How To Remove Ball Point Pen From Vinyl

Our little Wheeley Bug Mouse had an encounter with a creative 3 year old last week. When I saw the damage I thought to myself this is NEVER going to come off. Ball point pen on vinyl?

Ball Point Pen on Vinyl Mouse

A Closer Look

 I always start with the least toxic solution possible and then move my way up the ladder of chemicals until something works. First, I of course googled how to get pen of off vinyl and tried everything. Lemon juice, ketchup, toothpaste, vinegar (you know I REALLY wanted vinegar to work,) nothing. So I moved on to every general cleaning spray in the house, hairspray, WD40, and nail polish remover (acetone free.) Nothing. The nail polish faded it a bit but you could still see it VERY clearly. Maybe if I had some acetone nail polish in the house but I didn't.

 At this point I was going to give up and just live with it but I tried one last thing. Brush Cleaner, which is a close cousin to mineral spirits and turpentine. I know what you are going to say... THIS IS NOT VERY NATURAL. I agree, and I would have been thrilled if one of the other methods had worked. I even debated about posting it but then I realized what a great way to talk about balance.

3 years ago I read a great book on how start living a more "earth friendly life." I loved the book so much that I immediately had to do everything in it. Bleach and any toxics out of the house. After about a year of this I found myself with a grimy house. Not for lack of cleaning let me assure you. It was then that I realized that there is a time and place for everything. Do I need to grab a bottle of bleach every time I do a load of whites? NO. But sometimes you need to use these products. These products sell so well because they DO work. And if used thoughtfully when nothing else works it really is OK. Don't judge me:) I promise to only tell you what I actually do and what actually works for me. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Materials:

•  old rag
•  brush cleaner

Directions:

• Go outside.
• Put a small amount of brush cleaner on the rag.
• Rub gently on the ball point pen until it is gone (took about 1 minute.)
• Wash with soap and water.
• Leave vinyl object outside to air out. Use your nose, when it stops smelling like brush cleaner it is ok to bring back in (it took 3 days to air out.)

* This is an adult only project. Be sure to read the label and follow all instructions about using and disposing of brush cleaner.

Tada! All Better!