Colorful drawing on the table

How to Remove Colored Marker Stains

Make sure the “permanent” in the permanent marker doesn’t apply to marks left on your clothes with these tricks on how to remove permanent marker from clothes.

Try these tips for getting your garment back to its original, marker-free glory.

Step 1

Remove Excess

Brush the excess stain off the surface of the fabric. Rinse in water to dilute the stain.

A person brushing off excess from white garment
Step 2

Pour and Pre-treat

Pour Tide HE Turbo Clean Liquid directly onto the colored marker stain. Make sure you completely cover it and let set for 5 minutes. Pour from either the bottle or the cap.

A person pre-treating stained shirt with Tide detergent
Step 3

Dose

You can also use the cap to ensure you use the right amount of detergent. Just fill it with the correct dose of detergent, and pour it into the detergent dispenser if you have an HE machine, or directly into the drum before loading the clothes if you have a non-HE machine.

Step 4

Load

Without rinsing off the detergent, place the garment into the washer with other items. Leaving the detergent on the stain will give your wash that extra boost of cleaning power.

A person loading white clothes into the washing machine drum
Step 5

Wash

Wash on the usual cycle, on the hottest wash temperature indicated. Always check the instructions on the garment’s care label.

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Select the wash cycle and water temperature on your washing machine
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Step 6

Unload

When the cycle is complete, unload the garments immediately.

If the stain persists after washing, repeat the previous steps before tossing in the dryer, as drying will set the stain.

A laundry basket full of neatly folded, colored gaments