How to Get Tattoo Ink Out of Sheets

A fresh tattoo is an exciting prospect, but it also creates the potential for a mess on your bedsheets. Ink and blood plasma leak from a fresh tattoo and can easily stain your sheets and clothes. Many freshly-tattooed homeowners struggle with how to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

You can get tattoo ink out of sheets with acetone (nail polish remover) or isopropyl alcohol. Bleach and white vinegar are the two best household items that you can use to get tattoo ink out sheets. Hairspray can remove tattoo ink stains as long as it contains alcohol.

Tattoo ink often contains metals and iron oxides that can stain any fabric. The earlier you find the tattoo ink, the easier it will be to remove. Follow along as we explore how to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

Tattoo ink can be removed from sheets, but it’s best to treat it when it is fresh. It is normal for tattoo ink to leak from a fresh tattoo, and homeowners often discover it in the morning. Luckily, you can get tattoo ink out of sheets with acetone, bleach, isopropyl alcohol, and more.

Not every solution is ideal for all homeowners, especially if you have colored sheets. Strong products such as bleach are perfect for white fabrics but can stain colored sheets without fail. Let’s take a look at the most effective ways to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

You can commonly find acetone in rubbing alcohol, but you can purchase the chemical by itself. Acetone is so powerful that it can dissolve paint, grease, and even ink. It is flammable, so you will need to be careful when you use acetone to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

Try to limit how long you leave the acetone on your sheets because it is strong enough to cause permanent damage. Acetone can leave a stain on dark or colored sheets so it is best used with plain white sheets. Either pour acetone directly onto the tattoo ink or soak a rag and scrub the stain.

Bleach is the best household item that you can use to get tattoo ink out of sheets. The average homeowner likely has bleach in their house, and it’s strong enough to remove most stains. It is primarily ideal if you have white or light-colored sheets, however.

Bleach can easily stain colored sheets leaving you with another problem once the tattoo ink is gone. Less is more when you clean a stain with bleach whether your sheets are colored or white. Pour a small amount of bleach onto the tattoo ink to dissolve it.

You can also douse a cotton ball, rag, or towel with bleach to precisely scrub the tattoo ink. This is a great option if you want to limit how much bleach you get on the rest of your sheet.

Isopropyl alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol is one of the best ways to get ink out of sheets. You can either pour it directly onto the ink stain or pour it onto a rag and blot the ink. Blotting the stain is the best option because it is easier to control.

Gently scrub the tattoo ink with isopropyl alcohol until it begins to fade. Isopropyl alcohol can prevent a stain from forming if you clean the tattoo ink as soon as you notice it. Use rubbing alcohol that is at least 70% or there will be too much water to have great results.

Isopropyl alcohol over 90% can be difficult to find, but it is the best strength to get tattoo ink out of sheets. Strong isopropyl alcohol can dissolve the tattoo ink and it will dissolve quickly. Exercise caution as isopropyl alcohol is highly flammable, especially in a confined space.

There is a reason why white vinegar is a timeless stain remover; it works. Not only does white vinegar work well to remove nearly any stain, but it is cheap and easy to find. A gallon of white vinegar often costs less than $3 and can go a long way to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

Soak a rag in white vinegar and work it into the tattoo ink on your sheets in a circular motion. Try not to move the rag outside of the general area of the tattoo ink so that it doesn’t spread. Pouring white vinegar on the tattoo ink is also effective, but try not to pour too much.

Take your sheet off of your mattress before you pour white vinegar onto the sheet. The last thing that you want is for your mattress to smell like vinegar once your sheets are clean.

Hairspray can get tattoo ink out of your sheets if you act fast enough. That isn’t always possible because newly-tattooed homeowners often discover tattoo ink in sheets upon waking up. You will have the most success with hairspray if it contains alcohol, but not all of them do.

Hairspray is sticky and often has a smell strong so it’s important to wash your sheets afterward. Spray the tattoo ink and let it sit for between 30 and 60 seconds for the best results. Scrub the tattoo ink with warm water to remove the hairspray and run it through your washing machine.

You don’t need to look much further than your kitchen cabinet for one of the best ways to remove tattoo ink from sheets. Homeowners have used baking soda to soak up stains for decades, and it works well with tattoo ink. With that, baking soda on its own isn’t enough to get tattoo ink out of sheets and you’ll need to add water.

Baking soda forms a paste when you mix it with water, and you can apply it to the ink stain. Apply the paste to a paint mixing stick or popsicle stick and brush it onto the tattoo ink. Let the baking soda and water mixture sit on the tattoo ink until it hardens.

Soak a washcloth with warm water and scrub the paste off of the ink. Check to see if any tattoo ink is still visible when you are done. You can repeat the process as many times as you need to or use baking soda in conjunction with acetone or rubbing alcohol.

There are countless stain removers on the market, and many can get tattoo ink out of sheets. Products such as Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover are great, especially if you have colored sheets. It contains no bleach so don’t have to worry about your sheets becoming discolored.

One of the best options is Tide Instant Stain Remover which you can use on any fabric. It contains hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and magnesium sulfate which are all effective on their own. When combined, these ingredients are often enough to get tattoo ink out of sheets.

Any commercial cleaner that contains bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and oxygen will typically do the trick. Make sure to read the ingredients to make sure there is nothing in them that will damage your particular sheets.