Just because you or your kid had a slip-up with a permanent marker doesn't mean the affected piece of clothing or household item is doomed for the trash heap. In fact, a few common household products are true superstars at getting rid of pesky ink stains. The main thing to know is, as with most types of stains, time is of the essence! Your odds of total stain elimination skyrocket if the item is treated soon after the offense takes place with one of the following helpful remedies.

Prior to applying any of these cleaning hacks, test the substance on a part of the clothing that's inconspicuous, just in case the fabric is ultra-sensitive. Here are some time-tested ways to remove permanent marker from clothes.

Hairspray is a commonly used tool to remove ink and permanent marker from clothing, although some of its effectiveness has waned over the years. Many brands have changed their formulations to reduce or eliminate alcohol, so read the label before plunking down payment. Any hairspray that's labeled "alcohol-free" is not going to get the job done. The best brands for this purpose are the cheap, aerosol ones high in alcohol content, which is what actually gets the stain out.

Keep in mind, hairspray is not suitable for a permanent marker stain on all surfaces. It generally works best for stains in polyester or poly-blend clothes and most cotton or denim fabrics. It should never be used on leather or wool [source: Groth].

To use hairspray to get permanent marker mishaps out of clothing, follow these simple steps:

Run-of-the-mill rubbing alcohol is another extremely effective way to remove marker stains. This is because it's an excellent degreaser, able to break down oily stains better than many other cleaners. If you have a handy bottle of 70/30 rubbing alcohol (that is, 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and 30 percent water), it could be just the solvent you're looking for to get rid of tough marker stains [source: Ecolink]. To use:

The high alcohol content of hand sanitizer makes it an effective ink stain remover, much in the same way that rubbing alcohol and hairspray are. It's likely you have a bottle in your pocket or purse, making it an easy way to spot-clean something. Here's how to use it [source: Prahl]:

This is a gentler method for fabrics (like leather) that can't handle alcohol:

Of course, more items are susceptible to permanent markers besides clothes. Keep reading to find out how to get permanent marker out of common household items.

Occasionally, the couch, carpet or even a person's own skin has a run-in with a permanent marker. Fortunately, the situation is totally fixable with materials commonly found around most homes.

Once again, rubbing alcohol is an excellent stain-removal choice, especially if the affected "material," so to speak, is skin. A staple of bathrooms everywhere, rubbing alcohol can get your skin back to its normal tone quickly and easily with just a little elbow grease. To use rubbing alcohol to clean permanent marker off skin, follow these steps:

If that doesn't work, try using nail polish remover, which is great at removing inks that aren't water-soluble.

No one wants a permanent marker to mar their leather couch. Such a stain is easily treatable using distilled white vinegar [source: Moore]. However, make sure to treat the area as soon as possible after the offense occurs for best results. To remove the stain:

Another great substance for getting permanent marker out of leather is WD-40, a lubricant that most people use to stop squeaky door hinges and such [source: Groth]. To use:

Sometimes a wall just too greatly resembles an art easel, so parents wind up with a "masterpiece" on a surface where such artwork wasn't intended. If disaster so strikes, a little rubbing alcohol is usually all it takes to reverse the damage. Here's how to get things back to normal:

If you're out of rubbing alcohol, you could try hand sanitizer gel, nail polish remover or hairspray. Just use the product sparingly and try not to scrub too vehemently, or else you'll take some paint right off with the ink.

Another option: Use a dry erase marker to get rid of the stain! Triple-check that it's indeed a "dry erase" marker (the kind that teachers use on whiteboards) before proceeding, though. This works because dry erase markers actually contain stain-removing rubbing alcohol [source: Massimilian]. To use:

That one almost seems too easy, right? Yet people swear by this odd cleaning technique.

Yet another option involves two popular home cleaning products — a window cleaner and one of those "magic eraser" sponges. Here's how to use these tools to get marker off painted walls:

Most of us have carpet-specific cleaners lying around, but in a pinch, household items will do the trick nicely. This method involves hairspray (not oil-based) or rubbing alcohol [source: Molly Maid].

Once the stain is all gone, use a towel dipped in clean water to get rid of any remaining stain-removing substances.

Many of the same cleaning tools are also helpful at removing Sharpie stains from plastic. This method involves a dry erase marker, hydrogen peroxide and some rubbing alcohol [source: Massimilian].

Whichever method you choose to clean any of these permanent marker stains, remember to tackle it quickly, but carefully. You don't want to make the damage any worse than it is by applying the wrong type of cleaning method for the material.

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