Many printer owners are struggling with the problem of ink stains after replacing or refilling a cartridge. Let’s look at some advice that might help you understand how to get printer ink off hands.
How to get printer ink off hands easily?
Refilling cartridges with ink is not so overwhelming. But it can be difficult to wash off the stains after that. And even if you try to be careful, you somehow get everything in printer ink stains. We will talk about the most effective methods to remove ink stains.
Prevention
Prevention is the guarantee of your safety. We should be concerned not only with printer ink stains, but also with the aggressive effects of chemicals on the skin. If you get your hands dirty, it is very important not to touch your eyes, mouth, or any mucous membranes with them.
Since printer ink is designed to penetrate paper, the pores of the skin become clogged very quickly. Without strong tools, it is very difficult to remove ink from your hands. However, there are solutions to the problem.
Some water-based inks can be washed off with some effort with warm or hot water, but inkjet printers use oil bases that cannot be washed off hands as easily. How to avoid such a situation in the future? It is enough to wear ordinary medical gloves. They are thin, so they won’t get in the way of changing cartridges, but thick so ink won’t seep through them.
Is printer ink toxic on the skin?
When it comes to replacing a cartridge or refilling it, it is very important to be aware of the toxicity of the ink. After all, contact with them is inevitable even when using gloves, not to mention cases when manipulations are performed without them.
And the unusual color of the hands for several days is not a problem, but the possible harm to health worries people, so the question of the toxicity of is extremely relevant.
Dangerous ink in non-original ink cartridges
Contact with ink when replacing old cartridges with new ones (often not original ones), although it turns out to be minimal, is still inevitable. The main danger in such cases lies in the incomprehensible composition of this ink.
It is very common on the Internet that the cost of original inks is extremely high because well-known companies sell their brand.
But in the case of buying this very “brand”, you can at least be sure of the quality and safety of the ink, since they meet the highest American and European, and, as a result, domestic standards.
It is impossible to say the same about already refilled cartridges of little-known manufacturers. Many of them reduce the cost of their developments precisely through the use of low-grade source materials, but almost always hide this information.
Safe ways to work with ink
By themselves, printer ink is considered safe and non-toxic to health because it does not contain hazardous materials (at least when it comes to contact with the ink through the skin, and not by ingestion).
However, it should be understood that high-quality and truly harmless ink, which is produced by famous companies, is rarely used in practice. Therefore, the only way to prevent contact with this material, which can be potentially dangerous (when it comes to cheap ink), is best to transfer this task to specialists with the appropriate experience and skills.
When working on your own, you should use gloves and follow safety rules.
How to clean printer ink stains from skin?
Before we get started, we must cover one major safety rule: Never mix the methods. Although the above methods alone may be safe, if they can be used correctly, mixing chemicals may have unanticipated and dangerous side effects. Also, be sure to finish one technique thoroughly.
Dish soap
Wash your palms with soap, dry them with a towel and wipe the contaminated places with a cotton pad, abundantly moistened with an alcohol-containing liquid.
Alcohol
Instead of products with ethyl alcohol, you can use hairspray that contains isopropyl alcohol. This option is suitable if you need to remove ink stain and oil-based paste. Spray the varnish over the contaminated area of the skin. Wipe off the dissolved ink with a tissue.
Cosmetics
Probably the easiest and most effective wash with hydrophilic oil. This product, which came from Japan, copes with tons of makeup and the most resistant eyeliners. It is usually used for deep cleansing of the skin.
Slightly inferior to hydrophilic oil, oil-based makeup removers. It can be a two-phase liquid or a bio-oil for makeup removal. If the area affected by ink is large, after cleaning with oils, you can exfoliate the top layer of the skin with a scrub or light whitening peeling. A few drops of essential oil will do. For example, tea tree oil.
Juices
The juices of many fruits and vegetables contain acids that can help dissolve ink stains. Try applying slices of tomato or lemon to your skin. Gently wipe your face with them, then rinse.
It is necessary to moisten a paper towel with juice or take a piece of the product and apply it to the stain for a while. This gentle method is suitable not only for the skin of the hands, but also for the face.
Nail polish remover
For quick results, it is recommended to use acetone or nail polish remover. The ink is wiped off with a cotton pad moistened with the composition.
After that, you need to wash your hands with soap and grease with a moisturizer. With prolonged exposure to the skin, the product may cause redness, itching, or inflammation.
Household chemicals
Chemical cleaners are very effective. But they also have their drawbacks – such products can harm the skin. You will have signs of allergies, and irritation. Do not apply to mucous membranes and other sensitive areas of the body. Be sure to rinse quickly after use.
How long does it take for the ink to come off your hands?
The paint from the upper layers is easily washed off with running warm water, but with an absorbed stain, the situation is more complicated.
On average, it takes about a week to renew the skin, during which time the ink will completely disappear from the body. You can wipe the paint off your hands much faster by washing your hands often with soap and water.
How to remove printer ink and toner from clothes?
Before you start cleaning ink and toner stains, test your cleaner on an inconspicuous area of your clothing to make sure it’s not only effective but also safe on the fabric.
How to remove ink from clothes
Start by removing the paint stain with a damp cloth or sponge. Make sure the cloth or sponge is clean, so you don’t stain your clothes any further. After you have removed as much ink as possible, allow the stain to air dry.
You can use hairspray or alcohol on the stain, depending on the material/fabric of the clothing.
Place the stained piece of cloth between two dry paper towels and dab the stain with pressure. Then move the soiled part of the towels and repeat the procedure. Repeat until there are no more marks left on the paper.
After the remaining ink dries, the clothes can be washed in the place where the stain appeared. All inks are easily removed with any detergent.
How to remove toner from clothes
What definitely can not be done: is wash the toner from the fabric. This will only push it deeper.
If possible, vacuum the stained area before shaking off the powder.
Use a soft clothes brush or soft towel to brush off the residue from clothes. After that, apply alcohol to any unwanted cloth and blot the stain, or spray hairspray on the stained area, line both sides with paper towels, and blot.
When you can, wash the clothes in a washing machine with cold water and make sure the stain is gone.
What should I do if I find an old ink or toner stain?
Sometimes the problem is discovered too late, and the ink stain is deeply embedded in the fabric. But this does not mean that the clothes are damaged. It is possible that she can be revived.
First, dampen the stain with liquid laundry detergent (you can sprinkle a little powder and add water), and then gently scrub the stain with an old soft-bristled toothbrush. If the stain doesn’t wash off, use a 1:1 water-bleach mixture. But this is only if the care of your clothes allows the use of bleach.
Wash soiled clothes in the washing machine as usual.
If you want to understand how to make sublimation brighter effortlessly, please read our article.
Conclusion
Every user who has ever fueled a printer on their own knows how “dirty” this job is. The toner, which is in the form of a powder, spreads very easily around the room and settles on all surfaces. It is especially difficult to remove ink stains from fabric surfaces, that is, from clothes.
To prevent refilling the cartridge from becoming a disaster for your things, wear old clothes while working. But if trouble has occurred, then do not despair, but follow the proposed instructions.
You can read about Printing Inks here.
Hi, I’m artist and sublimation printing expert. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, I had passion for photography and painting from my childhood. I started my career as a sublimation print operator for a local printing company in 2012. The role exposed gave me lots of practical knowledge about printing process, from managing color profiles to ensuring print quality on various materials.
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