How To Clean A Marker Stain On Your Couch

Try to think of the worst possible thing a child could do to a couch, and you might say something like “draw on it with a marker”. That’s because this is one of the worst possible things that could ever happen to your lovely upholstery. It doesn’t matter if it was a child that did the damage, or if you accidentally did the deed yourself. The important thing is to get that couch clean, and hopefully do it quickly and easily.

Now if it was a super permanent marker like a sharpie, then this method might not work, but if it was the dry erase variety, or any of those markers your kids use, then you’re in good shape to keep on reading. The steps below will outline a simple and effective way to completely remove all signs of the marker stain on your couch. It doesn’t matter if it is microfiber, leather, standard upholstery or any other kind of sofa. This method will work for just about any type there is.

If you look at the picture to the left, you’ll see in picture number one, a nice thick line of purple marker on a lighter colored tan couch. Normally this would be disastrous, and everyone in the house would start getting used to the way the couch looks now because that line would be there forever. It turns out that if you have the right supplies on hand, you can easily make that annoying line disappear in no time. The marker that made this line was a standard, nothing special, child’s marker from some random art set. There is no trickery involved. This is actual marker, on an actual couch that we cleaned very quickly and very easily.

What’s In Marker Ink and Why Does It Stain So Bad?

The Popular Way To Clean A Marker Stain

If you ask a pro, or search the internet for the best way to tackle this job, you’ll probably end up with advice to follow steps similar to those outlined below. When you combine rubbing alcohol and regular soap, you can come up with the cleaning power necessary to make the marker stain disappear. It may not be easy, but if you’re careful and deliberate you should be able to lift the stain without damaging your couch.

Most people will have the stuff on hand to give this technique a try, and when you do, it should help to fade or eliminate most marker stains on most fabric covered couches. It may require several attempts to get the job done, and it can be risky depending on the exact marker, and exact sofa material, but you can try it right away, and anytime you clean a stain like this while it’s new. it will be easier to get out. Once you let it sit for a long period, it will be more set-in, and more difficult to remove.

If the rubbing alcohol doesn’t do the trick, or if you want to try an easy, method that;s guaranteed to do a better job in less time, then continue reading beyond this initial how-to. There are some other things you can try that you might already have, but there is also a tested method that’s highly effective, but it will require that you buy something new in order to complete the job.

An Easy Way To Clean A Marker Stain

For this type of stain, and hundreds of other ones, we recommend using Quick n Brite. It is an all natural cleaner that actually works. It is safe to use on virtually any surface, but it produces incredible results. People are always amazed at how well it works and how many things you can use it for. A little marker stain on your couch is just one of many jobs that Quick n Brite will make quick work of.

How To Remove a Marker Stain From Your Couch

Materials You’ll Need:

• Quick N Brite Cleaner (Liquid, Paste or Both)
• Warm Water
• Spray Bottle
• Several Clean Towels

Step 1: Prepare For Cleaning

For this job, because it was only a single line, we decided to try a simple heavy solution spray to remove the stain. This mixture is sufficient for most general cleaning around the house, and it’s tough enough to remove many tough stains too. All you have to do is spray it on to use it, and because it’s all-natural, it’s safe for use on any surface.

In this case, there would be no risk in spraying it on the stain, and there was a good chance that the stain would be totally lifted in one easy step. To get yourself ready for cleaning, you’ll want to mix up your own heavy solution first:

Make A Heavy-Duty All-Purpose Spray:

1. Mix 3-4 tbs of Quick N Brite cleaner liquid concentrate into a quart spray bottle with water.
2. Shake well to mix thoroughly.
3. If you don’t have liquid concentrate, use some paste, but melt it first.

As an option, you could use the paste version of the cleaner alone, but for best results on most couches, you should use a technique similar to the one we used.

Once you have your cleaner ready, make sure you have at least two clean towels ready to go as well. You’ll want one that’s damp with warm water, and one that’s dry.

Step 2: Apply The Cleaner

To apply the heavy solution to the marker stain on your couch, just spray it on the affected area. You’ll want to completely cover the stain, and don’t be afraid to use a generous amount. For our fabric couch, adding liquid was fine, and this is the case for most couches and sofas, but for some, too much moisture will cause damage. Materials like leather will be further damaged by adding too much water, so couches made from leather, or anything similar will benefit from a straight paste application. More on How To Clean Leather

If using paste instead of a heavy spray or liquid concentrate, take a damp cloth and dip it in cleaner. Then rub the paste into the stain to apply cleaner without adding a bunch of moisture. A dry technique, or one with paste alone will require more effort and more care, but if you try, you can achieve perfect results with very little effort.

Step 3: Let The Cleaner Sit To Work

Once on there, LET IT SIT for 10 minutes or so. The more pronounced the mark, the longer you will want to wait. The cleaner can be on there for 30 minutes or more if needed, and it will not harm the material. New stains will lift an loosen right away, but set in stains will take longer to lift. The length of time required for each stain will vary, but you can always re-apply if needed, so don’t worry if you cut the time short with the first application.

Step 4: Buff The Stain To Remove It

After you let the cleaner sit, and it has had time to work, take a dry terry cloth towel and buff out the stain. As the cleaner sits in place, it will break down the marker stain, loosen it’s bond with the fabric, and lift it slightly off the surface to make it easy to wipe away. You will use one action to remove the cleaner and lift the stain at the same time. As you wipe, the loosened stain will transfer from the couch material and move onto your towel.

Step 5: Apply More Cleaner – Paste This Time

If you look very closely at picture above, you will notice that after this step, there was just a very faint hint of the marker still visible. For this reason we decided to resort to the paste as well. Liquid is convenient, and the heavy solution is super cheap to make, but sometimes you need a little extra cleaning power to get the job done to satisfaction.

In many cases the spray would have cleaned the mess entirely, and for many folks looking at the image above, the line may already be invisible. In real life, it was still faintly showing to the naked eye, so we decided to follow up our quick spray technique with a round of straight paste to the moistened and pre-treated area. You can always apply a second round of cleaner without any worry, and with Quick N Brite you can always adjust the strength to match the job.

With other cleaners, you would have to worry about damage with repeated applications, but with this one, you only get better and better results. For some stuff it can only remove one layer at a time, so it may take more than one application to remove all layers and get the surface completely clean.

Step 6: Work The Paste Into The Fabric

In picture above you can see that we added just a little bit of the paste right where the line was. To apply the paste, just use a damp cloth and wipe it in place. Once on the material, you’ll want to work it in slightly to ensure it penetrates properly. A little scratch of your fingernail will work the cleaner into the area. This step is important to break surface tension, and to make sure every piece of couch affected by marker is covered with Quick n Brite.

Once you get the paste applied properly, let the cleaner sit for several minutes again. You need to give it time to work, just like before.

Step 7: Wipe Away The Remaining Marker Stain

In this case, We let the cleaner sit for about five minutes more, and then came back with the same towel to completely remove all signs of marker. This time the stain lifted off completely, and once the wiping was done, there was no sign of any purple marker line on the light colored couch fabric.

Take a close look at picture above to see that the purple line is completely gone. Most of the time was spent waiting for the cleaner to do the work, and we spent very little effort scrubbing or rubbing to remove the stain. There was never any risk to the material, and because we did not agitate the area with any tools, the couch surface looks totally clean and unaffected. Once the arm of the couch completely dries, you will not be able to tell that there was ever a mark there at all.

The whole process took less than 10 minutes, and there was no scrubbing, sweating or swearing involved. In fact most of the time was spent waiting for the cleaner to do its job. We also didn’t need to worry about discoloring the couch or ruining anything about it. No gloves were necessary, and the couch was safe for people and pets to use right away. Most importantly though, the stain was gone, and it was easy to do.

Before and After

Take a look at the image above. On the left you can see the dark purple marker line on the light colored couch fabric. It was not a light line, or an accidental dot. It was a deliberate line, put there with intention and added pressure. If cleaned with regular steps and techniques, the couch could have been ruined, the stain could have spread further, or the line might still be just as dark.

On the right side of the image above, you can see that in just a few simple steps, we were able to make the marker line completely disappear. Other stuff may have produced the same result, but it may have been a bit more difficult to come by. Our simple technique not only worked flawlessly for this job, it would also work just as well for anything similar.

Why Does It Work So Well?

Quick n Brite is an amazing cleaner. When you apply it to a stain, it goes to work right away breaking the stain apart and lifting it off the surface you’re cleaning. It’s almost like the cleaner is doing all of the work for you. This is why we let it sit in place for several minutes. You always need to give the cleaner time to work in order to achieve the best results. It’s a plant based cleaner, but unlike many similar “natural” cleaners; this one actually works.

The combination of ingredients allows this powerful cleaner to break apart tough stains that seem impossible to remove. Once you apply it, the stain will begin to break down, and the bond with the fabric will loosen. As the cleaner has time to work, the color from the stain will lift off the fabric material, and float in suspension to avoid spreading and the creation of new stains. Once you wipe the cleaner away, the stain will come with it, and there will be no damage to the material beneath. The gentle action is powerful and completely safe at the same time.

This naturally powerful cleaner has been around for more than 50 years and it comes with a full money back guarantee because it really does work. Safe for any couch surface, and safe for use around children and pets, Quick N Brite doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals or bleach, and it’s 100% biodegradable. Try it for yourself and you’ll be glad you did. Get it to remove this one small marker stain from your couch, and then keep it around to shampoo carpets, pre-treat laundry stains, clean kitchen cabinets, and so much more.

What You Should Avoid

Steer clear of these next few things to save time, and limit frustration. The following stuff may come to mind, but it will either be too expensive, too time consuming, or too ineffective to waste time trying it on this particular job. You can certainly try any of it if you want to, but we have included the following list to help you reduce effort and achieve quick and simple results without trying a bunch of stuff that doesn’t work that well.

Commercial Stain Fighting Sprays

Traditional upholstery cleaners can be toxic, and in many cases ineffective. You always have to be careful how much you use, and what you use it on. In the end, you may want to avoid these products because these types of cleaners can result in ruined fabric or bleached out color. That’s why the directions always recommend that you test the cleaner somewhere out of sight before moving on to the clean the whole stain.

Home Remedies and DIY Mixtures

Natural and homemade solutions require a lot of extra work, and they’re not very effective for this type of stain. Please don’t try to remove marker from your couch with vinegar or some natural liquid soap because they’ll never work. It’s not that these homemade cleaners are ineffective in general, it’s more related to how tough this job is specifically, and how easy it is to spread the marker stain, or ruin the couch upholstery material in the process of getting it clean.

Regular, Store Bought Green Cleaners

Because they’re little more than glorified soap in most cases, these types of cleaners will not be the first choice for most folks, and that’s probably a good thing. Many green cleaners will be effective for some light cleaning around your home, but few are powerful enough to lift out tough stains from fabric, especially stains made by a marker. You’ll pay a premium for one of these Eco-friendly cleaners at the store, and most will require elbow grease for a good outcome.

How To Keep Your Couch Clean and Avoid Future Stains

• Quick n Brite Cleaner