Sharpie Marker incident - need help

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I hope someone can help me. While I was still sleeping in the early morning, my wonderful SO (after telling him a month before to NEVER do it again due to the table incident, see below) let his twin DD's color on a balloon with a sharpie marker while on the COUCH. And you guessed it, one of the girls accidentally dropped the marker on the couch and I am now the proud owner of a red polka-dotted couch. On top of that they were playing with the balloon and it rubbed off on their fingers and they WIPED their fingers on the couch. So now on one side we have a red polka-dots, and the other side of the couch we have blue and pink blotches and finger prints.

I could just kill him, we haven't even had the couch for a year. The furniture store only suggests water and Dove soap and to not soak the stain and to blot the spots. Well that doesn't work, (DUH, because it is PERMANENT for a reason) They said they cannot suggest anything else because if anything happens then they would be liable.

I am so irritated. My SO should have had better sense not to give them a permanent marker because a month ago he let them play with the Sharpie markers and they got it on our coffee table. I explained to my SO that these markers are permanent and showed him where it says it on the pen because he didn't believe me and yup we still haven't gotten it off the table. Plus the girls are almost 9 years old and should no better than to WIPE their DIRTY fingers and hands on the couch.

So does anyone know how to get a permanent marker out of a tan microfiber couch?

 

[agnes!]

Hide the Sharpies since folks in your household like to be destructive with them.

Now on to the removal...don't have any specific ideas, but there is another thread about getting blood out of a mattress here on the CB - take a look there, I think the title is "getting blood out of mattress any ideas yuck". You might try some of that thread's suggestions, like hydrogen peroxide, Oxi-Clean, etc. (My personal favorite for getting ink out of stuff is aerosol hairspray.) And really, what do you have to lose? The sofa in its present state is basically ruined. Just make sure that you test whatever you are trying out in an inconspicuous place, in case it bleaches the fabric etc.
If nothing removes the ink, you could always take some of the cost of a new slipcover out of the girls' allowances, or "allow" them to work off some of the expense or "Sorry, we can't go to McDonald's this week, we have the sofa expenses..."

agnes!

 

[phillybeth]

Rubbing alcohol will remove Sharpie ink- we use it in the lab all the time. However I don't know what it will do to your table finish or your sofa fabric.

 

[Nite0wl71]

I know hairspray removes regular ink, but I am not sure about Sharpies.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Thanks for the suggestion, I am at my wit's end today.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Get ridof all Sharpie and markers.
Heck, my kids are 15 & 12 and I still don't have them

 

[tkd lisa]

I second the rubbing alcohol.

Basically, most things that aren't permanent are water soluble, and the things that are permanent can be dissolved with rubbing alcohol. A lesson I actually remember from High School chemistry! The water soluble things dissolve in polar solution, and the alcohol soluble dissolve in non-polar solutions.

 

[Brianne]

I've removed a great many things off my microfiber couches, but never Sharpie pen marks. I'm sorry that happened! Did you try looking at the Sharpie site or calling them? Maybe they've got an idea.

 

[ChristmasElf]

If all else fails, you may be able to contact the furniture store about maybe just getting the sofa cushions recovered in the same fabric.
Sorry to hear about your situation. I would be FUMING!!!

Good Luck!

 

[sleepyone]

I used hairspray to get permanent marker out of my sheets and off my island. Maybe it will work on your sofa. I hope you're able to get it out.

I'd give the markers to the kiddos one last time and tell them to have fun in the garage.

 

[TheGottis]

No help here on the sofa... but for the coffee table try a little bit of toothpaste (the paste not gel), rub in circular motion with a soft cloth, wipe then hit it with some polish. Should get it right out.

 

[sleepyone]

I second the rubbing alcohol.

Basically, most things that aren't permanent are water soluble, and the things that are permanent can be dissolved with rubbing alcohol. A lesson I actually remember from High School chemistry! The water soluble things dissolve in polar solution, and the alcohol soluble dissolve in non-polar solutions.

Yep! An easy way to remember, "use natural products to remove nature's stains, and synthetic to remove synthetic stains"

Peroxide (or the "oxy" products): for blood, puke, etc...
hairspray: for ink, marker, etc...

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

My SO needs the sharpie's for his work, but for right now I hid them even from him. I decided if he needs them for work then he is going to have to keep it in his work van and not in the house since he keeps giving them to his DD's. I can't wait to get home to try the rubbing alcohol, but I am afraid that if I use the rubbing alcohol that it will make the marker bleed.

My coworker suggested Oops, anyone try that product before on a couch??

 

[jenwolgey]

Try Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the coffee table. AS for the couch, alcohol or a Tide Pen. As the other posters said, what do you have to lose? Sorry-hope something works!

 

[DVC Jen]

hairspray and milk (although you may not wanna use milk on something you can't wash) has always gotten stains even sharpie stains off thing for me. I usually use and old toothbrush and scrub pretty hard.

You may have to use close to an entire can of hairspray..but keep going eventually it should come out.

 

[tinatark]

Darn it, I knew I should have posted about my dilemma last week - a sharpie got loose in a dryer full of pants - ruined 6 pairs... I need to learn to always ask to DIS folks about this stuff!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I have tried the magic eraser on the coffee table and pressed extremely hard, unfortunately that is the only thing I have found that the magic eraser can't get off!!!!

 

[momrek06]

ALSO not to make matters worse by hiding or disposing of those SHARPIES...go and buy some ERASABLE markers from Crayola and you will not need to worry about this happening again....and while you are buying those, buy some of the ERASABLE pens by Erasermate. As they will be writing more andd more for school and such, have them available to use. This will help THEM and save YOUR sanity!!!!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

ALSO not to make matters worse by hiding or disposing of those SHARPIES...go and buy some ERASABLE markers from Crayola and you will not need to worry about this happening again....and while you are buying those, buy some of the ERASABLE pens by Erasermate. As they will be writing more andd more for school and such, have them available to use. This will help THEM and save YOUR sanity!!!!

That's what makes it worse, we have all the erasable markers, pens, and crayons at our house and he gave them the Sharpies to draw faces on their balloons because nothing else would stay on the balloons but Sharpies. The girls even have their own "craft" table that they could use, but he let them stay on the couch, because I am sure it was much easier on him and then they wouldn't have to walk far in our huge 100 sq ft townhome!!!!

 

[Glynis]

I feel your pain! DH let my twin DD's play with Sharpies, and they colored all over my carpet. I had good luck getting it out with Oxi-Clean and a lot of elbow grease. I was amazed at how well it came out of the carpet. I don't know about micro-fiber, but I can't imagine the Oxi-clean would damage it. Good luck!