How to get printer ink off hands? You’ll have to change the toner or ink cartridge if you own printers when the ink runs out.
In the process, you’ll most likely have to deal with spills. Ink spill is nasty and will surely leave stains on your hands and skin.
Removing ink stains on your hand can be hard, making it pretty annoying. Luckily, you can use several ingredients to clean printer ink from your hands. The article also highlights possible ways to avoid ink stains altogether. To begin with, lets first find out;
How To Get Printer Ink Off Hands
Anyone who owns or operates a printer will get their hands ink-stained. Here are the steps you can take to get printer ink off your hands.
- Thoroughly wash your hands using soap and water. You can use normal soap, but try abrasive soap if ineffective.
- If the soaps don’t remove the printer ink, try other ingredients. It can be hair rubbing alcohol, hairspray, nail polish remover, tea tree oil, or bleach.
- Apply the ingredients to your hands and then wash and scrub them. You can scrub your hands using a brush; it helps loosen the ink droplets.
However, you must be cautious while using certain ingredients like bleach. It’s a caustic substance that can burn your hands. Therefore you should properly dilute it using water.
Is Printer Ink Toxic On Skin
The printer ink isn’t toxic on the skin. However, avoid inhaling it because of its core ingredients, including ethylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, and water. It also has additives that create different strengths and consistencies.
But considering the ingredients, liquid printer ink isn’t toxic to the skin. Therefore the occasional spills when changing ink cartridges shouldn’t cause any alarm.
5 Common Ingredients Of Removing Printer Ink Stains
Here are five common ingredients that can easily clean toner or ink stains from your hands. However, you should check out the ingredients since they contain chemicals. Plus, others aren’t for this purpose. Therefore pick one with harmless chemicals.
Tea Tree Oil
It’s an essential oil that people promote nail, hair, and skin health. Its application is similar to hand sanitizer – you gently rub it into your skin.
Tea tree oil is a great ingredient for removing ink stains. Pour some oil on a cloth or cotton ball and scrub the ink stain from your hands.
Repeat the process until your hands are entirely clean. You can use a soft-bristled brush/ fingernail brush and pumice stone to clean under your nails and fingers for better results. After this, wash your hands with soap and water. You can use dish soap or lava soap.
Hairspray
Hairspray is another ingredient that’ll effectively remove ink stains from your hands. Spray hairspray on your hands to clean them.
However, start with a few drops and carefully apply them. Don’t spray hairspray directly onto the region with the ink stain. After applying, rub away the ink and wash your hands with soap and clean water.
Rubbing Alcohol
You’ll be good to go if you already have this ingredient. Rubbing alcohol is also effective at removing ink stains from your hands. Pour a little rubbing alcohol on your hands and rub them together.
Do this until the alcohol entirely washes the ink from your skin. Then, thoroughly clean your hands with lukewarm soapy water. Apply some lotion or baby oil afterward to moisturize your clean hands.
Nail Polish Remover
You can use nail polish to remove ink from your hands, like hairspray. Nail polish remover is one of the common ingredients in most homes. Nail polish remover is ideal because it has acetone that removes various chemical solvents.
It’ll gently and quickly remove ink and toner stains from your hands. However, ensure it doesn’t spill on your furniture or wooden floor. ‘
It’ll remove the finish. Apply lotion or baby oil after successfully getting the ink off your hands.
Bleach
It’s the final ingredient that effectively removes ink and toner stains. However, use bleach if you don’t have other ingredients.
Chlorine bleach can damage your skin if you don’t thoroughly wash it off afterward. Plus, bleach produces toxic gas with a strong smell. If you decide to go with bleach, you should dilute it.
Bleach to water ratio should be 1:10. Rub the mixture on your hand until the ink is completely off.
After this, wash your hands with plenty of soap and water. If your hands still have the smell of bleach, use orange or lemon juice. It’ll help remove the smell.
How To Avoid Getting Ink On Your Hands
It’s good to know how to get ink off your hands. However, it’s much better to avoid getting ink on your skin. There are several things you can do to prevent this.
The first and best way is to read the ink cartridge instructions. You’ll learn more about how to replace it. Each ink cartridge usually comes with special instructions.
But generally, replacing ink cartridges is always straightforward. Regardless it’s advisable to read the instruction on the ink cartridge. You’ll learn a lot, and this will help you avoid spills.
Another obvious way to avoid ink stains is by wearing your latex glove. Each time you change the ink cartridge while having latex gloves, you won’t worry about ink stain.
The glove prevents as much ink from getting to your hands. After changing the cartridges, you can slip off the gloves and dispose of them. Wearing a glove is a simple and reliable way of preventing ink stains.
Lastly, you can use the refill kits. They allow you to avoid changing cartridges by refilling them. With refill kits, you’ll be able to refill the cartridges without swapping them out.
However, refill kits significantly increase the chances of ink spillage. That’s if you don’t know how to use it properly. Do research before trying this method.
Removing Printer Ink from Clothes: Supplies You Need
Spilled ink stains can be quite tricky to remove, but getting them off your clothes is possible. Amazingly several household products can perfectly do the job.
Always deal with stains as soon as possible for the best results. However, it depends on the tools you have at hand. Here are the equipment/ tools that you’ll need.
- Water-based ink: clean, dry two paper towels or clothes, shallow tub or bowl, liquid detergent
- Permanent link: clean white paper towels, rubbing alcohol, oxygen-based bleach (optional), and liquid laundry detergent
Removing Printer Ink From Clothes: Process
You need to determine the type of ink on your clothes. It can be a water-based ink stain which is the easiest to remove. Or it can be a permanent ink stain (from a permanent marker, etc.), which is a bigger challenge.
However, you’ll successfully remove the ink stains following the processes below. Additionally, you should note that fresh ink stains are easier to remove. Therefore you should always deal with the ink immediately.
Water-based Ink
1. Blot The Stain
Put the cloth with the stain on a clean, dry cloth or towel. Apply some water to the stain and blot using a clean cloth. The stain will start to transfer onto the other cloth in the process.
2. Add Detergent
Add a small amount of detergent onto the stain, then let the fabric sit for 3-5 minutes.
3. Wash The Garment In Hot Water
Wash normally, but use the hottest water the manufacturer recommends for the fabric. Before letting it air dry, ensure the entire stain is off. If there’s any trace of stain, repeat the cleaning process.
Permanent Ink Stains
Rubbing oil is usually the most effective ingredient in removing permanent ink stains. However, it might not remove the stain completely since permanent inks are tough.
But it’ll at least helps to fade the stain. If the fabric is bleachable, you have a better chance of removing the stain.
1. Test The Fabric
Take a clean white cloth or towel and put it on the stained area. You should test the rubbing alcohol on a hidden part of the fabric. If it doesn’t damage the item, you move to the next step.
2. Blot The Stain With Rubbing Alcohol
Use white fabric or paper towels to blot rubbing alcohol on the stained area. It will dilute the stain making it easier to remove in the wash. You’ll end up with a damp towel discolored from ink leaching.
If a part of the towel dampens, move the garment to the dryer part. It prevents the affected area from reabsorbing the removed ink.
You should repeat the process until the entire ink is of the cloth. Thoroughly rinse the affected areas to ensure there’s no rubbing oil left. Multiple and immediate rinses will be ideal.
3. Check The Fabric and Wash The Garment
After removing the stain from your garment, wash it using warm or hot water. If the stain remains, you can mix cold water and oxygen-based bleach and use it.
Check out the package’s direction to know the amount of product per cold water gallon. Submerge the entire garment in the cleaning solution and let it soak for at least 8 hours.
In case the stain persists, use a fresh solution and repeat. Ensure the stain is completely removed before you air dry the clothes.
Bottom Line
Knowing how to get printer ink off hands can be a lifesaver. It’s so easy to spill ink on your hands or clothes when changing cartridges. However, it’s equally easy to clean up.
Several ingredients, such as bleach, effectively remove ink and toner stains. In addition, you need to learn how to avoid ink spills to minimize the frustrations of cleaning in the future.
