Tuesday's Tips--How to Remove Ink from a Plastic Doll

Before I had children I dreamed of being a mother that would encourage ingenuity in my children by not getting freaked out over things like this:

My six year old wrote the names of her dolls on their foreheads so that she could remember their names while she was playing school with them.   She probably would have gotten off pretty easy as it was really an honest mistake in which she stated that she thought it would wash off easily.  

She would have gotten off easy.... But, the shrug of her shoulders when I told her that ink from an ink pen didn't wash off of dolls landed her owing me the amount of work around the house that it would take to earn the money that these dolls are worth.. My windows have never been so clean!  

When I called my mother exasperated at my daughter's response to ruining over a hundred dollars of dolls.  

This is how that conversation went..

Me:  Mom!  I'm so frustrated with Emma.. She wrote on nine of her dolls with an ink pen! NINE dolls.. She said she was playing school with them and wanted to remember their names. I asked her if she had ever heard of NAME TAGS.. And when I told her that ink doesn't wash off of dolls she just shrugged her shoulders.. DOES SHE THINK MONEY GROWS ON TREES?   She now owes me seventeen hours of work so she will know how much work it took for the people that bought her those dolls to earn the money to do so.. And that really isn't even giving her the real picture because I went with current value, not replacement value..  "How can a kid so smart  do things so dumb"?

Mom: (laughs) I remember a smart kid that did some really dumb things around my house... 

Me: I know, I'm so sorry you had to put up with Denise (my sister) all those years (laugh).  

Mom: But,  it all makes sense now.   That's what Chloe was doing..

Me: What? No, not Chloe, Emma did this.. You know, the six year old that should be past writing on things other than paper!

Mom: No, I wasn't going to tell you this because I didn't want you to be upset but when the girls visited on your anniversary, Chloe drew all over the face of my doll from when I was a kid..

Me: WHAT!!! YOU MEAN THE DOLL THAT'S OVER 50 YEARS OLD? THE DOLL THAT YOU PROTECTED FROM US WHEN WE WERE KIDS?

Mom: Well, it's really my fault, I never should have let them play with it.  It's okay.. Really, it's not a big deal..

Me: You've saved a doll for over 50 years and it's not a big deal that my kids ruined it?  It's a big deal to me!

 I bring you the antique that my mom has cherished for over 50 years.  The ONLY doll my mom had as a child.  The one that her parents really couldn't afford and probably sold a kidney for.. I think I remember a story about someone walking three miles in the snow up hill both ways to get this doll!  

(beware of nightmares that might occur from Chucky recollections)

And so began.. OPERATION SAVE THE DOLLS!!!

 Have you ever tried to remove ink from a doll?  It is a task that I previously thought impossible.. 

CLOROX BLEACH PEN-- NOPE

MAGIC ERASER- NADA

RUBBING ALCOHOL-- NO DICE

FINGER NAIL POLISH REMOVER-- UH-UH

TURPENTINE -- NOT A THING

GRAFFITY REMOVER-- NO MA'AM

But do not be disheartened my friend, I've discovered a miracle!!

How did this miracle occur?  

I have given a many a dolly hairdo but I never anticipated treating a doll with acne cream.  But, lo-and-behold, it worked!

So, the nitty gritty on how to use this:
1.  Pull back the doll's hair and remove any clothing that is near to avoid bleaching it..

2. Liberally apply 10% benzoyl peroxide acne treatment cream to any areas with ink.
Be careful to avoid eyebrows.. We now have a Barbie without eyebrows... So much for Barbie being perfect.    After removing one doll's eyebrows, I began to use a q-tip to make sure I avoided any areas that I didn't want to be bleached.

3. Lay the doll in the sun..
Emma's dolls took two applications to completely remove the ink.  My mom's took four since Chloe had skillfully and repeatedly scribbled in one spot and it had sat on the doll longer.  Just keep reapplying until the ink is completely gone. 

And, just as it did when I was a teenager, Clearasil saved the day and my mother's childhood memories!

Blessings,