How to Get Pen Off the Wall – 9 Easy Methods To Remove Pen Ink

For your convenience, this post has links to Amazon.
Your child’s creative mind does not have any limitations. So for practice, they love to draw their imaginations. They tend to draw on anything whenever they get a chance, even on the walls. And now, your challenge is to figure out how to get pen off the wall.

Tip: Use a foam wall cleaner for large wall areas and magic eraser for small pen stains

If you’ve got a large area to cover, and for many reasons this is quite possible, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a foam wall cleaner that will get rid of the pen ink stains without scrubbing. If you’ve only got a few pen marks to deal with, getting down and dirty by scrubbing with a magic eraser will suffice.

Read on for step by step guides on how to get pen off the wall.

Before cleaning up the ink marks from the wall, there is one thing that you need to know.

The thing is that you should always use a clean white cloth to clean your wall. The reason for choosing a white fabric is because it will not lose any color to the wall. As well, you can observe if any color is being removed from the wall with the rubbing action.

If you use a color fabric on the wall to clean it, then it can dilute with cleaners like alcohol and others to create a new color stain on the wall.

How to Get Pen Off the Wall: 9 Methods

Different methods can help you get the ink out of the wall. Those processes are outlined below.

You can test each of them and find out which one gives you the best result to remove the pen marks. This is because ink in pens come with different formulations

Always be careful when trying out a new cleaning solution. First, try out the cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area, where it is not so visible. This will help you see how the cleaning solution reacts with the wall material. So, you can find out if it damages the color of your wall or not.

1. Use a Foam Wall Cleaner

If you’ve got ink stains on a large area of wall, you’ll be relieved that this method can tackle the cleaning job easily. You won’t even have to waste time or elbow grease on scrubbing.

First, spray the entire area you need cleaned.

Then, you can wipe it off immediately with a cleaning cloth.

Although there are cleaners in the market that can remove the pen marks from the wall, be careful when using the cleaner. You’ll always want to test the cleaner on an inconspicuous area first. Some of them can damage the paints on the wall. This makes sure the cleaner will help you get the pen off the wall without damaging the paint.

Some cleaners are made specifically for getting things like pen and ink off the wall. You can see one here.

When you have selected the cleanser for your job, you can also test if it works with the type of ink you’re dealing with. Spray a small amount on the stained area and rub with a white cloth.

2. Use Magic Erasers

You’d be surprised how well a dampened magic eraser works on many types of stains. It can be a bit aggressive on some types of paint, though, so observe while you’re starting to scrub.

Magic erasers work well when it comes to getting pen off the wall.

First, dampen your magic eraser with clean water.

Then, gently run a magic eraser over the stain to remove the ink mark from the wall. You will likely have to repeat this several times to get rid of old, dried pen ink. It is a method that will take some time if a large area of the wall has pen marks.

3. Rubbing Alcohol

Using rubbing alcohol also helps to remove ballpoint pen ink from the wall. It is one of the best ways to get rid of pen ink on the walls. The rubbing alcohol can break down the ink and lift it off the surface. It will also remove any residual moisture left behind by the ink. You can use it on many types of surfaces, such as the wall, floor, and some stain-resistant fabrics.

For this do-it-yourself project, you will need a clean cloth, rubbing alcohol, and some patience. This process is makes it easier to remove ink from the wall.

You need to dampen a white cloth with the rubbing alcohol and rub the area lightly to remove the ink.

Dab out the stain until it’s gone. Be sure to rub the stained area lightly using circular motions so as not to damage the wall.

This process can also remove the ink of the magic marker pens. Consistently dab on the wall with the dampened cloth, until the stain disappears.

4. Try Mixture of Baking Soda and Water

Use a mixture of baking soda and water on the stain. The baking soda can be a little harsh on the color.

So, it is recommended to rub gently with this mixture on the wall. Rubbing hard with the paste can result from removing the color of the area.

The ratio of the ingredients should be 1:2. Which means, two portions of water will dilute one portion of baking soda.

Follow this 5-step process to use baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) to clean pen off the wall.

• Step 1: First, you should clean the surface with a wet cloth or sponge. Then dry it off.
• Step 2: Mix baking soda with water until you get a paste-like consistency. There are only two ingredients: water and baking soda. Their ratio should be 1:2, meaning 2 portions of water are going to dilute 1 portion of sodium bicarbonate. 
• Step 3: Cover the pen stain with the baking soda. You will need a clean cloth to apply the paste. Alternatively, you can dampen a sponge.
• Step 4: Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. The goal is to allow it to soak in and break down the ink.
• Step 5: Afterward, you need to rub gently against the wall to avoid damaging the paint. Use circular motions. If you do it hard, you can remove the color of your wall.

Repeat steps 1-5 if needed. Sometimes it is necessary to do it several times until the pen stains are gone for good, so be patient.

Removing pen ink stains from the wall is not an easy task. You need to have patience and some time. The pen ink can spread or seep deeper into the paint. 

5. Use Ammonia, Lemon Juice, and Detergent Mixture

The mixture of ammonia, lemon juice, and detergent can also remove the stains of the pen ink from the wall.

Mix the three components together properly and put it in a spray bottle.

The ratio of the ingredients should be 1:1:2. Meaning, two portions of detergent should be used with one portion each of lemon juice and ammonia.

Spray that mixture on the ink stain on the wall. Then gently pat the area dry to remove the ink mark from the wall.

6. Rub with White Toothpaste

White toothpaste is also useful to remove ink stains from a wall. You just need to get white toothpaste and rub it on the ink stain for a while.

Basically, this simple method involves rubbing non-gel toothpaste on the pen stains till they disappear. Here are the steps to follow:

• Step 1: Get white toothpaste and apply a small amount of it to the stained area so that the ink is completely covered.
• Step 2: Then leave the paste for around 10 to 15 mins to stay on the wall. This will remove the ink from the wall. It takes toothpaste some time to start working.
• Step 3: Then take a clean cloth or towel to wipe it off by rubbing the mark gently with circular motions.
• Step 4: Then you need to wipe off the toothpaste from the wall. There will be filmy residue on the surface that you should try to remove using a warm cloth.
• Step 5: That should lift the pen stain. Repeating this process a few times will help you to get all the ink from the wall.

White toothpaste is an effective DIY solution for removing ink stains. It contains different bleaching agents and abrasives like carbamide peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, pyrophosphates, and silica. These substances can get the extrinsic stains off the floor and wall.

7. Use Alcohol Hair Spray

Hairsprays that include alcohol can be good to remove ink marks from the walls. Be sure that you hairspray contains alcohol for the desired effect since not all of them do.

You may try to get pen stains off the wall with hairspray. The process is simple with the following actions:

• Step 1: Just spray the inked area with the alcohol-based hairspray and use a white cloth on top of the ink stain. Rub the area lightly to remove the stain.
• Step 2: Once you’ve sprayed the inked area, dab the mark off with a clean cloth or hand towel.
• Step 3: Rub lightly by wiping it with a white cloth to lift the stain. This is supposed to help remove pen marks from the wall.
• Step 4: This process might require a few cycles to get all of the ink out of the wall. So repeat the treatment multiple times if needed.

Extra Tips: Make sure your hairspray contains alcohol to achieve the desired effect. Use a white cloth for this process to prevent dye from ending up on your wall. Every time you wipe, use a section that is clean. Add a clear hand sanitizer to get better results. It works on most surfaces.

8. Use Baby Wipes

Baby wipes also work well for removing ink from the wall. Baby wipes include a bit of detergent and alcohol in them. These ingredients in the wipe helps to remove the ink stain.

Rub the wall with a baby wipe to remove the stain. You can repeat the process a few more times to clean the wall entirely.

9. Paint Your Wall

If you’re already planning to repaint the wall, you can simply use a paint primer to cover up the ink stains before painting the color. However, my favorite would have to be the 2-in-1 paint and primer in one type of wall colors that already have primer in the formula.

If you have got too much pen on the wall, have tried everything else and are not satisfied with the results, then this method is for you.

For this, you need to get the color match for your wall and paint the area that has been stained.

This process can be a little expensive and sometimes it might require you to paint the whole wall. But it will make the wall as perfect as the way you want.

FAQs

How Do You Get Pen Ink Off the Wall?

This depends on the formulation of the pen. We have 3 recommendations.

First, use hot water and soap with a clean buffing cloth.

If the first method does’nt work, try this one. Use a magic eraser. Dampen it with a bit of water and scrub the mark.

Our final recommendation is to use a white clean cloth or rag and dampen it with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Then dab the ink stains to make them disappear. This method works best for magic markers and ballpoint pen inks.

Can I Paint Over Pen Ink Marks?

You can, but be sure to use a paint primer. 

Because if you’re dealing with ink, it can bleed through the wall paint over time, which is why you need to treat it like other stains. 

Use a blocking primer to prevent it from making a steady and slow reappearance after some time. This can do the trick.

Takeaway

Removing pen ink from a wall can be a tough job. Ballpoint pen ink is an acid-based compound that can dissolve the calcium carbonate in the walls besides affecting their appearance. For this reason, it’s important to know how to get pen off the wall.

Fortunately, there are different DIY ways to remove ink from the wall using common household ingredients. All it takes is the right tools and some experience. We’ve covered the different ways and tips on how to remove ballpoint pen ink from the walls.

Getting rid of the ink stain from the wall can be challenging as the type of pen can determine how easy it is to remove. However, now that you know how to get pen off the wall, this should be an easy cleaning task.

You may not always be able to stop your child from drawing on the wall. So, you can let your child be creative while you choose the best method to get the stains off the wall.

How To Fix A Dent In The Wall – 7 Easy Steps To Follow

How to Get Rid of Mold on Concrete Block Walls – Step by Step Guide

How to Fix Chipped Paint on Wall – 7 Step-by-Step Guide