First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot the ink with a clean, dry white cloth; don't rub.
- Treat it while it's fresh, before any laundering.
- Pretest any remover on a hidden spot and stop if color transfers.
- Keep the sheet away from heat until the marker is gone.
Whether the marker is washable or permanent decides how the sheet will react, and a fresh mark can often be lifted before the sheet goes near the washer. Once a hot wash or a trip through the dryer has touched it, the ink can set, and permanent ink that has dried on the fibers may stay visible no matter what you try. Colored sheets need a hidden-seam test before any solvent or bleach touches them, so check the care label first.
If the ink is still wet, start with the sponge and rinse. Dry erase marks on a bed sheet usually lift faster than permanent, so try the sponge before anything stronger. Once it has dried, a pre-wash spot remover or enzyme pretreater is the better choice.
Before you start
What sheets, towels & table linens can take
Safe to use3
- Water
- Soaking
- Enzyme cleaners
Use with care6
- Hot water
- Chlorine bleach
- Oxygen bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
Avoid1
- Heat, once the stain is out
5 items
What you'll need
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- White cloths or paper towelsClean and dry, so no color transfers back onto the sheet. (opens Amazon)
- Rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl or 90% denatured)Lifts the ink. Pretest it first, and use one with no added color or fragrance. (opens Amazon)
- Pre-wash spot-and-stain removerTakes over when color keeps bleeding, and goes on before the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid laundry detergentFor the wash, and for the overnight soak if the ink is old. (opens Amazon)
- All-fabric oxygen bleachOnly for a faint shadow left after washing, on colorfast sheets. (opens Amazon)
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7 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 7
Lay a clean towel under the stain
Put a clean white towel or a few sheets of white paper towel under the stain so the ink can't soak through to the mattress or the back of the sheet. Press a dry white cloth onto the top of the spot, and move to a clean part of the cloth each time it picks up color.
Step 2 of 7
Pretest the alcohol on a hidden spot
Dab a little rubbing alcohol on a hidden seam or the inside of a hem, using a white cloth. Press a second white cloth on the spot, and if any color comes off, use only the pre-wash spot-and-stain remover from here on.
Tip. Use 70% isopropyl alcohol, or 90% denatured alcohol, with no added color or fragrance.
Careful. Rubbing alcohol is not for silk, acetate, triacetate, modacrylic or acrylic.
Step 3 of 7
Sponge the ink out from the edge
Dampen a white cloth with the alcohol and sponge the stain from the outside edge toward the center. Switch to a clean part of the cloth as it takes up ink, and keep going until no more color bleeds onto it.
Tip. Work in short passes so the alcohol doesn't soak through to the back of the sheet.
Step 4 of 7
Rinse the solvent out with water
Rinse the spot with plain water, either under cool running water or with a clean wet cloth, until the alcohol smell is gone. Blot it dry with a clean white towel before you go on.
Step 5 of 7
Treat leftover color with the remover
If color is still coming off, sponge the spot with pre-wash spot-and-stain remover until the bleeding stops. Rinse it out with plain water, then let the sheet air-dry fully before you check it.
Careful. Leave a liquid remover on no longer than its label says, and keep a gel on bright or fluorescent sheets for only a few minutes.
Step 6 of 7
Wash only after the ink stops bleeding
Apply a pre-wash spot-and-stain remover to the spot and launder the sheet on the hottest setting the care label allows. Check the spot in daylight once the wash is done.
Tip. No care label, or an unknown fiber? Stick with cold water.
Step 7 of 7
Use oxygen bleach on a faint shadow
If a faint shadow is left after washing, dampen the spot with all-fabric oxygen bleach and let it sit as long as the package directs. Rinse it out with plain water and launder the sheet again before it goes anywhere near the dryer.
Tip. All-fabric oxygen bleach is the gentler choice for colors, but test a hidden area first.
Careful. Use it only on colorfast sheets; stop if the test spot changes color.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for marker on sheets, towels & table linens
Use a pre-wash spot-and-stain remover for the wash, and choose an all-fabric oxygen bleach for the final step. Pick rubbing alcohol with no added color or fragrance.
Shout Triple-Acting Laundry Stain Remover
Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover and Color Booster Powder, 49.2 Ounces
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on sheets, towels & table linens, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
The ink should stop bleeding onto your cloth during sponging, and the mark should look lighter before the wash. Check the sheet while it's still damp and in good light, and let it dry only once no trace shows. If the ink stops spreading but a faint shadow stays through a couple of cycles, it has likely set, so move on to the old-stain notes.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your sheets, towels & table linens
Dry erase marker
Dry erase ink isn't one of the two types covered above, so read the marker's packaging before you choose a first step. If it says washable, start with a cold-water soak, since washable ink is made to come out in water. If the packaging says nothing, treat it as permanent and go straight to the alcohol pretest.
After the cold-water soak, blot the spot dry and let the sheet air-dry, then check it in daylight before you go on. If a shadow is left, pick up at the alcohol pretest and carry on from there.
Permanent marker
Permanent ink isn't made to come out in water, so skip the cold-water soak and start with the alcohol pretest. Expect less from ink that has already dried, since it may not come out at all.
Keep the rest of the sheet away from any hot surface while you work, since heat can set what's left. On a colored sheet, make sure the pretest shows no dye transfer before you go on.
Colored sheets
Colored sheets need the pretest more than most, because untested dyes can bleed under alcohol. Use oxygen bleach only if the test spot holds its color.
If the color changes at any point, stop and take the sheet to a dry cleaner rather than pushing the remover further.
Cotton sheets
If the care label says cotton, the hottest setting the label allows is fine for the final wash. Cotton is the easiest case, and the cleaning stays the same.
Only the wash temperature moves; the pretest, the alcohol and the remover all stay the same.
Old, dried or set-in stains
Fresh stains are much easier to remove than old ones, so an old mark will need more time. For that, work detergent into the spot and let it stand overnight if necessary, then apply a pre-wash spot-and-stain remover and launder.
Washable marker can usually be cleared with repeat laundering, as long as you don't heat-dry between washes. Permanent marker that has dried may not come out at all, so set your expectations early.
If the sheet has already been through the dryer, the ink may be set and the steps above may only lighten it. If a faint shadow is still there after several rounds, stop and take the sheet to a dry cleaner.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on marker on sheets, towels & table linens?
Most home remedies for ink are meant for other stains, so only a few belong on marker. Most of these are a poor fit for marker on sheets; rubbing alcohol or a pre-wash remover is the better start.
Works2Skip4
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Oxygen bleach (OxiClean) + Rubbing alcohol
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Don't use the mixture; ventilate the room and avoid breathing fumes or touching it; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for disposal advice or if anyone feels unwell.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use chlorine bleach on marker
Chlorine bleach isn't for washable-marker stains, so leave it out of this job entirely. Alcohol, a pre-wash remover and all-fabric oxygen bleach are the safer choices instead.
Don't rub the ink with bar soap
Bar soap sets many stains, so keep it away from a fresh mark. A pre-wash spot-and-stain remover is the right tool once the alcohol has done its work.
Don't pour solvent straight onto the sheet
Pouring alcohol or acetone on the mark pushes the ink outward and can spread it across the weave. Dab a small amount onto a clean cloth and work from the back of the fabric, moving from the edge of the mark inward. Turn the cloth often so each dab lifts ink onto a clean section.
Don't use a dissolving solvent on synthetic blends
Acetone dissolves acetate, triacetate and modacrylic, so a blend containing them can be ruined in one pass. Check the fiber content on the care label before you reach for any solvent. Test the solvent on a hidden seam first, and stop if the fabric changes.
Don't leave a pretreatment on past the label
Liquid pretreatments and gels can fade or shift the color of bright and fluorescent fabric if they sit too long. Set a timer for the label's time, and keep gels on bright items to a few minutes at most. Rinse thoroughly before you move on to the next product.
When to call a professional
A dry cleaner is the better call for a dry-clean-only label, silk, or a mark that spreads across a large area of the sheet. Give them the fiber content from the label, say it was marker, and list any solvents or removers you've already used.
Questions
How do I know if my marker is washable?
Check the packaging or the marker's label first. Washable markers are made to come out in water, while permanent markers are not, so if nothing is printed, treat the ink as permanent and pretest the alcohol.
Can I use acetone on marker stains in sheets?
Only if you know the sheet isn't acetate, triacetate or modacrylic, because acetone dissolves those fibers. If you don't know the fiber, skip it and use rubbing alcohol after a pretest.
What should I do with a silk sheet?
Skip the rubbing alcohol and oxygen bleach, since silk can't take either. Blot the ink with a dry white cloth and take the sheet to a dry cleaner promptly, telling them the fiber and the marker.
Can I use milk to lift marker ink?
No. Milk adds a protein stain or sets the one you already have, so it makes the sheet harder to clean.
Does a hot wash help if a faint mark is still there?
Not as a first step. Hot water can set the ink in place, so a faint mark can end up permanent after one hot cycle. Repeat the solvent and rinse steps until nothing transfers, and wash hot only after the sheet is clear.
Can oxygen bleach lift the last shadow on a colored sheet?
Yes, as a last step on a faint shadow, but only if the care label allows bleach. Oxygen bleach is the gentler option on colors, and it still needs a hidden-area test first. Stop as soon as the color looks even, and rinse the sheet thoroughly before it goes to the dryer.
Is it still worth trying if marker has been through the dryer?
Sometimes not, and that's the honest answer. Permanent marker that has dried, or been dried in the dryer, may not come out fully. Still, run the solvent and pre-wash steps before you give up, because a faint trace can sometimes lift.
Marker on other materials
Other stains on sheets, towels & table linens
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.