
I’m a mom of boys. I’m a mom of boys who like to get into everything. My youngest is the king of finding a marker anywhere and drawing on everything including himself. This is him lol. I still to this day do not know where he got the marker from or how he smuggled it into the car. We were on our way to the doctor’s office. We arrived and this is how I found him. Unfortunately, it was not just any marker. It was a sharpie so baby wipes did not work. After much laughter at the doctor’s office both from parents and the doctor, I made it my mission to know how to get sharpie out of everything. So from someone with experience let me save you the trouble and just tell ya how it’s done.
Skin
In the above situation skin was obviously the most important thing to clean up. Soap and water were a no go. Baby wipes were a failure. I even tried my husbands orange mechanic soap thinking it would help. While he did get a 1/2 shade lighter it was not effective. I called a friend and she said sunscreen. And guess what it worked!! I only had a bit but then I figured lotion might be helpful and yeeessss more progress! Thru trial and error, I also saw that hand sanitizer was a great option also. Someone said rubbing alcohol but with it being such a large area and him so young I didn’t want to try that. However, he is older now and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity and yes rubbing alcohol works also.
Clothes/Fabric
Next, I tackled his clothes. Important tip DO NOT RUB!! Always DAB with a clean cloth. Rubbing just spreads the stain. Products I have found effective in order of effectiveness best to still good but not the best are rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, aerosol hairspray, nail polish remover, and toothpaste. I have also heard that lemon juice and WD-40 are effective.My friend swears by it but I’ve never tried it. With all of the ones I listed, there was a little stain left so I used my go-to stain remover. I mixed Dawn dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda and made a paste. I used a toothbruh to rub it in and then I let it set. After washing good as new.
Walls and Doors
You would think after the situation above he would have had it out of his system but nope. I am also quite good at getting sharpie off walls and doors. When using the method of painted surfaces do small areas to make sure you are not removing the paint also. I have found rubbing alcohol, lemon essential oil, and nail polish remover to be the most effective. In the pictures below you see my sons latest artwork.
To show the effects of the different items I cleaned with 1 item in 3 spots. The furthest to the left is Lemon essential oil, the middle is nail polish remover, and all the way to the right is rubbing alcohol
When I was done I mixed toothpaste with some rubbing alcohol and went over it one last time and viola!!
Leather
We have leather furniture so I have also got to try my hand at this. I’m sure you are seeing the pattern. The kid has drawn on everything. I don’t have pictures of this but aerosol hairspray and white vinegar has worked the best. I was scared to try alcohol or nail polish remover so I went for less harsh things I knew worked on other items. The hairspray worked like a charm and the vinegar helped me clean up the remnants.
White Board or the Refrigerator
With this, the easiest method was to draw over the mark immediately with a regular dry erase marker and then wipe clean.
This is what my son has drawn on. Mom hacks to the rescue and most of it has been able to be salvaged. Hopefully, your kiddo is not as creative as mine but if there are hope this hacks work.
For more on kid messes and how to fix them visit our Kid Messes Page
I have lots of hilarious (now) moments with my kids and sharpies! These are great memories you can look back on, and always try whatever you can to clean it up!
Author
LOL yes they are hilarious after.
The little boy is so adorable! And nice to know that sharpies can still be erased using products that you can see in your kitchen. Thanks for sharing this.
Where was this list when my kids were little?! My twins loved to take sharpies to my storage ottomans (a weird almost velvety fabric) that I kept their toys in. I tried for days to get the stains out till finally I gave them back the sharpie and had them just finish their artwork all over the ottoman so at least it would match.
Such a beautiful picture! My baby is very young and these tips will be helpful when he grows up. It is difficult to stop kids from using sharpies.
Wow that is magic. I would call this an essential!
Oh! Poor baby! Seeing your son’s face in sharpie is horrifying (!!!). Thank you so much for this tip – sunscreen? who knew? And yes, sharpies are a doozie to remove (yikes!). Thank goodness for your tips!! Saving them…jjjuuuust in case. ❤
This is a great read, hilarious I could say, I think the Sharpie Marker would win, Mom has a small percentage of winning haha. I love the artwork of you kid, they cannot understand yet for now but as they grow, slowly they will for sure.
My husband is the stain master in our house. I can’t think of a stain he wasn’t able to get out.
Wow, what a mess! Lol I would freak out! Haha You are a miracle worker for sure!
Your little boy is so adorable. Such a crazy thing he did to himself. lol!! But good know that sharpie can erase and removed in what you see in your kitchen. I am going to show this to my cousin who had a 7 months old baby boy.
Author
Thank you!He is adorable but he is my one who gets into everything LOL but it makes for good stories when he is older.
Omg I love that picture though. When I first saw it I was like WHAT HAPPENED???? I love it though
Author
lol when I saw him the first time I was like OMG what happened!!?? Then I realized LOL
Brilliant. You need to hide those sharpies though. Seriously ha. Im a childminder so always need tips like this for those little oops moments. Thanks