The last thing you want when you’re trying to print out your annual report on time is ink-stained hands. It looks unprofessional and can ruin the look of your presentation. Fortunately, printer ink comes off with a little elbow grease, so if you get printer ink on your hands, there’s no need to panic here are eight tips on how to get printer ink off hands.
Related: How to Remove Printer Ink from Carpet?
Contents
How to Get Printer Ink Off Hands?
1. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is one of your best tools for getting printer ink off your hands. Make sure it’s at least 90% alcohol before using. Just get a small amount on a cotton ball and rub it on your hands, like you would hand sanitizer or lotion until all of the ink is removed. This can take up to several minutes depending on how much printer ink you have on your hands.
A quicker alternative is to put rubbing alcohol directly on your skin with a cotton ball (or two) and scrub in circles until all of the printer ink has come off.
If you have access to cold water, run some over affected areas as well; this will help pull more ink out when used in conjunction with rubbing alcohol because heat and friction both speed up evaporation (the drying process). However, don’t use hot water since that could cause irritation and burns if you aren’t careful; most manufacturers recommend against it anyway. And finally, don’t forget that soap can work wonders too so be sure to give yourself an extra good washing!
2. Baking Soda
If you have baking soda, it is a simple way to get printer ink off your hands. The acidity of baking soda neutralizes printer ink so that you can simply wash it off with warm water. You could also use baby wipes instead of water if you don’t want to waste time rinsing in-between steps.
If Baking Soda Isn’t Available: If there’s no baking soda around, try using lemon juice or vinegar. Since these are acidic, they’ll neutralize printer ink similarly and they’re easy ways to remove printer ink from hands without having to scrub your skin. Just apply them and let them sit for a few minutes before washing them off with warm water. As an alternative, you could use hand sanitizer (with a pH of 6) instead of vinegar if you can’t find either in time (although we wouldn’t recommend leaving printer ink on your hands overnight).
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has numerous uses around your home, but it can also help clean printer ink off of your hands. It acts as a mild bleaching agent and breaks down pigment from most inks. This will typically remove enough of a dark color so that you can no longer see it on your skin after rinsing with water and soap.
To use hydrogen peroxide to get printer ink off of your hands, apply some hydrogen peroxide liquid to a cotton ball or soft cloth. Rub gently over all areas where you can still see traces of printer ink. Rinse your hands once or twice in cold water and then wash with soap and warm water. If not removed completely by rinsing, look for invisible stains under bright light—if present, repeat steps until thoroughly removed.
4. Dish Soap
Using dish soap is a great way to get rid of printer ink from your hands. All you need is some dish soap and warm water. Simply apply some soap on a damp rag, rub it into your hands and then rinse with warm water. Your hands will be clean in no time! Another option would be to use baby wipes or olive oil.
Both are effective alternatives that are just as easy to use as dish soap but have their own set of pros and cons when it comes to removing printer ink from hands. The bottom line? Determine what works best for you based on your needs – if all you’re looking for is a quick fix that removes printer ink temporarily – go for something like baby wipes; if you have time and want long-lasting results – stick with using something like olive oil or dish soap until your printer ink stains fade away completely.
5. WD-40
This is a fast and simple way to get printer ink off your hands. The next time you need an ink remover, grab some WD-40! Simply spray a liberal amount on your hands and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, use dish soap and hot water to remove any remaining residue. The key here is liberal!
Be sure you aren’t sensitive to WD-40 before trying it, as some people are allergic. Also, be aware that using this method can harm certain surfaces like laminate floors or wallpaper. Additionally, be careful to avoid touching your eyes or mouth after using WD-40 because oil from your fingers may have transferred while removing printer ink from your hands.
6. Olive Oil
The easiest way to get printer ink off your hands is with olive oil. Rub some on your hands, and then rub it off with a paper towel. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any olive oil, soap and water will do as well. Soap makes an excellent cleaner it cuts through grime really well! Another time-tested trick for getting printer ink off your hands is to use rubbing alcohol; it works just as well, if not better than soap.
Try applying rubbing alcohol with a clean cloth; let sit for two minutes or so; then wipe away. You can also try using hydrogen peroxide or dish soap in place of regular liquid soap/detergent if they’re available. But don’t worry if you don’t have either one: A little elbow grease and a good scrub should remove printer ink from the skin.
Just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward! Lastly, remember that spilling printer ink on clothing is something that happens more often than we’d like to admit but there are some ways to prevent it from staining. When washing stained clothing, be sure to pre-treat spots with stain remover before tossing them into the washer.
7. Nail Polish Remover
If you ever get a bit of dried-on printer ink on your hands, Nail Polish Remover can do wonders for removing it quickly. While rubbing alcohol and soap work well too, they can take a while and be rough on the skin so it’s best to avoid them. And if you have nail polish remover around, give it a shot; most brands are cheap, effective, and smell great! Plus, since you may already keep an extra bottle in your home just in case, then it won’t cost anything extra to try.
In some cases, all that is needed is a quick rub from an alcohol wipe or two passes with regular old non-acetone nail polish remover. You might even find acetone (the liquid found in many removers) is too harsh but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something equally as effective but gentler out there! For example, there are lots of other mild liquids like ether and chloroform out there with similar properties to acetone which could also work perfectly fine depending on what kind of printer ink is at hand.
8. Toothpaste
Toothpaste has a high concentration of mild abrasives that can easily remove printer ink from your hands. Apply a little toothpaste to your hand and scrub it off with your finger or a soft cloth. If you want, you can mix in a drop of water for an extra cleansing boost, but make sure not to let any water run into your printer ink cartridge water and printer ink doesn’t mix!
This is a quick way to clean yourself up if printer ink somehow gets on your clothes. Don’t use so much toothpaste, though; there are better ways to clean small messes (such as spills). Be careful not to get too much on surfaces around you; it could leave small streaks behind when dried.
See also: Best Photo Printer for Scrapbooking
Conclusion
If you’re getting printer ink on your hands, you’ll want to use something with a pumice-like material. Baby oil, hand lotion, and vegetable oil are all great options, especially if you’re going for a temporary fix instead of a long-term solution. These substances will help get printer ink off your hands in no time! Now that we have covered these methods, let us share some tips and tricks that will prevent future stains from occurring.
