Laundry accidents occur. Sometimes, a pen is forgotten in a jeans pocket and leaks in the dryer, spreading ink on the clothes, as well as the dryer drum and paddles.
No matter the mess, it’s important to remove any ink left in your dryer drum fast, as it could stain the next batch of clean clothes. Learn four quick ways to get ink out of a dryer.
What You’ll Be Needing
Many ways effectively remove ink stains, depending on the ink type in the drum. Each method uses common cleaning items you likely already have, such as dishwashing liquid, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, a melamine eraser, or chlorine bleach.
Give one a try, and if it doesn’t work, move on to the next one. Soon, the ink will disappear.
Just Before You Start
After you’ve taken out the clothes and found the problem, check each piece for ink marks. Begin removing the stains right away to rescue the clothes before dealing with the stains in the dryer.
Once you’ve treated the clothes, follow some safety steps before cleaning the dryer. Turn off the dryer, wear gloves and eye protection, ensure the laundry area is well-ventilated, and avoid using any harmful or flammable substances.
1. First, Use Dishwashing Liquid and Baking Soda
Use dish soap, warm water, baking soda, and a soft cloth to handle the issue. Create a soapy mix and wet the cloth. Squeeze the cloth to remove excess water and clean the ink spots.
Wait for at least 60 seconds to let the solution break down the ink. Sprinkle baking soda on the damp cloth and scrub the stains.
Baking soda works as a mild scrub to loosen the ink. Once the ink is gone, use a cloth dipped in water to clear away any leftover soap.
2. Apply Scrubbing Alcohol
The specialists at GE suggest using the same rubbing alcohol that’s used to get rid of ink stains from clothes and leather to clean ink off the dryer drum.
Take an old white towel or sponge, wet it with alcohol, and wipe away the ink. It might need a few tries and some hard work to get rid of all the ink. Make sure to use a clean part of your cloth to avoid spreading the ink around.
Afterward, wipe the drum with a fresh cloth or sponge dampened with plain water to rinse. Keep the dryer door open for an hour to let any leftover fumes disperse before using it again.
Tips: Make sure to inspect the outside of the dryer for ink stains. If there are any, rubbing alcohol can remove them safely without damaging the surface.
3. Get a Melamine Sponge
It was right to call a melamine sponge Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser. The soft roughness of the sponge can often take away ink from the dryer drum fast.
Make sure the sponge is wet all over. Press evenly and stop when the ink is gone. Clean the area with a wet cloth to get rid of any leftover roughness.
4. Dip a towel in bleach and let it fall.
If the other ways didn’t remove the ink, you can attempt using a towel soaked in chlorine bleach. Follow the steps closely to avoid any bleach residue in the dryer, as it could spoil your future load of dark-colored laundry.
In a big bowl or sink, mix two cups of bleach with two cups of water. Put a bath-sized towel or a few small kitchen towels into the mixture and let them get completely wet.
Wear protective gloves, squeeze out the excess liquid, and put the towel in the dryer. Set the dryer to run for 20 minutes using the timed dry setting.
Once the time is up, take out the dry towel. Use a clean, wet towel to wipe the inside of the drum and get rid of any leftover bleach.
As an extra safety step, dampen a bunch of old rags or white towels and run a cycle in the dryer.
Extra advice for getting rid of ink stains from the dryer drum.
1. Mix the same amount of clear vinegar and hot water together. Wet a soft cloth with this mix and clean the dirty spots.
2. Wet a paper towel with nail polish remover and gently rub it on the ink. Make sure to wash the area thoroughly to get rid of the chemicals, and wait for at least an hour before using the dryer to ensure that any fumes are gone.
3. Put a little WD-40 on a paper towel and rub it on the ink. Once the ink is gone, clean the spot with warm, soapy water and rinse it well to get rid of any leftover chemicals. Wait for the smell to go away before using the dryer.
