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How to Get Pen Ink Out of Bed Sheets & Comforters 

Learn how to easily and effectively remove ink, like pen and gel pen stains, from your bed sheets and comforters with Clorox.

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So you washed your bedding and went to dry it, but little did you know there was a pen in the washer! If you find yourself with an ink stain on your sheets or comforter, we have a simple way to treat it. All it takes is a little hand sanitizer and some Clorox cleaning power.  

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Steps to remove ink stains from colored sheets

  1. 1

    Remove excess ink

    If the stain is fresh, gently blot it with a paper towel to remove excess ink.   

  2. 2

    Pre-treat with alcohol-based hand sanitizer

     Use enough to saturate the stain. This will start to break up the ink, and you will see the stain begin to lighten. Let the hand sanitizer gel stay on the ink stain for a few minutes before continuing.  

  3. 3

    Appy Liquid Clorox 2® for Colors to the stain

     Use the cap to apply the Clorox 2® product directly to the stain and gently rub it in. Allow the Clorox 2® product to stay on your fabric for 10 minutes.   

    Tip

    Do not let Clorox 2® dry out on the fabric. Use a timer to monitor the pretreating time. 

  4. 4

    Machine wash

    After 10 minutes, pretreating is complete and it’s time to machine wash the sheets. Select the hottest water possible, and add a little more Clorox 2® along with your regular laundry detergent.   

  5. 5

    Air dry

    Air dry the sheets and check to make sure stain removal was a success.  

For stubborn stains, you can repeat the treatment as long as you continue to make progress.  

If the ink stain is really stubborn, you may be able to safely machine wash the sheets with Clorox®  Disinfecting Bleach – even if they are colored – as long as the sheets are cotton, polyester or a cotton/poly blend and colorfast to bleach. To find out if you can safely bleach the sheets, you can test them with our quick and easy colorfastness to bleach test. 

Steps to remove ink stains from a white synthetic-filled comforter

  1. 1

    Remove excess ink 

     If the stain is fresh, gently blot it with a paper towel to remove excess ink.   

  2. 2

    Pre-treat with alcohol-based hand sanitizer

     Use enough to saturate the stain. This will start to break up the ink, and you will see the stain begin to lighten. Let the hand sanitizer gel stay on the ink stain for a few minutes before continuing.  

  3. 3

    Apply Clorox® Bleach pretreating solution

    Presoak in a mixture of  ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach added to ¾ cup water immediately before machine washing. 

    Tip

    Always dilute bleach with water before applying to fabric. Never use bleach full strength.

  4. 4

    Machine wash

    Machine wash the comforter in hot or warm water using a good detergent and ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach. 

  5. 5

    Tumble dry

    Tumble dry using a few clean tennis balls or wool dryer balls to help restore the loft to the comforter. 

    Tip

    Comforters must tumble dry. They cannot be allowed to air dry or the filling will develop a musty odor. 

    6. If the comforter is down filled, you cannot use regular bleach. Instead, only use liquid Clorox 2® for pretreating after applying the hand sanitizer.