It is undeniable that permanent markers are extremely useful tools on various occasions. They can be written on almost any surface, such as carton boxes, plastics, sports gears, etc. Nonetheless, its stubbornness can be a troublesome feature as well.
For instance, leaving a kid with a permanent marker with no supervision would not be a smart decision as I’m certain that upon your arrival, you will find your laminate floor be decorated with permanent ink. Then, it must be frustrating realizing that you have no idea how to get permanent markers off the laminate floor.
Well, don’t worry because this article has what you are looking for – five methods on how to remove permanent marker from laminate. Here are the contents that I’m going through in this article:
What You Will Need: Prepare all the materials beforehand so that the process of removing permanent markers will be less suffering.
Test Your Products In Advance: Make sure the products you are planning to use will not harm your laminate by testing them on an inconspicuous area first.
The Five Techniques To Remove Permanent Marker:
- Cooking Oil: Apply some cooking oil on a piece of paper towel and gently dab it onto the stain to get a permanent marker off laminate wood.
- Baking Soda and Water: Create baking soda paste and apply it to the permanent marker to remove the stain without damaging your laminate.
- Nail Polish Remover: Use a small amount of nail polish remover on a cotton ball and gently remove the stain by dabbing it to the stain. Rubbing alcohol or citrus solution can be alternatives to nail polish remover.
- Melamine Foam: If the ink is relatively new, wet melamine foam can easily erase the stain.
- Dry Erase Marker: Draw over the permanent ink with dry erase markers and immediately wipe it away with a paper towel.
Without further ado, let’s jump into the first section right now!
Table of Contents
What You Will Need
Generally, prepare some paper towels, cotton balls, or cotton swabs to get rid of small permanent stains. If the permanent marker area is quite big, you might want to use a clean rag to erase the spot easily.
Moreover, you will need cold, clean water to remove any remaining cleaning products so that it won’t further interact with the laminate and cause damage to your furniture. Soap is also necessary for the method using cooking oil.
Test Your Products in Advance
Always try your approach before applying it to the whole laminate area so that no tears are shed! Therefore, test a small amount of whichever products you will use first. Ideally, apply it to a not easily seen area of your laminate.
Test the product on that hidden spot and wait a couple of minutes to see if there occur to be any concerning reactions. Immediately remove the product with a paper towel if the laminate is damaged, including discoloration, etc.
Test out different methods till you may determine the most appropriate method. Proceed to the subsequent sections for the detailed instructions of each technique. Additional materials for each method will be noted in the corresponding section.
The Five Techniques to Remove Permanent Marker
1. Cooking Oil
The sufficient amount of cooking oil needed for this technique is dependent on how large the stained area is. Thus, you might want to start with a small amount first and add more during the process so that you don’t have to waste any excess cooking oil.
- Pour some cooking oil into a container, preferably a small bowl.
- Use a paper towel and dip it into the cooking oil quickly. Don’t let it soak too much unless you want to have cooking oil dripping everywhere and create a mess for you to clean up afterward.
- Cover the permanent marker stain with the paper towel and let it sit for a couple of minutes, allowing enough time to dissolve the permanent marker ink before you remove the towel.
- Remove the paper towel and rub the permanent marker in a circular motion.
- Repeat the steps mentioned above until there is no marker ink left on the laminate.
- Once everything is got rid of, use some liquid soap and clean water to wash the residual oil on the laminate.
2. Baking Soda and Water
A plastic brush can be a helpful tool for you when trying to remove permanent markers from laminate wood using this method.
- Put approximately a tablespoon of baking soda into any type of container, such as a bowl, plastic box, etc.
- Add a teaspoon of clean water to the baking soda, and mix them up to create a paste. Feel free to add more baking soda if the mixture is too watery and more water if it is too dry.
- Let it sit for a few hours and use a clean paper towel to clean the remaining products. Do NOT scrub the stain as it might result in scratches to your laminate.
- Repeat the steps until the permanent marker is completely removed.
3. Nail Polish Remover
Nail polish remover is quite a powerful solvent. Thus, it is a great product to get rid of any permanent marker on your laminate. If you don’t have any nail polish remover readily available at home, rubbing alcohol or citrus solution (e.g., lemon juice) are great alternatives as well.
Note that since nail polish remover is a powerful chemical, it might react vigorously with your laminate. Hence, apply a small amount at a time and gradually add more during the cleaning process.
- Apply some nail polish remover to a cotton ball or cotton swab.
- Wipe the cotton ball directly on the permanent marker area. Since nail polish remover contains a great amount of alcohol, it will evaporate quickly and you might want to apply more until the stained area is completely clean.
- Remove any excess product with a clean paper towel.
4. Melamine Foam
Melamine foam is a product that is used to remove grease, cuffs, or marks off many surfaces in your house. Therefore, it can work to erase the permanent marker from the laminate as well if the ink is still fresh.
- Wet the melamine foam with some clean water.
- Gently rub it over the permanent marker stain from one end to another. If the ink starts to get dry, apply some pressure to remove the stain. However, don’t put too much pressure if you don’t want to ruin your laminate.
5. Dry Erase Marker
- Write over the old permanent marker spot with some dry erase marker.
- Wipe the ink off immediately with some paper towels. Do NOT wait for it to dry.
- Repeat the steps until the inked spot is removed entirely.
Conclusion
I hope this article has been helpful in providing guidance for how to remove permanent marker from laminate. Let me know in the comment section which method you used. Share it with your friends and family as well.
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