Ballpoint pen ink gets harder to shift the longer it sits. Put a dry towel underneath and dab with rubbing alcohol.
Ballpoint ink is an oil-based dye: it resists water and dissolves in alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is therefore the tool, and the technique is dabbing, never rubbing โ rubbing simply spreads the dissolved ink. A towel underneath gives the ink somewhere to go, pulling it out of the garment rather than through it.
Method by fabric
Cotton and blends
What you need
- Rubbing alcohol, 70% or higher
- Dry towel
- Cotton swab
Steps
- 1Lay several layers of dry towel under the stain.
- 2Dab with an alcohol-soaked swab, working from the outside in.
- 3Move the towel often so a clean section is always underneath.
- 4When the ink fades, apply detergent and rinse cold.
- 5Wash, confirm it is gone, then dry.
White cotton
What you need
- Rubbing alcohol
- Oxygen bleach
- Dry towel
Steps
- 1With a towel underneath, dab with alcohol to transfer as much ink as possible.
- 2Apply detergent to what remains and leave ten minutes.
- 3Soak an hour in lukewarm water with oxygen bleach.
- 4Wash and check.
- 5Drying in sunlight helps with a faint remainder.
Synthetics
What you need
- Rubbing alcohol
- Dry towel
- Mild detergent
Steps
- 1Test the alcohol on a hidden area first โ some synthetics discolour.
- 2With a towel underneath, dab with a swab.
- 3Apply mild detergent and rinse lukewarm.
- 4Wash and dry in the shade.
Caution
Alcohol dissolves acetate and some other synthetics โ always test first.
Never do this
- Rubbing โ the dissolved ink spreads outward
- Working without a towel underneath โ the ink transfers to the back of the garment
- Machine washing before it is out โ the ink transfers to everything else