Permanent marker
Dye in a solvent carrier, designed to resist water. It is the only stain in the carpet database whose procedure begins by telling you to stop.
In detail
A permanent marker works by carrying dye in a volatile solvent with a resin that fixes it as the solvent evaporates, which is exactly what makes it hard to reverse: the dye is bound into the surface by a film rather than sitting on it. The carpet institute's database contains a large family of ink entries, and they agree on one clear result. Felt-tip marker routes to the solvent branch, opening with nail polish remover and a dry-cleaning solvent before any water is involved. Permanent ink does something no other stain entry in that database does: it opens at 'Call a Professional', with detergent and vinegar listed after that as what may be tried rather than what should be tried first. A trade body whose whole database is do-it-yourself procedures telling a reader to stop before starting is an unusually strong signal about a stain's difficulty. On hard, non-porous surfaces the outlook is much better — an alcohol-based solvent lifts most marker from glass, glazed ceramic and finished metal — but on anything porous or coated, the two risks are that the solvent spreads the dye further and that it attacks the finish underneath.
Why
- Permanent marker is explained by Solubility and polarity
- Permanent marker is explained by Capillary absorption
- Permanent marker is explained by Pigment retention
- Permanent marker is explained by Adhesion and cohesion
Hacks and claims involving this
Sources for this page
Sources
Spot Solver: spot and spill removal procedures
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That felt-tip marker routes to nail polish remover and dry-cleaning solvent before water, and that the permanent ink entry opens at Call a Professional. (states this directly)