When replacing a cartridge in a printer, you can stain not only your hands, but also your clothes. Because of this, the question inevitably arises of how to wash off the pigment from yourself and your things. Warm water and soap are often sufficient to remove such stains. But printing inks are durable. In addition, they dry quickly. This is what causes stains that are difficult to remove. You will learn how to wash printer ink from your hands and clothes from this review of various products for such purposes.
What type of printing does your printer have?
Types of printer ink and their features
Water
Water-based paints are easy to remove from hands. To remove such stains, you just need to wash them with soap. However, if the paint has already dried, this complicates the situation somewhat: most likely you will have to use additional products. Or repeat the procedure several times.
Pigment
Pigment paints are highly durable. Such stains are difficult to remove from clothing if they have had time to dry completely. If the paint has already hardened on the skin of your hands, it will be more difficult to wash it off. Stronger remedies will be needed.
Powder
Powder paints are used in laser printers. They are very durable and have a strong coloring effect. Therefore, if the powder gets on the skin of your hands, it is recommended to wash them immediately, otherwise there is a risk of staining everything around you. If you don’t do this, you will have to wash the printer, tools, and much more. In addition, powder paint is extremely difficult to wash clothes off. This is especially true for cotton fabrics.
Removing ink from paper
Paper, paper products. There are two ways to remove ink:
- A solution of glycerin and ethyl alcohol is mixed in equal parts in a glass container. The mixture is carefully applied with a pipette or cotton swab to the area of contamination.
- You need to prepare two solutions and only then start cleaning the paper.
First solution: potassium permanganate is added in small proportions to 50 ml of distilled water (t 25-30 C) and mixed until completely dissolved.
As soon as the potassium permanganate stops dissolving, add 50 ml of cool acetic acid (the solution quickly loses its properties, so don’t put it off for a long time).
Second solution: dissolve one or two tablets of hydroperite in 100 ml of distilled water. Using a cotton swab without rubbing (risk of ruining the document) on the paper, apply the first solution to the stain, repeat after 2 seconds. Then decolorize with a second solution. When the stain is removed, it is recommended to iron it with a warm iron, first placing a soft cloth under the paper.
What to scrub with
Alcohol based products
Alcohol can remove many stains. Printer ink is no exception. The following steps must be followed:
- apply alcohol to a cotton pad;
- wipe stains with it;
- wash your hands with soap.
The procedure should be repeated several times. Discs are changed as they become dirty. Using the cream will protect the skin from drying out.
Tomato or lemon juice
Affordable and safe options. Quickly removes traces of paint. The product should be applied liberally to the skin and wait a couple of minutes. If the dirt is strong, you should rub your palms. Then the tomato or lemon juice should be thoroughly rinsed off. Soap and warm water is all that is required. You should try again if you were unable to erase all traces at once.
Wet wipes
Effective until the paint has had time to dry. It is worth keeping them on hand to quickly remove the planted stain.
Cleaners
Cleaning printer ink is a difficult task. But special gels, liquids and lotions cope with it perfectly. You can buy them in almost any store.
Possible composition
Most of these products are based on surfactants. They allow you to quickly achieve an ideal result. Other components used are:
- glycerol;
- sodium laureth sulfate;
- sodium lauryl sulfate;
- preservatives;
- flavoring
Packing format
There are various options. For large companies, the product in large containers (from 5 liters) is suitable. For personal purposes, a small bottle (volume about 200 - 300 ml) will be sufficient.
Price
The means differ from each other in price. Well-known brands cost more. You need to choose a quality product that has a certificate.
Recommended Options
“Fast Orange” – cleansing lotion. It is produced in the USA. The product easily removes pigment. The following components are used:
- aloe vera extract;
- jojoba oil,
- lanolin;
- glycerol.
The lotion also cares for the skin of your hands. Another plus: it has a pleasant citrus aroma.
- “Trounce” is a product for deep cleansing the skin of persistent pigments. Available in two versions - cream and lotion. The composition contains aloe and lanolin, which perfectly restores and moisturizes the skin.
- “Handy Flexo Ink Hand Cleane” contains special microparticles that make it possible to easily and quickly clean skin pores from ink pigments. In addition, the composition contains proteins that create a protective effect by nourishing and moisturizing the skin of the hands.
- Fast Orange Pumice Bar Hand Soap is an effective cleaner for flexographic inks. This is liquid soap. It contains small particles. They provide an abrasive effect on the skin. This helps to achieve the desired effect.
Laundry soap
First, you need to soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. After this, they should be thoroughly soaped. For particularly stubborn stains, you can use a brush or pumice stone. If traces remain, the procedure should be repeated.
Scrub
You need to apply it to your palms and rub thoroughly. Abrasive particles will enhance the cleaning effect. After this, you need to wash your hands, soaping them well. At the end, it is recommended to apply a nourishing or moisturizing cream.
Features of use on clothing
You should remove printer ink from clothing promptly. Pigments quickly penetrate the fabric fibers. Once dry, they are extremely difficult to remove. We need to act quickly. This is the only way to save a thing.
Peroxide
This is one of the effective options. It will help remove dirt from the surface of your hands. Peroxide is also suitable for cleaning clothes. Simply wipe the stain with a cotton pad soaked in it.
It is necessary to rinse the product thoroughly under running water.
Solvent
The solvent is capable of removing even the strongest and most stubborn stains. However, before using it, you should make sure that it will not damage the fabric. To do this, it is recommended to first apply the product to an inconspicuous area. This will help check.
We must not forget to use rubber gloves, otherwise you may get a chemical burn.
Household chemicals
If trouble happens at home, then in addition to the first measures, you can immediately move on to heavier artillery - the use of household chemicals. How can you remove printer ink from damaged items at home?
For white laundry, any chlorine bleach is suitable, for example, “Whiteness”. A couple of spoons are enough for a 10-liter basin. Damaged items are soaked for an hour, and then rinsed and washed.
To remove marks from a color cartridge, you can use a special stain remover “Dr. Beckmann." However, it most likely will not cope with black ink.
For colored items you can use stain removers. An example of a good product is the German stain remover ARENAS. It is applied to the fabric for half an hour, and then the product is washed as usual.
There are also affordable high-quality domestic products, for example, Antipyatin, which is sold not only in the form of a bar of soap, but also in active foam, which perfectly dissolves ink.
Adviсe
- Even dried printer ink can be washed off. But when using strong means, we must not forget about safety. Rubber gloves will protect the skin of your hands from the aggressive effects of chemicals.
- After washing, you need to use a nourishing cream. This simple step will prevent irritation and dryness.
- It is strictly forbidden to use products with bleach. This is dangerous not only for the skin.
- Professional products should be used. This will help avoid serious problems. If they are not there, then you can use other options.
- Another effective solution to the problem is regular liquid soap with the addition of ground coffee beans. This option is guaranteed not to cause allergic reactions.
- Pre-applied cream will create a protective film. This simple step will prevent the paint from drying on the skin.
Using improvised means
You can remove ink from clothes using improvised means. Ordinary milk copes well with contamination. You will need to pour it on the stain and wait for half an hour. After this, the item is washed in a machine or by hand. Alcohol and kerosene also help solve the problem; you will need to apply any of the above products to the stain and leave for 1 hour. After this time, the item should be washed. Often one procedure is enough to completely get rid of the problem.
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After this, the item is washed in a machine or by hand. You should not leave lemon juice on the fabric for longer, as the acids contained in it can eat away the paint, and instead of ink, a whitish spot will appear on the item.
You can try to solve the problem with turpentine and ammonia. These substances should be mixed in equal proportions and applied to the contamination. After a quarter of an hour, the item will need to be washed with powder or laundry soap. It is worth noting that this method allows you to remove stains from colored fabrics. The mixture copes well with old stains. She helped many people save their favorite things.
Wash away stains from the spray can
Aerosol paint today is widely used by both street graffiti artists and serves as a worthy alternative to conventional materials for painting work. How to remove paint from a can? Most paint cans contain varnish, so it is difficult to wash them with plain soap and water. To remove traces of aerosol paint, you need to use chemical solvents.
- Alcohol, acetone, refined gasoline, white spirit. To obtain a good effect, apply a clean cloth soaked in solvent to the problem area of the surface and leave for 5-10 minutes. Then remove the paint with a dry cloth or paper, rinse the surface well with water and wipe dry;
- Specialized solvents 647 and 650. You can purchase them at a hardware store. The operating principle is similar to the previously described solvents;
- Professional anti-graffiti products. They are used mainly in car washes to remove traces of aerosol paint from car bodies, but can also be used to clean other surfaces, even wood. These can be “GraffiGuard” (), “Antigraffiti” (GRASS), Anti-Graffiti (“Clean”) and many others - the choice is quite wide.
How to wash ink correctly
To easily remove ink from a ballpoint pen, it doesn’t hurt to first get acquainted with the basic recommendations that will allow you to effectively cope with the task. We list the main rules for carrying out the hygiene procedure:
- It's easiest to clean stains while they're fresh. Dried ink penetrates deeply into any surface. Therefore, the sooner you start acting, the greater the chances of success.
- When choosing cleaning products, you must be sure to focus on the characteristics of the soiled material, because each has its own cleaning characteristics.
- In situations where you need to wash ink off your hands, it is better to give preference to more delicate natural products. Aggressive substances can cause irritation and other allergic reactions, especially on sensitive children's skin.
- Before you begin the hygiene procedure, you should first test the chosen method of cleaning the paste on an inconspicuous area. If everything goes well, you can safely use the product.
- Do not try to wash the ink with hot water. Under the influence of high temperature, the dye will penetrate into the surface even more. For all hygiene procedures it is better to use cool liquids.
- To prevent an ink stain from spreading, it is necessary to outline it with a piece of wax before attempting to wash it.
