Children love to draw and in their creative impulse they can use not only sheets of paper. Sometimes their creativity takes on a wide scope. Then everything that the little artist gets his hands on suffers. The parents were distracted for just a minute, and now the wallpaper in the room was thickly covered with multi-colored children's scribbles. You shouldn’t immediately faint or think about where to find money for new repairs. If you know how to remove felt-tip pen from wallpaper, then this problem can be solved very simply.
A child with a felt-tip pen can outshine any artist
What types of markers are there?
How difficult the process of erasing a pattern from wallpaper will become directly depends not only on the quality, but also on what kind of marker or felt-tip pen the child used for his art. All markers are divided into three main types: oil, alcohol and water. Therefore, before you remove the felt-tip pen from the wallpaper and clean up the house, study the packaging and find out what type they are. The easiest way to remove drawings is from water-based markers.
First of all, read the information on the packaging
Unconventional advice
Why do children love to draw on walls? This is the unsolved mystery of children's thinking. Sometimes fifteen minutes of silence is a high price to pay for a damaged interior. The problem of cleaning wallpaper from children’s “paintings” sooner or later becomes relevant for everyone.
Craftsmen are following an empirical path to solving this problem. Some people recommend a melamine sponge. This is justified by the fact that it copes well with stubborn and difficult to remove stains.
Others manage to solve the problem with the help of Domestos, designed for cleaning toilets. The procedure is carried out until the pattern is completely removed. Use a cotton swab to treat the marks several times until they disappear. If the contaminated surface is extensive, work with a sponge, then wipe with a damp cloth. We use rubber gloves.
Nowadays, special wallpaper canvases have appeared that can withstand all the masterpieces of children's creativity. Then you can simply wipe them off with a damp cloth.
If you cannot cope with the situation, do not rush to re-paste new wallpaper - wait until the child stops drawing on the walls. A good opportunity to stick a decorative sticker, a geographical map, a poster with the alphabet and other useful information on the places of children's vandalism. Many people choose photo wallpaper.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the Raptor mosquito repellent in the socket instructions
Experts recommend providing a small section of the wall, marking its boundaries. As necessary, you can simply update the area without carrying out general repairs.
It is quite possible to clean wallpaper from felt-tip pen stains. In order for the result to be achieved, it is necessary to choose a gentle cleaning method that is suitable specifically for this type.
Children love to draw and in their creative impulse they can use not only sheets of paper. Sometimes their creativity takes on a wide scope. Then everything that the little artist gets his hands on suffers. The parents were distracted for just a minute, and now the wallpaper in the room was thickly covered with multi-colored children's scribbles.
What to use to remove felt-tip pen from wallpaper
To display drawings left with markers or felt-tip pens, the following may be useful:
- white cotton cloth or cotton pad;
- sunflower oil;
- alcohol and other products that contain it: cologne, denatured alcohol, etc.;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- stain removers designed to remove marks from markers or felt-tip pens;
All-purpose stain remover - toothpaste.
It should be noted that natural and paper wallpapers are almost impossible to save, regardless of the type of felt-tip pen. The sooner you start scrubbing the drawings, the easier it will be and the higher the likelihood of success. To avoid making the situation worse, do a small test first. You can use a small piece of wallpaper left over after renovation, or a section of wallpaper somewhere behind a closet or sofa. Draw on this piece with felt-tip pens, and then test different types of solvents. Whichever one will do the job better, use that one.
Actions before scrubbing wallpaper
Felt pens, like markers, come in three types: water-based, alcohol-based, and oil-based. To determine what type of marker your marker is, you need to study the information on the box.
The ability to completely remove a stain depends on how soon you decide to get rid of it. The faster you react and take action, the greater the chance of completely solving the stain problem.
The most important thing is the type of wallpaper. If they are vinyl or non-woven, then there is a chance of a successful outcome, since these wallpapers are washable and tolerate contact with water well.
Before you start rubbing off the pattern, do a test on an invisible area, which is located, for example, behind the sofa. If one of the methods turns out to be effective, then you can use it. This way you will be sure that the surface of the wallpaper will not be damaged.
Important: Removing marks from a felt-tip pen on ordinary paper wallpaper will not work. Rubbing with a wet sponge will only cause the paper to become limp, but the stains will not disappear.
If you still have unused wallpaper after you did the renovation, you can use the following method. It is better to carefully cut out the damaged area of the paper using a sharp knife or blade. A piece of new wallpaper is glued to this place. You need to select the area in such a way that the drawing ultimately matches. The ends are leveled by wiping with a dry cloth.
This method applies to the case when ordinary paper wallpaper is damaged by a felt-tip pen or marker. If your non-woven, vinyl or any other wallpaper is damaged, then you can get rid of the stain.
Getting rid of water-based marker marks
Before cleaning the felt-tip pen from the wallpaper, soak a cotton swab or white cotton cloth in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. You don't want to rub too hard as you risk ruining the wallpaper. It will be enough to carefully draw along the lines of the drawing, moving from the center to the edge. The peroxide will react and after a while the drawings will disappear.
Hydrogen peroxide is effective against water-based marker marks
In addition to peroxide, you can use a clothing stain remover. This method is best suited for vinyl wallpaper. Apply the stain remover to the area with the child’s drawing, and after 10–15 minutes, rinse with water.
How to remove felt-tip pen from different types of wallpaper
Methods for cleaning wallpaper are different and depend on the material from which the wall covering is made. There is also a universal method - a special stain remover for felt-tip pens and ink (Kiehl, Dr. Beckmann, Chemspec). It is sold in many industrial stores in the form of a spray, less commonly found in pencil form.
But if such a tool is not at hand, then in removing the felt-tip pen they make do with improvised means. It is dangerous to hesitate - the paint can eat deep into the wallpaper material, and then it can no longer be wiped off.
Paper wallpaper
Removing marker marks from a thin paper coating is the most difficult thing. The material quickly absorbs paint, and after 2-3 hours it is too late to do anything. Therefore, we must act quickly.
The most gentle preparation, from which the wallpaper will not suffer much, is a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Use it like this:
- Dip a cotton swab into a bottle of 3% peroxide solution. For a large pattern, instead of a stick, soak a piece of white cotton fabric with peroxide (1-2 tablespoons) for easy treatment of the stain.
- Carefully moving along the contour of the design from the edges to the center (this prevents the paint from spreading), moisten it with peroxide.
- Leave for 3 minutes.
- Wipe with cotton wool.
Another product that, if handled carefully, will not damage the paper is ammonia. It's better to use it like this:
- Dilute in 1 tbsp. water 2 tbsp. l. ammonia and mix well.
- Dip a cotton swab in the solution and “trace” the contours of the design, starting from the edges.
- Wait 3-4 minutes.
- Wipe dry with cotton wool or a white cloth.
In order not to spoil the paper wallpaper, you should first experiment on a piece left in the pantry after the renovation. Draw with the same felt-tip pen that you used to paint the wall, and then test different methods for removing the stain and choose the more effective one.
Non-woven wallpaper
Medical ethyl alcohol and denatured alcohol work well for stains on non-woven wallpaper. The principle of working with them is similar:
- You need to take a package of cotton pads. A lot of them will come in handy.
- Pour 50 ml of alcohol or denatured alcohol into a bowl - you won’t need any more.
- Moisten the disc in the container and begin to wipe the painted area of the wallpaper, moving from the edge to the center.
- As soon as traces of dirt appear on the cotton wool, replace the disk with a clean one and continue the procedure until the pattern disappears completely.
When medical alcohol is not effective enough, lemon or lime juice is added to it. Squeeze half the fruit into a separate container, strain through cheesecloth to remove the seeds and pulp, add to the alcohol and mix.
Vinyl wallpapers
Vinyl wallpaper is easy to clean even from the most difficult stains. Here's the easiest way:
- Prepare a soap solution. For 1 tbsp. take 1 tsp of water. liquid soap. You can also dissolve 1 tsp in the same amount of water. regular grated soap, use liquid dishwashing detergent.
- Dampen a soft cloth or sponge in it.
- Wipe the painted area until the felt-tip pen disappears completely.
Sometimes stain-removing fabric wipes are used (Nanomax, Faberlic, Meine Liebe). Their use with other wallpaper is not recommended - there is a risk of smearing the paint. But they fit vinyl. They wipe the area of wallpaper, and if it gets dirty, replace the napkin with a clean one.
Getting rid of alcohol-based marker marks
Drawings made with felt-tip pens or alcohol-based markers are more difficult to remove.
Before cleaning the marker from the wallpaper, dip a cotton swab or swab into any alcohol-containing product. Please note that this product must be transparent. While scrubbing away stains, try to change the swab more often - this will avoid smearing the coloring pigment. You can also use regular white toothpaste. Apply a small amount of paste to a cotton pad, then gently wipe the stain. Wait 2-3 minutes and remove any remaining paste with a clean pad.
Markers from felt-tip pens can be removed with toothpaste.
Fresh lemon juice helps combat this problem well. Before removing the marker from the wallpaper, a tablespoon of medical alcohol must be mixed one to one with lemon juice. Dip a cotton swab into the mixture and apply it to the wallpaper, then wipe the stained area with a cloth. If the first attempt is unsuccessful, you can repeat the procedure.
Materials for removing marker marks
To remove traces from wall wallpaper, use:
- clean soft rag, preferably cotton
- cotton swabs
- Oliya
- alcohol, denatured alcohol, cologne and similar liquids
- hydrogen peroxide
- any type of stain remover.
And those who have already visited and undergone this procedure are advised to use toothpaste. It is said to be a good wall cleaning agent for marker pens.
At the same time, it is important to know that wallpaper on a natural paper basis is difficult to restore to its original form and it does not matter on what basis the marker was used. It all depends on the speed of action and what means you will use to wash off the paint.
In order not to smear the picture even more and thereby not make the condition of the wallpaper even worse, try experimenting. You can try various products and liquids on the remnants of similar wallpaper or on hidden areas of the walls, behind the sofa, mirror and behind pieces of furniture standing against the wall. And ultimately, choose the scrubbing option that suits you best.
Getting rid of oil-based marker marks
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to remove traces of an oil marker. You can only try if you have vinyl wallpaper. Before removing the marker from the wallpaper, apply regular sunflower oil to the drawing. After thorough treatment, the stain must be wiped with a soapy sponge and then dried.
If you're lucky, sunflower oil will save the day
Removing pen marks
Marks from the pen are a very common contamination, since this is the main writing instrument. You can remove ink from a wall using different methods, which depend on the quality of your wallpaper.
Let's start with the simplest and most common paper wallpaper, which is recommended in all online publications for covering a child's room due to its environmental friendliness.
A methodical and deliberate approach will remove contaminants
Vinegar
We recommend the first method for light-colored wallpaper, for cleaning which we will need:
- vinegar essence;
- potassium permanganate;
- hydrogen peroxide.
All of these ingredients are usually present in home supplies. To wipe off a pen, mix vinegar and potassium permanganate in a teaspoon to create a bright pink solution. This is what we will use to erase the pen, or rather its traces, from the wall. When working, it is good to use cotton wool, a cotton pad or stick, a bandage, or a soft rag. Don't be alarmed if the stain remains pink; after the marks are removed, we will bleach it with hydrogen peroxide.
Ammonia
The second option will help us if we have paper wallpaper with a pattern that you don’t want to damage. If here too the child used a pen for creativity, we will fight with a different composition based on ammonia.
A jar of ammonia
We dilute ammonia with water in a ratio of two to one; we don’t need a very strong composition, but we don’t need to completely dilute the properties of ammonia. We use materials similar to the previous method to remove ink from the wallpaper.
Lemon and sorrel
The combination of citric and oxalic acid is also very effective in combating pen marks. The consistency of the composition is as follows:
- 250 grams of water;
- 10 grams of citric acid;
- 10 grams of oxalic acid.
It is necessary to wipe off dirt from the wall carefully, but very carefully, do not rub the wallpaper too much, try to dip cotton wool into the solution more often.
If the ink has not yet dried, you can use lemon juice, it helps to quickly remove all traces. Just squeeze the required amount from the lemon and wipe the desired area.
Salt
Among folk methods for removing various stains, the option with salt and hydrochloric acid is widespread.
To implement our idea we will need:
- 1 tablespoon salt;
- 1 tablespoon of hydrochloric acid;
- 1 glass of water.
Salt is used not only in cooking
The resulting solution must be applied to the stain; it is recommended to use a paint brush so as not to wet the wallpaper too much. You will observe how the pen marks will move away from the wall, and the main thing here is to wipe the area with a damp cloth or napkin.
Nail polish remover
Modern nail polish removers without acetone can also be used to remove ink marks from the surface of wallpaper. This product is definitely present in any girl’s arsenal.
Washing gum
If you are not afraid of damaging the wallpaper, you can use an ordinary washing rubber band. Simply erase all traces from the wallpaper.
White
The easiest option for cleaning pen marks from white wallpaper is simple bleaching. Among the chemicals used in everyday life, Belizna has proven itself to be excellent. Apply it to the wallpaper over and over again until the stain is completely removed. Use rubber gloves when working, as the composition is very caustic.
Vinyl wallpapers differ favorably from paper wallpapers in that they can be washed. It is easy to determine the moisture resistance of wallpaper by looking at the label on the roll; if there is none, move your hand over the wallpaper; if it is strong and rigid, then most likely it is very moisture resistant.
You can buy Whiteness at any hardware store.
Accordingly, methods for cleaning contaminants are aimed at washing wallpaper.
Soap
Regardless of the level of moisture resistance of vinyl wallpaper, it is recommended to use laundry soap. To do this, make a soap solution in warm water, apply it to the stained areas and leave to dry for a while.
At the end of the work, remove the composition from the wall with a rag, and you will see that the dirt has come off, or has almost disappeared from the wallpaper. It’s not for nothing that laundry soap was called that; it greatly facilitates many household processes.
Chemistry
If your wallpaper is made of hot-stamped vinyl on a non-woven backing, then it is ready for a full wash. They are not afraid of chemicals and brushes, which means you have complete freedom of action. Take out your entire arsenal of detergents and calmly clean the wallpaper.
A set of household chemicals that are most often required to clean up the house
When using chemicals, remember safety precautions, read the labels, and wear rubber gloves.
What to do if nothing helps
Let's say you tried all possible methods, but still could not remove children's art from the walls. What to do in such a situation? The most radical and expensive way is to completely re-wallpaper the room. If the area of the drawing is small, you can try to carefully glue only this area. For those who know how to draw well, there is another option - to turn children's scribbles into some beautiful fantasy drawing. In any case, you should not scold your child too much. You need to try to explain to him that he needs to draw in a special album, and not on wallpaper.
- Author: Julia
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If the methods do not work
The most important thing is don't get upset. It is important that the child is satisfied with the drawing, and the wallpaper can be re-pasted.
If you can’t remove the stains, you don’t need to start re-gluing them right away. After all, a child might want to create a new masterpiece on re-pasted wallpaper. It's better to wait until he plays enough and grows up a little. The results of children's creativity can be temporarily covered with a card, a decorative sticker, or you can simply leave everything as is.
You can agree with your child that he will only draw on a designated area of the wallpaper. Designate boundaries beyond which you cannot go, and let the child continue to decorate a section of the wall with his drawings.
Useful tips
To be sure to cope with the task, it is important to consider a number of recommendations:
- Strong substances can dissolve not only the marker, but also the surface itself. In this case, the product should be washed off and wiped off the damaged area as soon as possible.
- No matter how effective the product is, it is first of all important to make sure that it is safe for your hands and that there are no allergic reactions.
- You need to start cleansing with the most gentle substances. If they do not cope with the task, you can switch to more aggressive substances.
- Some solvents promote even deeper absorption of paint, so they need to be tested before use.
- It is better not to use dry powders - they can damage the surface by scratching it.
