Ink spots on a rubber item can be a problem to remove. The sooner you try to remove the ink spot, the more successful you will be. An ink spot that has been on a rubber item for a long time may be impossible to remove; however, you may be able to lighten it up so that it isn't as noticeable. On some rubber items, such as soft rubber gaskets, it may be necessary to replace the rubber instead of trying to remove the ink.

  • Ink spots on a rubber item can be a problem to remove.
  • An ink spot that has been on a rubber item for a long time may be impossible to remove; however, you may be able to lighten it up so that it isn't as noticeable.

Clean the rubber using a baby wipe as soon as you notice the ink. This will remove a considerable amount of the ink if you do this as soon as the ink is spilt or placed on the rubber. Don't rub the affected rubber---blot it instead. Rubbing it may spread the ink; however, blotting it doesn't have that effect on the ink.

Erase the ink using a regular eraser, such as the one on the end of a pencil. This may considerably lighten the ink spot, but it usually won't completely remove the spot.

Use 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol to clean the ink. Skip this step if you are trying to clean ink off of a rubber stamp. The alcohol will dry the stamp out and make it unsuitable for further use.

  • Erase the ink using a regular eraser, such as the one on the end of a pencil.
  • The alcohol will dry the stamp out and make it unsuitable for further use.

Spray an all purpose degreaser on the rubber. Leave it there for five minutes. Wipe it off using a clean white towel. Rinse the rubber if possible. You can repeat this if necessary to remove all of the ink.

Apply a rubber stamp cleaner to the rubber. These products are used to remove ink residue from rubber stamps, so these products can be used on most rubber surfaces to remove ink.

Sand the rubber area lightly using 120-grit sandpaper, if possible. This won't damage rubber stamps or many other rubber items.

TIP

Test these methods on an inconspicuous area of the rubber if possible.

WARNING

Don't use any of these methods to remove ink from surfaces that come into contact with food or beverages. For those items, you must use only products that are considered food grade, such as food surface degreasers. In some cases, it is best to replace the rubber that has the ink stain if it is on a food contact surface.