Removing Permanet Marker from Walls

Maybe you could just paint over it? A thought, my friend has a husband in Iraq, and she covered her walls with freezer paper and everyone could draw things for daddy whenever they wanted to.
Maybe you could take her to the store to pick out her "special drawing equipment and paper" it would help when she wants to draw on something-she might use her new special stuff. good luck!

yup, just like most of the rest I'm a magic eraser Mom! Its my miracle worker! It got permanent marker off of my painted walls and untreated wood work in my living room.. love them!
S.

There is a cleaner called "Awesome" and it truly lives up to its name. My son wrote on the walls with a sharpie and I cleaned it off with that. It didn't come completely off but it did lighten it so much that you could only see it if you knew it was there or if you got really close to the wall. I got it at the dollar store. I love it. I use it for everything! Hope it helps!!
M.

Try the Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean. Just don't rub TOO hard. I swear by them! Good luck!

My daughter went through the same thing with permanent markers, and I magic eraser will take care of it.

Try a Magic Eraser. I took permanant marker off of the dining room table with one and it didn't hurt it.

I've had some luck with Mr. Clean Magic eraser.... You will probaly need to repaint though...

R.,

Well this worked for me so I hope this helps you. They have Mr. Cleans eraser that is supposed to take everything off the walls. It even took off crayon on my walls before and it doen't take off the paint.
I wish you all the best.

Sol U Mel works the best. I use it for everything that won't come off. Permanent marker included. I even got really old stains out of my off white carpet with it.

When my 4 yr old was 2 yrs old he drew all over our antique stereo with a permanent marker. I was able to get it off with a little bit of olive oil on a soft cloth. It came right off for me. The same boy drew on my white rug with a permanent marker (makes me wonder why I buy permanent markers any more!) and I got it out with oxy clean carpet cleaner. It may work on a wall too, if you just use oxy clean. Good luck getting it off!

You could try erasing it with a pencil eraser or one of those Mr.Clean erasers. I know (pencil)erasing works for permanent marker on some surfaces! Good Luck!!!

baking soda with a little water....or regular hairspray..

I have read all the wonderful comments..you probably have the sharpie off the walls now. Kids are amazing. They don't really mean to be naughty-it's not like they plan it or anything. Many catastrophes could be avoid if we kept things out of their reach. Take 15 minutes and gather all the sharpies, markers, crayons, pencils, pens and SCISSORS. Find a container that is not see through to put it all
in. Find a place that is out of reach and out of sight to keep this container in. Make sure it somewhere easily accessible to you. It had been proven that when we keep things in places easily accessible, we are more likely to put them away. When we don’t........well, we leave them out and then.....well, they see those scissors, creayons, markers, pens, pencils and well............... Make sure you keep this container in a convenient place so that you can easily grab it when you need something out of it. It is a known
fact that when things are kept in awkward places, we are not as likely to put them away.

There is a pad called Mr Clean in the cleaning sections. That gets a lot of things off walls. You might want to try that. When I have written on metal with a permanant marker like a "for rent" sign Pinesol has helped to clear the board. I don't know of other chemical at the moment, but good luck.

Hi R.,

Have you tried the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? I have been able to get permanent marker off my floors and walls and should not take off the paint - they are great! Good luck.

T. B.
www.teresabevens.simplyfun.com - play for all ages.

Have you tried magic eraser- they work really well for things I didn't think I could get rid of. In fact my daughter wrote with permanant marker on my desk & it came right off with magic eraser. I also have tried soft scrub on things like that.

Good luck :)
M.

Have you tried Magic Eraser? Supposedly this took Sharpie marker off of my sister in laws hard wood floor!!!

Try MagicEraser. It is amazing what that thing will take off! If that doesn't work, try Motsenbockers (Google it to see who sells it in your area-- I get mine at Home Depot). Motsenbockers got red nail polish out of a whole load of laundry (hand treating, of course, but it worked!!) Good luck!

Try Mr Clean Eraser, that thing is awesome, if that doesn't work try Simple Green.

we rent and my kids did the same thing in their room the mr clean magic eraser and scrubbing took it off

Mr Clean's MAGIC ERASER, seems to take permanent Marker off most walls for me, unless they are very textured, and then they tear, and don't work as well. I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!!

have you tried mr clean eraser pads?

Try a magic eraser by mr. clean. If it is sharpie, write over it again with the sharpie to get it wet and then use the magic eraser. My daughter wrote on our ivory piano keys with a black sharpie and that is how we got it off.

Try Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, they work great and I have used them to remove permanent marker from my walls, door and even a beautiful oak file cabinet. It took off the mark and left the paint and finish as is. Good Luck. C.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser worked wonder on my walls. It has taken off everything from permenant marker, to crayons, to Koolaid handprints. But it's only for walls, not for children.

The new "magic eraser" products are amazing!

I hate to break it to you but i don't think there is anything that wont take the paint off the wall. I had the same problem at my mother's house and we tried the "magic eraser" becuase someone told us it wouldn't take the paint off... they were wrong. So i would advise that you just repaint that part of the wall. (spray paint silver over the sharpie and then paint so it doesn't leak through

Try the magic eraser. You know Mr. Clean. The thing is awesome. There is also paint you can buy that when marked on will come off easily although it's expensive. You can also go to any craft store and buy her a big pad of paper you know the ones that are as big as her and get an easl so she can show her talent on that. To top it all off by doing this you never have to buy art again because she's done it for you on the paper that's as big as her. Good luck with your talented artist.

Try Mr. Clean magic eraser. If that doesn't work. . .then a nice washing a a clean coat of Zinzer primer and a new coat of the paint we'll cover the eyesore. I've had to do this manytimes through the years.

M. G mother of 7

I have removed permanent marker from other surfaces with the Mr Clean magic eraser BUT if you intend to have her help clean her mess, do not let your child use it unsupervised. If she were to rub herself with it (like you would a regular sponge) she could get chemical burns.

I used the magic earaser and it worked really well on prmanent marker on the wall...

R.,
My daughter did the same thing! I used a Mr. Clean Magic eraser, it really helped! Good luck! A.

Yep! Magic eraser! Just used it myself yesterday! (Not the first time). The generic ones work just as well as Mr. Clean, in my experience!

No trick for taking it off the walls.
But from my own experience I learned to use spray paint and spray over the markings before painting the wall. Permanent marker or in my case dry-erase marker will show through if you only roll the wall paint on, but the spray paint will cover it and then you only have to roll it once.

Have you tried Fingernail polish remover with out acetone? I found that works wonders!

I heard a friend of mine tell me she had permanent marker "art" from her own daughter on a leather chair. She was able to get it off with the new Mr. Clean erasure thing. Good Luck!

The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser has taken sharpie off our walls, table and doors. They do grow out of it.

I know dryer sheets take of crayon. So you could try that. Good luck.

You could try magic erase pads from Mr. clean

Have you tried a Mr Clean Magic Eraser yet? I have heard that it works most of the time (I have heard of one instance where it didn't). Fortunately I have not had this problem yet...good luck!

Try "Magic Eraser". It is awesome! My kids write with pen and crayon and marker on paint all the time, one wrote on linoleum with it and I got it off with the magic eraser!

Soft scrub will take off permanent marker, if it hasn't been there for too long. Also, I think that the Mr. Clean magic erasers will take it off, again if you don't wait for too long.

What about Mr.Clean Magic Erasers?
It takes of crayon, i think it takes off perm. marker also.
Worth a try i think.
And it won't touch your paint either :)

You should try the magic eraser.

Try the Mister Clean Magic Eraser. It worked wonders for us. Try it in a little spot first. It didn't take the paint off our walls. Plus its pretty inexpensive.

Mr. Clean erasers! They work wonderfully!
Let me know if they work for you. I love them and just barely discovered how much I can use them on.
M.

have you tried one of those "magic erasers" i think arm & hammer and mr. clean make a version... I had some weird black scuff marks on my walls from movers (wheels of the hand carts, I think)... and that worked well. I love those things.. they work well for scuff marks from tiny and not so tiny feet on doors.

I have heard this works but have never tried it myself. Take a black dry-erase marker and color over the permanant marker with it. After it dries, wipe off the dry-marker with a kleenex or a paper towel. I have heard that the permanant marker will come off with the dry-erase. Hope this helps

Sometime nail polish remover will work. Try that.

Have you tried the "Magic Eraser?" Mr. Clean brand or generic. They both work the same. It is great for taking off some marker, crayon, pencil. Just don't use it on wood.

Did you try a Magic Eraser? I don't know how well it would work on permanent marker, but I have used it on pen and crayon on my walls from my two year old daughter.

Good luck!
C.

Hi Been there done that my daughter is now 11 and she still writes everywhere! But she has great handwriting, writes poems and tells great stories so I guess maybe we have a novelist on our hands, so think positive! Anyway I found that hairspray would remove permanent marker! Sometimes rubbing alcohol works too, but hairspray (especially in a spray can)works best, spray on wipe off and wash area with mild soap and water to remove the sticky residue. Also magic eraser cleaners work great! Good Luck!

Same thing happened to me, hair spray works great!

MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER- is all I have to say. Whatever you do, DON'T RUB TOO HARD WITH THE "MAGIC ERASER" & DON'T LET THE MARKINGS SIT ON THE WALL FOR MORE THEN 2-3 DAYS! This recently happened to me- so I definitely recommend the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser". There may be different kinds of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers; I just use the blue box (the one with the blue packaging)-the eraser itself is white.

GOOD LUCK! IT REALLY WORKS!
[I just now noticed that the other responses say the same thing- oops!- but really, it works on A LOT of things]

I have found Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser will remove permanent marker. I have tried it myself. You may want to test a small area on your paint first because some paint has held up well and other paint has looked like it has faded. Either way you are probably going to have to repaint if you can't get it off. It has never taken the paint totally off but I could tell a difference in some areas. Good luck. Make sure to keep the eraser away from your little ones because there has been an email claiming that they can cause chemical burns, so I treat them like any other chemical in my house.

The magic eraser, you can buy it any where. You can find it the cleaning section, where you would find pinesole, ajax or any other cleaning agents. Let me know if it works.

Do NOT use rubbing alcohol. It took the paint off of my bathroom wall when I tried to remove marker that way.
Good Luck!

Try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I have removed marker from my walls with this product before. I love it!!!

Try Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads/sponges. Our grandchildren did the same thing (at their house)! Works well.
Also, you might try putting up some easel-like pads of blank paper at HER height, so that she may "design" at will without wrecking your walls! You might also possibly frame some of her pieces, so that she does not feel that all her works are always destroyed. Inexpensive,clear lucite, box frames can also be changed frequently. You could let her choose which she thinks is her best work!
And remember, this, too, shall pass! They grow up too fast!!
Good luck!
N. O

I don't know if this works on walls but it worked on my laminate floors and a wooden desk and i know it works on car paint. Spray a lot of hairspray on the ink and wipe it off. it sounds crazy, but it actually works for lots of instances. good luck!

Mr Clean Magic Eraser! It works wonders. My kids magic marked a huge chunk of the wall, I mean huge. Like two feet by two feet. It is gone. Takes some elbow grease and time if it is a large amount but it works. Don't let the kids use it though, it can give them a rash. It is super cheap too. You get it on the cleaning aisle. It is just a magic sponge. Great for every thing. Tile, sinks, strange marks on walls.

The best thing I have found that works is Magic Eraser. Get it wet and alittle elbow greese and it is gone. Just follow instuctions.

B.

white eraser by mr. clean will clean that up! My son when he was four got sharpe all over the wall and freezer down stars. It happen in the matter of seconds. I use the white eraser from Mr. Clean and it cleaned it up nicely.

Mr Clean Magic eraser is GREAT for removing permanent marker from walls counters and floors!! Works great on crayon too!!

I use Sol u Mel from our company it is awesome.
it is wonderful, non toxic (important) it works on everything too... to give you an idea of how great it is
it will take sharpie pen off pictures and not ruin the picture. lol
also fingernail polish out of carpet, stains of all nature and no poison..

Linda P.

Hi R.,

My daughter had that problem a lot with her youngest boy. She found that Mr. Clean wipes, worked wonders. She loved it, I loved it and I know my walls loved it. Actually, it never took off any paint or polish off the wood or walls. Try it, Good luck

I use the magic eraser for everything.. It took permanent marker off my dining room table and wall. Good luck! T.

No guarantees on this but it works really well for some permanent inks on fabrics: Stain Devils Ink stain remover -available at JoAnn Fabric Stores.

Linda B

Try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It is kind of like a soft sponge -- you get it wet, then rub it on various surfaces to eliminate marks. It works on some amazing things!! I used it to clean up the walls in our last apartment and loved it.

I have used a Mr. Clean magic eraser (available in any grocery store) to remove Sharpie from painted walls and doors. Seems to work pretty well and not remove the paint. Just a note of CAUTION: Do not let your child handle the magic eraser. They look like a harmless sponge, are odor free and dissolve as you use them so there is virtually no waste. BUT - there is some sort of chemical in the sponge that can cause terrible chemical burns to delicate skin, especially in children. I have used them with my bare hands without a problem but have seen several picture testimonials of children with burns on their faces, tummies, and arms from "helping mom" and scrubbing every place with these sponges. There is no disclaimer on the package!
If you want your child to help clean up in an effort to give consequence to her actions (absolutely!) I suggest having her use a damp rag to go over the marker spots before you scrub. The sponge needs to be dampened anyway so it won't hurt! Hope this helps.

I agree with everyone else, my daughter took one of the fat permanent markers and marked up the walls, bookcase, and completely colored her legs black, The magic eraser got it off the wall and the bookcase and a soak in the tub got it off the kiddo (she sat forever in soapy water lol) don't use the eraser on the kiddo, but it will work on walls! the paint may fade a little on the wall where you scrub, but i'd rather have a fade spot than black marker!

I always use scrubbing bubbles. That's worked for me with marker and crayon and everything. I used the foam kind and let it sit for a few minutes. Then I wipe it off with a wet rag. Good luck!!!

My two year old little boy is ALWAYS coloring on the walls. I found out that Mr. Clean makes Magic Erasers you can find them in the cleaning isle. It really works. I swear by them everyday!!! They really are Magic! Give it a try, there might even be a generic brand that makes them, I am not sure.

Have you ever heard of SoluMel? It is a Melaluca product, and I've seen it get permanet marker off of things before. If you know of anyone who uses these products, ask if you can try it. Other wise they have a website you can check. Sorry I can't help more.

R.-
Magic Eraser!!! It truly is magic!!! I've never used it on colored walls, only on white paint, and it doesn't seem to take off the paint, but if you do use it, I would test it in a corner somewhere out of sight before you go at the whole wall with it, but it's worked for me! :)

R.,
I worked in a day care when I was in high school and college. It never failed, one of the kids always got a hold of a permanent marker and we had to try to get it off. The number one thing we found to work was just a normal pencil eraser. It took it off pretty good. I hope this helps!

Melaleuca makes a product called Nature's Cleanse that will take off the marker and not the paint. However, you have to be a member to get it.

Have you tried Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? Its awesome. Don't scrub too hard becuase it will take paint off if you put too much muscle behind it. Good luck!

Hi R.

I read online that spraying hairspray on permanent marker works great. The cheaper the better, just spray it heavily on the marks and they will melt/disolve. It should not hurt your paint. http://www.housekeepingchannel.com/

Just wanted to let you know that the "Magic Erasers" will not cause chemical burns... but can cause an abrasion (just like carpet can cause rug burn) You can check it out on snopes http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/eraser.asp Good luck!

Try a magic eraser from Mr. Clean. Then use rubbing alcohol if there is still some left.

Sol-u-mel .. is a fabulous product and safe to use around your little ones. It can be diluted and use a amazing cleaner or use it full power for the removal of markers from walls, fingernail polish and so much more ... I love this product !! You can only get it by being a Melaleuca customer and I would be happy to help you in becoming a customer.
T.
____@____.com
http://Freedom2.stayinhomeandlovinit.com

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will do the trick without harming your walls. When my sister-in-law found permanent marker all over her natural hard wood floor this is what she used and didn't have to have the floor revarnished or anything.

It sounds really strange, but hairspray will remove permanent marker very well. Just make sure you go back and rinse with water, otherwise your walls will be very sticky!!

I dont know if it works on markers but have you tried the magic eraser. It works on any thing. Good luck.
Michelle

I use the MR. Clean Magic eraser for a lot of things and it works great. I have not had to remove permanent marker from the wall though. I did remove permanent marker from the screen of my portable DVD player with rubbing alcohol though. Hope this helps.

Rubbing alcohol, aeresol hairspray, and acetone (not mixed together...) all have done wonders at taking permanent marker off of things for me! OH! And, as weird as this sounds, but often times if you color over the permaent marker with a dry erase marker, you can then wipe off the dry erase marker and it takes the permanent marker off with it as well. I teach high school and we are always doing this with our walls and whiteboards.

SHAKLEE!! I recently ordered their start kit, which includes their super-concentrated all-purpose cleaner H2 (that's H squared) and it took permanent marker off my cabinet faces w/o even touching the finish! Plus it's non-toxic, safe around kids, and soooooo concentrated so it creates less waste for the landfills and uses less energy to ship to you. It's awesome! (And no, I don't sell their products!)

Best,
S. L

I don't know if it's available in your area but I have a little boy who also likes to write on things. I have found that Greased Lightning will take just about anything off the walls or carpet or laundry. I haven't had a problem with it taking the paint off my walls but it's always good to test it somewhere hidden first. I found Greased Lightning at Wal-Mart with the other cleaning supplies. I'm not sure if other stores carry it or not. Hope this helps!

I have 30 years experience in construction, primarily in carpentry and painting and I'm sorry to say that there is no easy answer. :-( Goo Gone is just a solvent and you're right, it will affect the paint. And it's highly toxic as well, just as are toluene (the primary ingedient in most lacquer thinners), xylol, xylene, and denatured alcohol. Rubbing alcohol does work on permanent marker to some extent and would not be as damaging to the paint, although one can still see where it's used in most cases. Latex paints just don't have good resistance to these solvents, even the glossy variety, which is the most resistant. A dry erase surface cleaner will also perform the same function as it has organic sovents in it. I'd suggest using something like that, in good ventilation, i.e. opening windows and setting up a fan to carry the air out, then repainting the wall. It's really the only solution that will work completely and you may have to either prime the wall again first, or paint over the dark areas alone prior to painting the whole wall.

Good luck.

I'm glad to hear the Magic Eraser worked! It must not be a "true" permanent marker because those typically contain Xylol, which penetrates the lower layers of paint unless, of course, the paint is oil based).

Try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I've been able to remove blue ink from my walls with it. It even worked for my sister to remove scuff marks from her car where another car had hit her and didn't damage the paint finish!

Someone told me Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser takes off permanent marker. I haven't had it harm the paint on walls at all, but the eraser will take off the finish on wood.

Good Luck

S.

Melaleuca makes a product called sol u mel that takes sharpie off just about everything. You can order it on line.

Greased Lightening, and continual rubbing with it on a cloth should take it off.
I know it takes permanent marker out of clothes.
You will find it at WalMart.
Good Luck

Hair spray takes off permanent marker pretty well and shouldn't take your paint off. Just make sure you wash your wall after the hair spray. Hope that helps.

You can try a cheaper solution, rubbing alcohol.

Mr. Clean's magic eraser is incredable. They are only about $1.25 for two at Walmart. I'm not sure about permanent marker, but with my experience it removes marker, pencil, paint scratches. Good luck

I got black sharpie off my white barstools with soft scrub cleanser on a sponge. It worked great. Not sure about walls. It's worth a try!

Take a dry erase marker over it and rub it off with a rag. It works on dry erase boards. It might work on walls?

LOL! My son did the permanent marker on our walls AFTER my husband has just painted them! I get my cleaning products from a company that keeps our kids safe, all non toxic to our families, AND I got the permanent marker off my walls and the nail polish off the carpet and tile the following week! Click on my link and see: http://www.ahealthcafe.com/letslivegreen AND MOST IMPORTANT EVEN SAFE TO USE ON HER HANDS!