Ink is messy. And if you don’t remove it the right way, it spread when you attempt removal. These are some expert tips from a professional carpet cleaner on how to remove ink stains. The tips here work well on ball point pent, marker, and all types of ink.

Most ink is a thick liquid. It holds on to carpet and rug fibers. Normally spotting agents won’t move ink. And even the spotting agents that do move ink can still be difficult for ink to properly extract.

The first thing you’ll want to do is remove as much of the ink as possible with a wet vacuum. Do this even before spraying it with any spot remover. This way, you’ll perform an extraction of all the ink material first.

After all the ink is extracted, treat the area with a solvent. One of the best solvents to dissolve ink is isopropyl-rubbing alcohol. But NEVER pour the alcohol directly on the carpet as this can dissolve the backing and cause the ink to migrate toward the backing. Instead, apply the rubbing alcohol to a cotton cloth. Then dab the cloth on the ink stain. Once a section of the cloth is soiled, use a clean section. Repeat this process until no more ink is able to be removed.

If rubbing alcohol isn’t doing the trick, try odorless mineral spirits or xylene. Be very careful with these solvents as they are flammable and not healthy to breathe. Use the same process for removal as described above.

After you’ve removed as much ink as possible, pour a small amount of water on the area and extract with your wet vacuum. This will rinse the area and prevent re-soiling in the future.

If your stain removal attempts above don’t work, contact a professional carpet cleaning company immediately. Ink is NOT something you can keep in carpet for long periods of time without permanent damage. It has to be removed right away.