Is there any way to remove ink stains on finished wooden furniture

Forums: Furniture, Ink Stains, Finished Wood
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Stupidly, I put my red marking pen in my pocket to take home with me to finish marking papers. When I got undressed, I took it out and set it on my chest of drawers with the other stuff that had been in my pocket. It was not leaking then, but just now, I was putting away some laundry and I noticed that red ink had oozed all over the top of my chest of drawers. I tried to remove it with water, and then with soap, and even with a mild, bleachy sort of cleanser, but it seems immune to any of those methods of removal.

Does anyone know of any way to remove ink from wood without ruining the finish? Is it even possible?

If I have to, I can strip and refinish the top, although I can't imagine matching the existing finish, as it's very old.
It's the first piece of furniture I bought for myself and if possible, I'd love to be able to remove this ink stain without redoing the whole piece.

Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

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[+3] - Joe Nation - 05/07/2010Find this stuff [img]http://images.orgill.com/200x200/6104764.jpg[/img] Oops Remover. Use it with a cotton ball. Blot some of the Oops down on the inkstain. Use enough to be slightly wet....

I'll be watching this to see if anyone gives some good advice. My boys had these great twin beds with storage drawers underneath. Younger son scribbled on one of the drawers with a green marker.

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Find this stuff

http://images.orgill.com/200x200/6104764.jpg

Oops Remover.

Use it with a cotton ball. Blot some of the Oops down on the inkstain. Use enough to be slightly wet. You should see the ink dissolving and coming up onto the cotton. Take your time. Keep changing cotton balls as they draw the ink up. Once all the ink is gone, find this stuff:

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/225359_front200.jpg

Liquid Gold. It will restore some of the oils that the Oops removed and help the surface to shine (really more like a glow than a shine.)

Let me know if these products are not available in your area and we'll think of something else.

Joe(all is not lost)Nation

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@Joe Nation,

Oh Joe - God bless you (or whatever)!

Seriously - I saw that and I felt like crying. It's the first bureau I bought when I moved into my own place in Asheville, North Carolina - and aside from my piano - it's my favorite piece of furniture.

I'm going right now to get the stuff (or the equivalent). I just had a feeling that the longer I let this set, the harder it'd be to remove.

thank you, thank you, thank you...I'll let you know how it works.

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@aidan,

Good advice from Joe. Let me add. ALWAYS try these thing in an area where it won't show if they, shall we say, **** up the surface.

I think a bit of WD40 might do the trick too, but I'd offer the same caveat.

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@aidan,

Great suggestion from Joe.

I would caution the use of WD-40 on wood.

If you can't find Oops where you are, you might check at a hardware store for graffiti removers. These usually work great, just check that the particular product is safe for wood. Lemon juice sometimes works for these things as well. There is also a product called Goof Off that works similar to Oops.

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Most of the products that will work will discolor the top and it will need refinishing.

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@dadpad,

dadpad wrote:

Most of the products that will work will discolor the top and it will need refinishing.

Possibly. But moderate and gentle useage will take longer but might prevent that necessity. The use of a good restoration polish afterwards may be worthwhile as well. Actually, I think Joe already mentioned that part.

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I should have mentioned that the piece my son scribbled on was made by a local cabinet maker. My ex inquired of how to repair the piece and was told that the only way to remove the marker was to take off the veneer and replace it.

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@Intrepid,

I did find oops in the hardware shop here and applied it. It does take quite a lot of rubbing, and I'm doing it in small doses, as I have a chemical allergy, so prolonged exposure to that smell gives me a headache, so inadvertently, I'm doing it moderately and gently.

And I have noticed that the stain is fainter and definitely smaller (so partially gone) than it was when I started. So I think it's working, but again, as you guys said, I can see the wood looking and feeling dryer in that spot, though not noticeably unless you really peer at it and run your hand over the spot.

It's definitely looking better than when I started and I think by the time I finish and apply the wood restorer, you'll barely, if at all, be able to tell anything happened.

So thanks for all your help. I'm encouraged that it looks a lot better than it did yesterday.

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Avon's Skn So Soft also does wonders in removing stains & oils, glue, etc.

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@aidan,

Nice suggestion, this will work in ink strain removal.

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@Joe Nation,

Nice suggestions by Joe Nation! Well rubbing smoothly and gently with a cotton cloth wet with kerosene oil can also be helpful for you. Thanks!

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@plainoldme,

The Mr Clean Magic eraser will take it right off!

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@aidan,

It is hard to remove Ink stains from furniture. It can be removed by putting some petrol on it.

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@Kissismom,

This worked like a charm on some red alcohol ink I got on our beautiful oak table!!

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oops remover is great.Its very easy and safe,and will give the original color back within 20 mins.

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@Kissismom,

I decided to try this out as it was the only product I had in the house. I would have had to go out and buy any of the others. I would like to thank you for the suggestion. It worked like a charm with less than a minute's effort and did not affect the finish at all. Chayaw

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@aidan,

For this You Will Need: Baking soda,Water,Soft cloths,Cotton balls,Rubbing alcohol (optional). Steps to Remove the Stain: 1) Begin by mixing water and baking soda to form a paste.2) Spread the paste over the ink stain and rub it in with your fingers. Baking soda can be slightly abrasive, so avoid scrubbing too hard or it may damage the finish.3) Moisten a soft cloth with plain water and scrub the area as you remove the paste.4) For larger stains, repeat the steps above until all of the ink is removed.5) If a haze is left on the surface from the baking soda, wipe the area with a cotton ball moistened with a small amount of rubbing alcohol to remove.

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It is hard to remove ink stain

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Is there any way to remove ink stains on finished wooden furniture

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