Any tips for removing whiteboard pen stains from school shirts?

[Jamas42]

Apologies if this is the wrong board for this!

We officially have a school child 🥹 Primary 1 start has gone well so far and DC seems to be loving it! - Long may it continue 😅

However - we are 4 days in, and so far I have 3 white shirts and 1 white polo shirt that are all stained with whiteboard pens 🫠 I have tried the stain removers that I have here and nothing is taking it out.

Is there a secret parent hack that I’m not yet aware of? Or am I destined to spend the year buying new white items? 🫠🤣

Hve you tried ordinary hairspray? It gets biro stains out of fabric, so maybe worth a try.

I'm not sure if the exact name but thier are sponges that will remove ink my friend has them to clean the artwork from the kids of the wall I think scrub daddy have them

I'm a Primary teacher and the only thing I've found that works is clear, neat alcohol so vodka, gin, etc. However, I've never tried it in retrospect, I've always tackled it as soon as I've got home and before it goes in the wash.

Protect the surface underneath, pour the alcohol on, leave for 10mins or so and give it a light scrub and wash as normal. Usual disclaimer about colour fastness, different fabrics, etc.

I'd love to claim that it's the children marking me but, in truth, I'm just really clumsy 🙈

Honestly, as an ex-infant teacher and mother of four, I’d just accept it. If shirts are clean a little whiteboard marker doesn’t matter.

You might want to keep one shirt back for times when you want your child to look reasonably smart, i.e., school photos, etc.

I was going to suggest hairspray, try it op spray it let it dry and then wash as normal,

This.

Alcohol only works on fresh marks so treat them on the same day.

The purer the alcohol the better. Vodka is ‘only’ 40% ethanol. You can buy much stronger ethanol or isopropyl alcohols from some hardware shops.

Surgical spirit works but may leave a grease stain. So once the pen stain is faded, rub washing up liquid into it before launderIng.

Or just accept that they will go to school in clean, stained clothes. Teachers are used to this, especially in KS1.

Thank you all ☺️ I’ll try the tips and tricks on the next ones that come home 🤣
The stained ones will still be getting worn, don’t worry! I’m not that precious about things lol.

If you've already washed them then there's no going back. What you need to do in future is sit next to the washing machine with hairspray in one hand and fairy liquid in the other. Any grease marks, paint, random dinner bits get a dab of fairy, the whiteboard marker bits get a very liberal spray with the hairspray! I buy the cheapest hairspray possible and spray very liberally.

Don't know about pen, but i find the Astonish Mug and Cup stain remover is great for getting stubborn(curry/tomatoes) out of white shirts and work surfaces.