The Magic of Hairspray!

I am so excited to share this tip with you!!

You can get permanent marker off of almost any smooth surface with one simple ingredient.

HAIRSPRAY!!

We are redoing our floors and we use permanent marker to mark our cuts. The boards have a smooth surface and I know that with dry erase boards you can color over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker and it will wipe off so I wasn't too worried about making a mistake.

Of course, it wasn't too long after we started that I was able to test my theory.

We ended up marking the wrong end of a board. I quickly grabbed a green (the only color I could find) dry erase marker, colored over the permanent marker and wiped it off.

Well the permanent marker faded but was still visible, and the dry erase marker left some nasty green smudges that would not come off.

I thought back to a recent post I wrote on how to remove permanent marker from almost anything.

I remembered that hairspray was one of the items that popped up a lot in the post.

I ran to the bathroom, grabbed the hairspray and gave the are a few sprays.

Like magic, the marker (dry erase and permanent) started to liquify and dissolve before my eyes.

With one quick wipe of the paper towel, it was gone.

I was simply amazed!!

Then the wheels started turning. I wonder what else this would work on?

Then I went crazy!!

No, I'm not kidding! Just check out all of the things I tested it on.

(Please read the notes at the bottom before trying this)

*Update: While I was writing this post my girls got a hold of the permanent marker and drew a pretty picture for me on the side of our island. I used the last of my hairspray on the above experiments and only had enough left to wipe off about a third of it. I posted the photo on my personal Facebook account a friend replied with a tip to use OFF bug spray. Since I was out of hairspray I decided to give it a try. It worked just as well as the hairspray!! However, the bug spray did smell pretty bad so I would suggest using it as a last resort. Especially if you are going to be using a lot of it like I had to.

NOTES:

This will work on most smooth, glossy surfaces. Do not try on rough non-glossy surfaces.
The hairspray did leave a sticky film on some of the surfaces (such as the mirror) this can be easily cleaned off with Windex.
Most of the above experiments were wiped of within a few minutes after I wrote on them. I do not know if it will be as easy to erase once the marker has set. The marker on wood/ laminate floors was there for 3 days before I erased it and it came off perfectly!!
Please be sure to test in an unnoticeable area before going crazy with the permanent marker. I found that I had to scrub a little to get it off of the dishwasher and washing machine. I am not responsible for any damage that occurs if you attempt this.
The hairspray I used TRESemme strong hold. I would think most (or all) other hairsprays would work just as well however, I can not guarantee that.

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