Unprofessional Parenting

As the first entrant in our What a Mess category let me fill in the background of this post.

The other day my son got his hands on a Sharpie pen and tattooed just about everything in our house. Not much escaped the graffiti parade – the floor, the couch, his toys, our dining room table and chairs, himself, etc., etc., etc.

It only lasted a couple of minutes but I’m convinced it was a concerted effort to begin a new “speed art” trend. My parenting magazine advised me to calmly explain to him that “we only draw on paper” – so I wouldn’t crush his artistic vision. I’m willing to bet that buying him some more “artistic vision” would be cheaper than replacing all our furniture (and walls). At any rate, it prompted me to do some internet searching of cleaning materials for permanent marker on a variety of artistic mediums.

Here is what I found:

Wood tables/chairs

· Toothpaste: Put it on, let it dry and scrub off with a dry towel or old toothbrush.

Results: This actually worked on my table. So far no weird side effects. Just don’t let the kid see you doing it – it looks like fun to them so it could potentially lead to disaster.

· Insect Repellent: I didn’t try this but the story goes that you can spray it on and the marker drips right off.

· Spray on sunscreen: Another that I didn’t try but the story is the same as insect repellent.

Couches

· Rubbing alcohol: This will get marker off your couch but I have dark brown leather and it will also fade the color so test on an inconspicuous area first.

Kids

· Scrubbing: This will work and if you catch it and soap it quickly it will be relatively easy. Product does depend on kid cooperation which might make it difficult.

· Baby oil: Apparently if you put a little baby oil on a cotton ball it will take the marker off. I scrubbed so I didn’t have to try this one myself but it sounds good.

Linoleum/tile

· Toothpaste: Word is that it works here too.

· Rubbing alcohol: Test first to be sure it doesn’t fade linoleum.

· Magic eraser: I love these things. I’ve used it on linoleum and walls for just about everything. A great product to have around.

This just about covers what I had to clean. Obviously, consider that any of these might fade fabric or do weird things to your furniture so always test it in an inconspicuous area before applying to your tabletops.

Now, if anyone has any tips for getting permanent marker off a yellow lab – they would be much appreciated.

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