Ink, marker and crayon on carpet and chairs

Kids' art supplies produce three different stains that need three different approaches. Ballpoint ink is oil-based and needs a solvent: rubbing alcohol on a white cloth, dabbed (never poured) onto the spot, transfers ink to the cloth. Keep moving to a clean part of the cloth so you are not putting ink back.

Washable marker is water-based and comes out with cool water and a drop of dish soap. Permanent marker is solvent-based and behaves like ballpoint. Crayon is wax; place a paper towel over the spot and press with a warm (not hot) iron so the wax melts into the towel, then treat the remaining color with a solvent.

The dining chair

A grandmother in Tacoma called us about blue ink on a beige dining room chair, courtesy of her granddaughter. Fabric dining chairs are a good candidate for professional cleaning because the seat is small enough to work carefully, and it came out completely. Dye-based ink on light fabric is the hardest version; some of it will lighten rather than disappear.

What not to do

Do not scrub ink; it spreads. Do not use hairspray on modern fabrics; the old advice worked because hairspray used to be mostly alcohol, and now it is mostly not. Do not put a solvent on a sofa without checking the tag; some fabrics dissolve.