How to Get Ink out of a White Shirt

Co-authored by Rani Gorgis

Last Updated: March 12, 2023 References

Your pen leaks, and now you're left to clean up the aftermath. How can you save your new white shirt? To get ink out of white clothing, you'll need to act quickly.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Pre-treating Ink Blotches with Hydrogen Peroxide

1
Identify the areas covered in ink. Ink really can get everywhere, and it is best to get it out as quickly as possible. That means you must identify all of the ink-covered areas as soon as you can.
2
Mix one part dishwashing detergent with two parts of hydrogen peroxide. Both of these agents are effective stain and pigment removers on their own. Combinations of the two are considered to be among the strongest of household cleaners.^{[1]
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- Though it is uncommon, hydrogen peroxide can damage certain types of fabrics. While peroxide is one of the most powerful cleaners you could use, you may not want to use it on the most delicate or valuable of clothes.^{[2]
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- While it is always best to try to remove ink marks or any other potential stains as quickly as possible, the peroxide and dish soap treatment is also considered effective on older marks. Follow these same instructions to remove the stain.
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3
Apply the mixture to the ink-covered areas and let it sit. Make sure all of the ink-covered areas are covered in this mixture. Allow the substance to soak in and begin to work on its own over a period of 5 to 10 minutes.
4
Work the cleaning mixture in with your fingers or an old toothbrush. Make sure that the substance gets all of the way into the material. You should already begin to notice less ink in the fabric of the shirt.
5
Wash the shirt. There is a difference of opinion about the best water temperature to remove ink. Some argue that hot water is most effective. A bare majority says that hot water only sets the ink and results in a stain.^{[3]
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Research source}^{[4]
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Research source} Just to play it safe, cold water may be the best washing option.
- Wash the shirt by itself. The ink can be transferred from the shirt to other pieces of clothing in the wash, so it should be kept to itself.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Pre-treating Delicate Fabrics with Milk

1
Identify all of the ink-covered areas of the shirt. Because ink tends to be sticky, and can easily spread well beyond the initial area of a spill. Give the entire shirt a good look-over to make sure that you have found all affected areas.
2
Place the affected areas of the shirt into a saucer of milk. If necessary, place the entire shirt into a bowl a milk to make sure that all affected areas are covered. Allow it to sit for at least ten minutes, and up to an hour.^{[5]
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- Milk is one of the mildest potential cleaning agents you can use, and there is not known fabric that can not be treated in this way.
- It may be best to use 2 percent or whole milk. While the water in milk will pick up most types of dyes, the fats in whole and 2 percent milk will absorb others.
- This form of treatment is really only effective for the freshest of ink marks. Dried stains will not be affected by soaking in milk.
3
Rinse the shirt in water. Rinse out some of the milk and ink in your kitchen or bathroom sink.
4
Assess the ink marks. If there are only minor marks indicating where the spill had been, the milk treatment has worked. If the ink is largely unaffected, you may have to try an alternative method.
5
Wash the shirt. As noted above, there is a difference of opinion about the effectiveness of hot versus cold water. Some argue that hot water is most effective. A bare majority says that hot water only sets the ink and results in a stain.^{[6]
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Research source}^{[7]
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Research source} Just to play it safe, cold water may be the best washing option.
- Wash the shirt by itself. The ink can be transferred from the shirt to other clothes during the washing process.
6
Finished.