Cleaning hacks: Everyone is saying the same thing after a parent asked for help to remove permanent marker from a bench

Whether a child has decided to get artistic on something other than paper or you’ve accidentally marked a surface, permanent marker stains are a worrying sight.

But the scribbles might not be as permanent as the name suggests, with one first aid kit staple a common go-to to remove them.

The antiseptic was recommended in a Reddit post after a parent asked for help to remove marker that had been used to draw on a benchtop.

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“HELP!!!! Kid put permanent marker on counter while we are trying to sell our house!” they posted alongside a photo of the blue and black marks.

In response, rubbing alcohol was mentioned many times, along with isopropyl alcohol, which is the main ingredient in rubbing alcohol.

Hand sanitiser and hairspray were also suggested for a similar reason as they also contain types of alcohol (that are not for consumption).

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“Rubbing alcohol definitively works, but you will probably have to clean it multiple times before it comes out completely,” one said.

“Isopropyl alcohol is the ultimate solvent. Especially when you’re trying to remove marker or any sticky residues left by adhesives,” a Redditor commented.

“Rubbing alcohol works awesome for ballpoint pen too. I was at an interview and accidentally put a blue line across my dress pants. A swab of rubbing alcohol later and it was gone. Small gentle circles. Comes right out,” another commented.

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The second most common hack was using dry erase markers over the top of permanent marker, but one Redditor explained the reason this works is because isopropyl alcohol is one of the ingredients in dry erase pens so you might as well use rubbing alcohol in the first place.

The original poster took all the alcohol suggestions and ended up using a product that cleans brushes after painting.

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“Given the alcohol suggestions, I tried Klean Strip Brush Cleaner and it got me to this point. You can’t really tell in the picture, but the visible swirls are gone but there is now a purple hue to the area and I am stumped from here and also scared of what I can and cannot mix with that stuff,” they said asking what to do now.

However, several said it wasn’t noticeable so it’s OK to stop here while others said another round of an alcohol based cleaner is worth a try.

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“You could always apply more alcohol and wipe until everything is gone. Permanent marker is alcohol soluble but alcohol evaporates fast so after a few seconds of wiping it will deposit the ink back and you get this faint layer of ink,” one said.

In response another wrote, “Hand sanitizer is good for situations like this, where you need the alcohol but don’t want it to evaporate quite so quickly.”

If using rubbing alcohol remember to never mix it with bleach as this creates a toxic gas.

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