paper, books etc) and found that amodex doesn't work as well as people think. it all depends on the surface being cleaned. (and goo gone isn't good for much beyond taking labels off plastic)
but this is such an amazing demo, i am spreading the word.
joyce
www.sicpress.com
It use to drive my mom crazy when I was a kid. I used Benzoyl Peroxide-based acne medication before going to bed and it would bleach certain coloured pillow cases. Namely blue, green and purple. Didn't seem to affect other colours though...
I have a special affinity for this post because that doll is identical to one of my favorites from childhood!! It's not my children who've added ink to some of my dolls, but rather my younger sister when we were kids. I'll have to keep this in mind. Thanks!
I'm sure Elizabeth enjoyed her day at the spa, and we can't wait for her return home. I'm sure my daughters baby dolls haven't seen the last of the ink monster!
Knowing my son, I'm sure I will have future challenges for you to solve and blog!
Thank you so much for saving my most childhood toy!
really good to know... thanks, baby toolkit!
Not only do I remember how badly Benzoyl peroxide bleached my shirts, pillowcases, etc, but as a teen I distinctly remember getting some of the worst sunburns of my life when I was trying out a new acne cream that contained it.
I ended up preferring zits to those burns. That stuff is really potent.
HAIRSPRaY and WD40 work as well
deryke:
hairspray's active cleaner is alcohol- so rubbing alcohol should have the same or better results.
WD40 eats through the heat shrouds on engines, so I didn't want to see what it might do to a doll- plus it goofs with people's nervous systems, so I didn't want it (even as residue) around kids.
I loved reading this post - so entertaining! And it's a good tip to boot - I'll have to keep this one in mind. :D
How cool! I almost wish I had an ink-covered doll to try this on!
Happy Holidays!
Ball point pen marks are best removed by alcohol gel hand sanitizers. The gel form keeps the alcohol in contact with the ink longer than liquid rubbing alcohol, so it works many times better. I've used benzoyl peroxide as well as other bleaching agents, but only for the final traces after alcohol gel.
:) Thanks... this was amusing to read, and potentially practical, too!
Haha, this is fantastic.
Not sure if you or someone else has mentioned this...but would this potentially work on pen marks on jeans or something like that? or is it only baby doll skin? haha.
the Jerc:
Try soaking the pen marker portions of the fabric in evaporated milk for a few hours. It lifts out the ink. I think it's the condensed fats that do it, so don't use the fat free variety.
(My dad's an old-school engineer who has a habit of carrying pens in his shirt pocket. When the pocket protector went out of style, he started having loads of pen mishaps. I've seen many an ink stain removed this way.)
p.s. Jim reports that whole milk (and presumably evaporated milk also) removes ink stains from the mouth and teeth. Just one such pen explosion can reform most pen chewers.
That is super cool!
anne at annenahm.com
the Jerc: Don't use benzoyl peroxide on your jeans unless you want them bleached! I've found the best way to get ballpoint pen and Sharpie (yes, Sharpie!) marks out of clothing is hairspray. Spray it on, wait a few minutes for it to dissolve, and rinse out. I haven't tried the rubbing alcohol, but I imagine that would work just as well.
The only ink I haven't been able to remove with hairspray is dry-erase marker from fabric. Can anybody help with this? How can you get it out?
sandra:
Rubbing alcohol might be too strong a concentration for cotton demin fabric. The hairspray is more diluted, so I'd stick to that.
everyone is helpful on this blog, haha. such good advice - thanks all!
Hair spray works amazing on materials. I guess it's the alcohol? I just spray it on, let it sit a bit, scrub a little and rise it out.
I am so glad you figured out something that works for the ink on doll skin- amazing! I always thought it was a lost cause.
Could I use this on a darker-hued doll? I know (from sad, tragic personal experience) that spilling Clearasil onto new Jordache jeans ruins them (big bleachy stain--it was AWFUL)but would it lighten our doll as well?
Regarding ballpen ink on fabric I have been successful for years in removing those stains - or accidents for Glycerin. You buy a tiny bottle in the pharmacy (overcounter) and use it for this purpose only - I keep it in same box as leather cleanser and leather nourisher. I have been successful in cleaning cashmere sweaters and jeans. Let the fabric at the stain soak the glycerin, rub with an old toothbrush and then wash in the washer or handwash the cashmere sweater or garment.
I wondered if glycerin would have worked on the doll as well - but I doubt...
Paige:
I was really worried that the cream would discolor the doll's skin tone- and it didn't.
With a darker doll- I would try an inconspicuous test patch (think tiny heart shape on the bottom) and leave it in direct sunlight for a full day (removing it immediately if you see signs of color loss).
If it doesn't fade, I'd try it on the ink. Always be careful to wash the cream off completely when finished.
Ana:
Your glycerin trick sounds great! I'll try it next time we get ink on fabric.
i tried on the hairspray trick. but it won't work. how do i do it? do i just wait for it to remove the marks?
my soft leather bag's stained. :(
please help me :(
hi anonymous-
I'm sorry about your handbag.
I know noting about leather care and cleaning.
For best results, please visit your local dry cleaning shop (one that does specialty cleaning of leather and suede) and see what the true professionals recommend. If you have the pen that left the marks take it along or tell them as much as you know. There's a big difference in ball point ink, gel ink, and permanent ink.
If they deem the bag a lost cause, then try a DIY solution as a last resort (as the experiment could ruin your bag entirely).
If it's a stray pen mark, I might just try leaving the bag bright sunshine for a few days to see if it fades.
If it's big mark- like an ink pen blow-up, then I would try the acne creme and sunlight (though it could leave greasy marks or bleach the leather's color).
Good luck! Please let us know how it turns out!
Hi My 2 year old daughter drew all over her Baby Annabel doll's head tried everything nothing worked seen your site and bought some 10%benzoyl peroxide acne cream from asda £2.29 and it worked, it's all gone. We would like to Thank you as the doll cost £35 and my daughter loves playing with her.
Thank you very much.
welshielee:
I'm glad this trick worked for you too. We were so relieved when Elizabeth's (the vintage doll in our post) ink disappeared because we had tried over a dozen other techniques with no real success.
Can anyone tell me what is the best way to remove pen from a stuffed turtle? There is nothing on the tags to help with this.
Can anyone provide me with any ideas on what I can use to get pen off a stuffed turtle? The tags dont say anything at all.
Adrienne & anyone who might know?
Does Anyone know the product name of THAT baby doll?? --- I Have been searching everywhere to find it!
please contact me at
mennie182@hotmail.com
This really works! I tried it yesterday. I was skeptical after reading this blog, but I had tried everything to remove a ballpoint ink mark from the light gray vinyl interior of my Tacoma. The stray mark was left by a careless technician at the service center. I was fuming. I bought a tube of Clearasil at the grocery and took advantage of our sunny afternoon. I smeared some on the roughly 2-inch slash and waited. I checked after about 45 minutes and it was much lighter, so I applied again and let it sit about an hour. Joila! It was gone and I'm no longer stalking the dealership! (just kidding!) Lori in Cincinnati OH
Yay, Lori!
I'm glad your seat is again blemish-free!
I understand your skepticism; I felt the same way when I first saw it, but I'd already tried oodles of wacky stuff (so what was one more failure?). This whole acne creme method just sounds like a old wive's tale.
Does anyone know what I would use to remove ink (from shopping bags) from the interior leather seats? Any ideas are greatly appreciated. B
nice post
HYDROQUINONE 2% AND SUNSHINE
I searched high-and-low for a great off-white tote bag. I found one at Limited at 1/2 off the price. So, I was heartbroken when a lady at the bank accidentally put a pen line on the bag.
After reading the hints on this blog, I had a light-bulb moment!
I took my skin lightener (for age spots :( that is expensive) and lightly brushed it on the penline.
I put the bag out in the sun for a few hours.
Now it is GONE! Make sure, if you use this hint, that you wipe the lightener off with clear water on a cotton ball.
OH, HAPPY DAY!
Hi Adrienne
I recently bought a new Jaguar XF motor car with light beige trim. Unfortunately my friend managed to mark the trim with a biro. The guy at the Jaguer dealer said it would come off with a damp cloth. It didn't. I found your blog. The acne cream solution worked like a dream. Thank you!
Wow, am so glad I decided to look on internet. My daughter has drawn all over baby annabels face and I couldn't remove it with anything. Can't wait to get to the shops tomorrow to buy some acne cream!! Thank you soooooo much Adrienne.
Jacqui
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