How to Get Octopus Ink Stain Out of Clothes in 6 Easy Steps!
Octopus and squid ink might look great in black dishes, but they aren’t nearly as sexy on your shirt or jeans!
The good news is that you DON’T have to start wearing black when cooking or eating inky meals.
In other words, octopus and squid ink stains are far from permanent (as your skin and teeth can testify). With the right gear, you can easily get the stains off your clothes.
By soaking your clothes in water, using a bit of dish soap, and adding hydrogen peroxide you can get octopus ink off your clothes.
Why Does The Stain Look So Bad?
Pitch-black stains can make you want to freak out. But that doesn’t mean octopus or squid ink is the same as the stuff you’ll find in your pens!
Octopus ink is actually concentrated melanin, which is a natural pigment that makes up freckles and suntans. When octopuses feel threatened, they release this ink to confuse their predators and prevent them from seeing where they’re going.
Today, many chefs around the world use octopus ink in specialty dishes. Squid ink sauce and black octopus ink noodles are a few examples of dishes that use this ingredient.
How to Get Octopus Ink Out of Clothes
First, you’ll need to grab your ‘ingredients’:
- Liquid dish soap
- Cold water
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Laundry detergent
Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you can just buy some OxiClean. But I prefer to work with something that doesn’t have any more chemicals than I need at the moment.
Even though these are simple household ingredients, they work wonders when it comes to treating octopus ink stains. With these in hand, let’s get to work!
- Apply the dish soap to your clothes and rub the mixture onto the fabric for about a minute using a rag or a sponge.
- Rinse the clothing in cold water. You should notice that the ink stain is almost completely gone!
- But more often than not, you’ll notice that your clothes are still covered in octopus ink. So fill a bucket with cold water. Allow the clothing to soak in the cold water overnight – or, if the stain seems stubborn, sprinkle in some hydrogen peroxide and let it sit for an hour tops. Some people prefer to mix peroxide with some water to make a paste, and dab it onto the stain. But if you do that, you risk bleaching this spot! Much wiser to soak the garment whole and keep an eye on it.
- When taken out, your clothes should be completely free of octopus ink. At this point, it’s time for you to move on to the next stage – doing your laundry!
- Throw your clothes into the washing machine and add an adequate amount of washing powder one sheet of laundry detergent.
- Wash your clothes at the recommended settings for your type of garment. Then, remove your clothing and allow them to air-dry. If the stain is still there, repeat the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get octopus ink out of clothes?
Use some dish soap to dry and dissolve the stain. Then, dunk the clothes into cold water mixed with some hydrogen peroxide, scrub at the octopus ink, and pre-treat it before you throw it into the laundry. The ink stain should come right out, no matter how long it’s been in the clothing.
How do you remove squid ink?
Squid ink works the same as octopus ink. If you get a squid ink stain on your clothes, you can use the dish soap, hydrogen peroxide and cold water rinse method. Just make sure to launder your clothes properly at the end of the process to ensure there’s nothing remaining on the clothing.
Does octopus ink stain?
Octopus ink stains just about everything that it comes into contact with. That doesn’t just mean that it stains clothing. Octopus ink can also stain teeth, skin, boat decks, carpeting, and a whole slew of other things! The good news is that you can get octopus ink out of these items without a whole lot of difficulty.
How do you get dried ink out of clothes?
Getting dried ink out of clothes might seem tough, but it doesn’t actually require a ton of additional work. You can usually get dried ink out of clothes by rubbing with some dish soap, then soaking it into cold water with a pinch of hydrogen peroxide or OxiClean.
How do you get tattoo ink out of clothes?
Octopus ink is different from the type of ink you find in your tattoos. If you get tattoo ink on your clothing, regular cleaning with dish soap and hydrogen peroxide won’t work. Check out our tattoo ink removal guide for everything you need to know about getting this type of ink out of your clothing.
