removing ink stain from headliner

**flatstick** · 11-29-2009, 08:05 AM

I have a very small ink stain in my headliner that I would like to remove safely. my wife had a ballpoint pen in her hand the other day and was pulling down the visor and had the cap off her pen. have heard a bunch of ideas for removing ink but am worried about using a harsh solvent that might affect the adhesive on the headliner. the material is fabric and a very light grey color. I have all kinds of stuff to remove it such as Folex, Kids & Pets , apc , Woolite. I appreciate your advice on this topic. guess I have been lucky as I have removed rust , grease and everything else from other people's cars but so far this is only my second ink stain. the other stain was bad. the person tried to remove it and it was there for a while. they did not expect that I would get it out and I did reduce it to a very slight mark , so they were happy.

**Impressions** · 11-29-2009, 08:23 AM

I use a carpet and upholstery cleaner, spray on dry, clean terry cloth and buff the spot. dont make the towel real wet. I try to clean headliners with damp mix not to spread stain even further

**flatstick** · 11-29-2009, 08:30 AM

Impressions,

That makes sense and it kind of how I would go about it normally. I was going to use my Folex or K&P on a qtip and blot the area trying not to smear it. let it dwell for a while and blot with a clean cloth maybe 15 minutes later. since it is my car and only 6 months old I am being very careful.

**Wax Gorilla** · 11-29-2009, 08:49 AM

It is actually great that it is only six months old.
If you ever have a 2 year plus year old car or a smoker or a clent that drives with their windows down alot you will often discolor the headliner if you only spot clean. I like to start out very mild with just warm water and a touch of upolstery cleaner. I will often times lightly steam clean the entire headliner. If the warm water does not touch it I move to a light dab of hairspray and if that does not touch it I move to isoporyl Alcohol. again lightly blotting rather then wiping. Past that it is a replacement which can be suprisingly affordable. Some guys will reline a headliner on a family non import sedan for $125. So don't give up hope.

**flatstick** · 11-29-2009, 09:28 AM

Wax Gorilla,

I hear you on working on other people's cars. I have seen everything from gum to a half eaten cheesebuger under the seats :O( I am glad that the stain is very small but it does catch my eye. since the stain is very fresh I am thinking that I can remove it or reduce the sight of it greatly. have heard that hairspray and alcohol will work but I have not used it on a headliner before. I do have a steamer and it has been a great tool for stains on carpet in the past. I usually stay away from cleaning entire headliners . woolite had server me well in the past on a headliner but I fear it will not do much on an ink stain.

**DonMTV** · 11-29-2009, 10:20 AM

Well, I would take out ink from work shirts with aerosol hair spray like Aqua Net. Spray it on and then dab it with a towel. Not sure it will work on the headliner, but you could try. I actually have ink on my Alcantara inserts that I found yesterday. Not happy.

**Finemess** · 11-29-2009, 11:27 AM

If your worried about the headliner why not take a old MF and mark on it with a pen. Then you can try different things and see what works best, without risking damage. Just a thought.

**flatstick** · 11-29-2009, 11:53 AM

Finemess and DonMTV

You have read my mind. trying to find some material around the house that would duplicate it best and I can make a few marks on it and try a few methods to see what works best. . I always like to hear other ideas also, in case I run across this issue in a car I am doing for somebody else. the only thing I do not have is the hairspary ( aquanet or whatever it is ) does the hairspray have to be an aerosol ?

**img** · 11-29-2009, 07:50 PM

probably, and I wouldn't suggest gel or mousse

Mike Phillips · 11-30-2009, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Finemess

If your worried about the headliner why not take a old MF and mark on it with a pen. Then you can try different things and see what works best, without risking damage. Just a thought.

That sounds like great advice. If possible, try to use the same pen if know the pen that caused the damage.

Then like others said, don't push too hard or you'll stretch the fabric. Ink stains are difficult to remove and especially remove 100%

Let us know how it goes...