How to remove ink stains from clothes the easy way – and our best laundry stain removal tip costs just 20p!
I know splattering ink all over your favourite shirt is super annoying!
But don’t worry about it – it’s not necessarily ruined. You can remove it and I’ll show you just how to get ink out of fabric, easily!
Here’s my BEST laundry tip on how to remove ink stains from clothing without using bleach or expensive stain removal detergent.
I use a plain white bar of soap – and I mean seriously buy the cheapest there is!
Grab it from the basics or value range at the supermarket, it’s a great idea to always have a bar of this plain white soap in at home. I usually buy a bar of the Tesco Soap here – Tesco Essentials Soap.
The essentials Tesco soap bar is not only good for removing ink stains from clothes but for a whole host of other household cleaning jobs too.
Need help getting organised with the housework? Try our housework tips that really work here!
What You Need To Remove Ink Stains From Clothes
- Bar of soap – the basic white value bars – they cost like 20p in the supermarket.
- An old toothbrush
- Usual laundry liquid – I usually use Ecover Non-Bio laundry liquid
- 1 cup soda crystals (I use the Dri Pax brand)
Get more stain removal tips here
How To Remove Ink Stains From Clothes
- Dampen the ink stain with warm water from the tap.
- Rub the ink stain with the bar of white soap to create a foamy lather.
- Brush the ink stain gently with the toothbrush, be sure to brush gently you don’t want to damage the fabric.
- Rinse away the soap under a warm running tap. You’ll see that the ink stain is already much much fainter. Depending on how large the ink stain is you may need to repeat the soap rubbing and toothbrushing a couple of times.
Get More How To Clean Tips Here
- Add a cup full of soda crystals to the washing machine drum. (if you’re concerned about this – check the washing machine manual and always follow manufacturers instructions)
- Put the shirt into the washing machine and add your usual laundry liquid to the soap dispenser part of the detergent drawer.
- Wash the shirt on a 40 degree normal wash cycle (if the laundry label on the shirt says max temperature 30 degrees then wash at 30 instead)
- Once the shirt has been washed, dry as usual and…. you’ll see the ink stain has gone!
This is the easiest way I’ve found of removing ink stains. You’ll want to keep that little bar of ink remover in your cleaning cupboard so it’s to hand.
Check out our easy housework routine for more housework tips.
Get more handy housework tips here
How To Remove Old Ink Stains From Clothes
You can use this same method on old ink stains – it should work just as well. Although you may need to repeat the process a couple of times.
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The easy way to manage the housework and keep the house clean, fresh and great to be in.
You can get our housework routine and printable cleaning checklists here
For a clean and tidy home get our BEST cleaning tips here
How to remove ink stains from clothes

How to remove ink stains from clothes
Materials
- Bar of soap - the cheap supermarket brand
- 1 cap of laundry liquid
- 1 cup soda crystals
Tools
- Old toothbrush
- Washing Machine
Instructions
- Dampen the ink stain with warm water from the tap.
- Rub the ink stain with the bar of white soap to create a foamy lather.
- Brush the ink stain gently with the toothbrush, be sure to brush gently you don’t want to damage the fabric.
- Rinse away the soap under a warm running tap. You’ll see that the ink stain is already much much fainter. Depending on how large the ink stain is you may need to repeat the soap rubbing and toothbrushing a couple of times.
- Add a cup full of soda crystals to the washing machine drum. (if you’re concerned about this – check the washing machine manual and always follow manufacturers instructions)
- Put the shirt into the washing machine and add your usual laundry liquid to the soap dispenser part of the detergent drawer.
- Wash the shirt on a 40 degree normal wash cycle (if the laundry label on the shirt says max temperature 30 degrees then wash at 30 instead)
- Once the shirt has been washed, dry as usual and…. you’ll see the ink stain has gone!
More laundry tips here