How to Remove Those So-Called "Permanent" Sharpie Stains

We've all encountered our fair share of Sharpie stains. Maybe while writing your to-do list for the week, the ink bled through the paper and made its way onto your countertop. Or perhaps you accidentally got some on your favorite shirt and freaked out. Well, interestingly enough, those so-called "permanent" Sharpie stains are not so permanent after all.

In chemistry, we have this saying: "like dissolves like." Solubility in chemistry always comes down to polarity. Every compound in our world has a polarity value associated with it. Polarity is determined by the chemical composition of the compound, and likewise, there is a wide range of polarity values that the compounds in our world can have. Some are highly polar, others are highly nonpolar, and many fall in between with both polar and nonpolar properties. What "like dissolves like" means is essentially, the more alike a solute (what's being dissolved) is in polarity to the solvent (what's doing the dissolving), the better the solute will dissolve.

Sharpie ink is one of those compounds that lie in the middle of the range of polarities. It exhibits both polar and nonpolar properties, which explains why a highly polar solvent like water or a highly nonpolar solvent like gasoline will not be able to get rid of Sharpie stains—though I would hope that nobody has already attempted the latter. Instead, solvents that also lie in the middle range, such as acetone or isopropyl alcohol, would do best in attacking those stains. Everyday household items such as nail polish remover (acetone) or rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) can be used to target those hard-to-erase marks on your countertop. So the next time you accidentally get Sharpie ink on something, don't panic. You'll know what to do.