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How to remove pen ink stain from white sport band?
- Thread starter docprego
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How to remove pen ink stain from white sport band?
Hard to say since no one has tried it. It might not get black but have a black hue.
Hard to say since no one has tried it. It might not get black but have a black hue.
If everything fails, just soak your band in more ink and make a cool light blue band nobody in the world has but you. Even Tim Cook doesn't have it. (although apparently he spilled some red ink on his crown)
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
I can almost guarantee a magic eraser and a little elbow grease will work. I use these things for everything.
WD-40 is a great way to clean off, ink, gum, adhesives and hundreds of other uses. Safe around electronics also.
If it's anything like the white plastic of the iPhone case I used to have it will never come off. The dye/stain actually penetrates the plastic and is not on the surface where it can be cleaned off. I actually soaked my case in Clorox/bleach and it did nothing. When white plastic is stained like that it may be permanent! 
Hairspray: fail
Rubbing alcohol: fail
Magic eraser clone from the dollar store: success!
I was able to remove roughly 90% of the stain on the visible side of the band. Another stain on the back of the band was hardly affected at all, but at least it's on the non-visible side. It's odd because they were both ink stains. Maybe the two sides differ somehow?
Just a quick addendum...
I too had the same problem. A white band with a blue-ish/purple-ish ink stain on the bottom of my band, which I got from keeping my arm resting on a notepad where I had just taken down some notes (argh!). I tried most of the same treatment methods you guys reported here; water, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, lemon half, and a stick of "Gallseife" (Swiss soap that gets out just about anything). It seemed that the lemon half did the most to reduce the stain by about 30% after about 10 minutes of treatment.
I read that acetone would probably be a bad choice, but found some non-acetone nail polish remover at Target (generic brand), with the main ingredient ethyl acetate. I really wasn't sure if this would be any better, but gave it a try. Within about 10 seconds the stain was 95% gone, and now I have to stare at the band to find the ink stain remnants. The band itself is in good condition, although it does feel a little bit different than the other band I did not subject to the various treatment methods. It is very hard to tell a difference though, and I suspect that the treated band might simply be cleaner than the other band. Someone with more knowledge of ethyl acetate and fluoroelastomer, might able to speak more to the compatibility of the two substances. I, however, am really happy with the results.
If this happened to you, and you're not getting the right results from the magic eraser (or any of the other suggested methods), ethyl acetate might just be the right solution for you.
I too had the same problem. A white band with a blue-ish/purple-ish ink stain on the bottom of my band, which I got from keeping my arm resting on a notepad where I had just taken down some notes (argh!). I tried most of the same treatment methods you guys reported here; water, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, lemon half, and a stick of "Gallseife" (Swiss soap that gets out just about anything). It seemed that the lemon half did the most to reduce the stain by about 30% after about 10 minutes of treatment.
I read that acetone would probably be a bad choice, but found some non-acetone nail polish remover at Target (generic brand), with the main ingredient ethyl acetate. I really wasn't sure if this would be any better, but gave it a try. Within about 10 seconds the stain was 95% gone, and now I have to stare at the band to find the ink stain remnants. The band itself is in good condition, although it does feel a little bit different than the other band I did not subject to the various treatment methods. It is very hard to tell a difference though, and I suspect that the treated band might simply be cleaner than the other band. Someone with more knowledge of ethyl acetate and fluoroelastomer, might able to speak more to the compatibility of the two substances. I, however, am really happy with the results.
If this happened to you, and you're not getting the right results from the magic eraser (or any of the other suggested methods), ethyl acetate might just be the right solution for you.
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Ethyl acetate is actually incompatible with fluoroelastomers, no different from acetone. The band now feels a little different probably due to the degradation of the fluoroelastomer. I suppose it's a last ditch effort if you can't get anything off, if you put up with the result of degrading the band a bit.