I just left a Pilot Precise rolling-ball pen on a nice quilt worth hundreds of dollars. There’s a black stain about the size of a quarter on an area that’s almost white, a smaller one, and then a light one on a red area. We’ve soaked the area in hairspray and blotted it with paper towels which I’m told will help, and it does pick up ink but ten minutes hasn’t faded the stain. What do I do? Is there any danger in putting it in the washer, not drying it of course until it’s gone?
Also I’m wondering if the hairspray is actually safe. I’ll at least run it under water to rinse it out before it goes into the washer.
I also have a bleach pen I could try on the main stain, where it’s almost white. A little fading is better than a black stain.
eeeee… sometimes ink is just there to stay, unfortunately.
I have found that if anything is going to work, it’s usually the hairspray. A lot depends of course on the formulation of the ink, and the fiber content of the fabric you are working on.
You might try soakinh the area in milk. It might help, and it definitely won’t hurt. Try to pinch the fabric away from the quilt batting so as not to drench the whole thing.
The bleach pen is iffy…if the fabric contains any polyester or poly blend, the bleach could turn the white permanently yellow. Not much of an improvement, I am afraid. Haven’t tried the Tide pens, but I hear they work well.
Since the quilt is very valuable, I would have a professional fabric restorer take care of it. Call the museums in your area for recommendations. A high end fabric store might know of someone too. It may cost a bit but a good restorer will know how to remove all traces of the ink (probably) while doing the least damage possible to the fibers and dyes.
A carpet spot cleaner containing trichloroethylene (I think that’s how it’s spelled) will give it a good shot. You may have to repeat several times. After each application, cover the stain with a white cloth and step on it.
It’s not that valuable that I know of, such that we’d take it to a professional. I just know that my mother paid a few hundred for it when I was young and that it’s supposed to be about 130 years old (so no polyester I presume). I like it. I used the bleach pen and ran it thorugh the wash once, which reduced it to a smaller brownish stain. I’m putting it through again. It’s not that bad anymore.
There is a product called “Tech” . It has no smelly stff in it. Might work. not all at onece but apply rinse apply routine. Have you tried Oxyclean if you can’t find the Tech stuff?
Despite my user name, IANASE … but I would take it to a good dry cleaner first before doing anything else … perhaps keep it moist too, as I understand dried stains are harder to get out than wet ones …
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, DON’T DO THAT! You should* not *be putting a 130-year-old quilt through the washing machine. That is one of the worst things you could do to it. You’re stretching and putting strain on the fibers of the cloth, and the soap is likely leaving residue on the fabric. (If you can smell it, it’s on there.) Both of these things have the potential to destory the fabric.
Please don’t tumble-dry or put it on a clothesline. Lay it flat on a sheet on the floor and let it air dry.
I’ve always had good luck with plain ol’ rubbing alcohol, but if the hairspray isn’t getting any more ink out, then I doubt the IPA will either… Worth a shot, perhaps.
