# Get the marker on my screen! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288 "2003-04-22T11:42:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/1 "2003-04-22T11:42:04Z")
I’ve got a really nice flat-screen moniter, and I’ve just gone and messed it all up. I accidentally hit it with a sharpie marker, so now I’ve got a permamnent black mark down by the corner of the screen. Is there any way to get it off?? I’m afraid that anything strong enough to remove that kind of mark would damage the screen. Am I forced to just live with it until I eventually get a new computer? There’s gotta be something I can do. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/2 "2003-04-22T11:47:35Z")
Would nail-polish remover damage the screen? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/3 "2003-04-22T13:15:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ice Wolf \* > \*\*Would nail-polish remover damage the screen? \*\* Quite possibly. Acetone will cause many types of plastic to haze, or fracture. If a spray on cleaner doesn’t work, I’d try vodka. There are many differnt kinds of sharpy ink, and a lot of them are soluble in, generally plastic friendly, alcohol. Use a cotton swab so you don’t get excess liquid flowing into the electronics. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/4 "2003-04-22T13:23:21Z")
You might try a Dry Erase marker used on white boards. I have used these markers to remove sharpie marks from white boards, and they might work on the screen as well. ---
**Author:** ![NotMrKnowItAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/5 "2003-04-22T13:35:17Z")
But try in the corner of the screeen first to see if it removes antiglare coatings or messes up the plastic! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/6 "2003-04-22T13:38:35Z")
**Squink** , I would like to thank you formally for giving me a valid reason to have vodka in my desk drawer. Now, these “sharpie markers” you speak of, where would one find these for sale? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/7 "2003-04-22T15:39:53Z")
Try Goof Off or Goo-be-Gone. Both are great for getting off sharpie marks. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/8 "2003-04-22T15:41:47Z")
Sharpie is #1 [http://www.lafpromo.com/Products/sharpie\_markers.htm](http://www.lafpromo.com/Products/sharpie_markers.htm) Goof Off is Great for getting rid of marker [http://www.goof-off.com/](http://www.goof-off.com/) ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/9 "2003-04-22T15:45:55Z")
Little known trick: Rubbing alcohol will remove permanent marker from almost any surface. Learned that when I was working at a video store. We used to mark our rental discs with sharipies, and used rubbing alcohol to clean them. It would invariably take all the markings right off. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/10 "2003-04-22T16:43:47Z")
Be careful. Flat screen monitors are easy to damage. Start with plain water, and check the manual before using **anything** else (even alcohol). And DO NOT use windex or other ammonia based cleaner – you will end up with permanent streaks on the screen. (I am, unfortunately, speaking from personal experience on that one.) ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/11 "2003-04-22T16:48:00Z")
**KneadtoKnow** - you could find Sharpie’s at any office supply store - I don’t know if you have Staples or Office Depot in you state, but something along those lines. Sharpie is a brand name of permanent marker. They come in all different sizes and colours, and are really useful. If the Sharpie is on the glass of your monitor, acetone might be ok, unless there is some protective coating on the outside of the monitor screen. We use Sharpies on glass all the time, and use acetone or alcohol (generally IPA rather than ethanol) to wash it off (though any organic sovent should do). If you haven’t already, try it on a small spot to see what will happen. ---
**Author:** ![radar\_ralf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/12 "2003-04-22T16:58:01Z")
If the monitor screen is glass, try Cutter’s Insect Repellant Spray. First, spray a little on a tissue and wipe the offended area. Then use a glass cleaner to remove the Cutter’s. WD-40 works, too, but takes several applications. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/13 "2003-04-22T17:13:10Z")
Another, non-chemical trick you might try: A pencil eraser. I’ve found that a pencil eraser works pretty well at removing permanent marker from nonporous surfaces. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/14 "2003-04-22T20:18:32Z")
At last, I have balanced my _whoosh_ karma. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/15 "2003-04-23T01:38:12Z")
A couple of the posters here have suggested ways to get marker off glass screens. But I’ve never seen a flat panel display that had a glass screen - they’re all some type of plastic, and might be seriously damaged by things like acetone, alcohol, Cutter’s, glass cleaner, or WD-40. A flat panel display is too expensive to ruin by getting careless, so a lot of caution is called for! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/16 "2003-04-23T02:28:58Z")
Thanks everyone for your help and input! This is a lot more feedback than I’d expected. I’m gonna see what I can find in the manual (assuming I can find the manual itself…) Failing that–or in addition to it, probably–I’ll check out Gateway’s help site and see what I can get from there. I know they’ve got a feature where you can talk to a live person; hopefully that will help. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Dirx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@Sir\_Dirx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Dirx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/17 "2003-04-23T02:34:48Z")
**Early Out** , you’re right, it’s not glass. This is why I’m so concerned about the whole ordeal, and was wondering if there was anything that could be done to fix the situation. I can’t believe how stupid I was; I just wasn’t thinking when it happened. I’d been really good with taking care of all aspects of my computer until now. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/18 "2003-04-23T02:59:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sir Dirx \* > **I’m gonna see what I can find in the manual…** I’ll save you the time: I just dug out my Gateway FPD manual, and the only thing it says about cleaning is to use a soft cloth moistened with plain water. Not likely to help your problem, is it?! Calling them is probably your best bet at this point. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/19 "2003-04-23T03:42:21Z")
Flat screen LCD: Almost always plastic Flat screen CRT: Almost always glass, perhaps some coating. Almost all computer equipment will warn you to wash it with a damp cloth only… if I had sharpie any of my monitors or laptops though, I’d break out the alcohol, sure. [size = 1]One for me, one for my monitor. One for me…[/size] ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288/20 "2003-04-23T03:57:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Another, non-chemical trick you might try: A pencil eraser. I’ve found that a pencil eraser works pretty well at removing permanent marker from nonporous surfaces. \*\* :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Um… NO! NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!NO! A pencil eraser is a rubber compound with embedded abrasives. It works like sandpaper and removes marks by removing the marking material and some of the surface the mark is on (and it will etch glass if sufficient pressure is applied ) . DO NOT use it on a flat screen monitor. It will ruin it! Bad Chronos! Bad physicist! Bad! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-the-marker-on-my-screen/170288.md?page=2)