Tuesday Tip: Stain Removal — My Great-Grandma’s 100-Year-Old Tricks
This Tuesday tip: stain removal comes straight off one special page of my great-grandma Anna Hanavan’s old family cookbook — a whole page of her household hints, all written out, and every one of them about a hundred years old. Anna was a Czech immigrant and a farmer’s wife out in Colorado, and she clearly knew a thing or two about keeping a house running. This week I am sharing two of her hints: rubbing alcohol for ballpoint pen marks, and white vinegar for smoke stains on fireplace brick and those sooty marks a candle leaves behind.
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Watch the full video above — or keep reading below.
Did you know you can use rubbing alcohol to get ballpoint pen marks out of your clothes? If you have ever found a pen mark on a shirt and could not get it out no matter what you tried, Anna says to reach for a bottle of rubbing alcohol . Ballpoint ink is oil-based, so plain soap and water mostly push it around, and the alcohol is what breaks it up. Her second hint is just as simple: plain distilled white vinegar takes smoke stains off fireplace brick, and it works on the smoky mark a candle leaves behind, too.
Tuesday tip: stain removal — How to Use Anna’s Two Hints
Rubbing Alcohol for Ballpoint Pen Marks
Lay a clean cloth or a folded paper towel under the stain so the ink does not travel through to the other side. Dampen a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and dab the mark, working from the outside edge in, and blot as the ink lifts. Dab, do not scrub, and keep moving to a clean spot on your cloth so you are not putting the ink right back. When no more ink comes up, rinse it in cold water and wash it like normal. I was tickled to find that the University of Georgia Extension stain removal guide lists rubbing alcohol for ballpoint ink on washable fabrics, so Anna was in very good company. One more thing: check the spot before it goes in the dryer, because heat can set whatever ink is left.
White Vinegar for Smoke Stains
Make sure the fireplace is completely cold first. Spray or sponge the vinegar onto the sooty brick, let it sit for a few minutes, scrub with a stiff brush, and rinse with clean water. For the smoky mark a candle leaves on a wall or a shelf, wipe it gently with a soft cloth dampened with vinegar. Try a hidden spot first, though, because painted walls and wood finishes do not all react the same way.
One little safety note, because I know Anna would want me to say it: rubbing alcohol is flammable, so keep it well away from the fireplace and any lit candle. The vinegar is the one for the brick. And if it worked a hundred years ago, it should work today, right? What I love most is sitting in my own Florida kitchen, flipping through the Charles and Anna Hanavan Family Cookbook, and finding one more hint I get to pass right along to you. Save this one for later, or share it with somebody you love.
Tuesday tip: stain removal FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
Does rubbing alcohol really remove ballpoint pen ink?
It does, and it works best on a fresh mark. Ballpoint ink is oil-based, and rubbing alcohol breaks it down in a way water cannot. An older stain may take a few rounds of dabbing and blotting, so be patient with it.
Will rubbing alcohol hurt my shirt?
On most washable fabrics it is fine, but some fabrics and dyes can react, so always test it on an inside seam first. If the garment is dry-clean only, skip this trick and take it to your dry cleaner. And blot instead of rubbing, which keeps the ink from spreading.
Is this Tuesday tip: stain removal safe to use around the fireplace?
The vinegar part is, as long as the fireplace is completely cold before you start. Keep the rubbing alcohol far away from the fireplace and any open flame, because it is flammable. And never mix vinegar with bleach — the two together give off a harmful gas.
Can white vinegar get candle soot off a wall?
It can help. Dampen a soft cloth with vinegar and wipe gently rather than scrubbing hard. Test a spot that nobody will see first, since some paints and finishes do not love vinegar.
What kind of vinegar and rubbing alcohol should I use?
Plain distilled white vinegar — skip the apple cider vinegar, which has color of its own. For the ink, the regular rubbing alcohol from the first-aid aisle does the job. Both are cheap, and you probably already have them in the house.
📜 All 13 of Great-Grandma Anna’s hints
This tip is one of thirteen on a single page of Anna’s household hints. You can read every one of her old-fashioned household tips in one place, with a link to each full post as it goes up.
More Tuesday Tips You’ll Love
- Tuesday Tip: Cake Flour — My Great-Grandma’s 100-Year-Old Trick — the first of Anna’s hundred-year-old hints, for making your own cake flour.
- Tuesday Tip: Ginger Cabbage — My Great-Grandma’s 100-Year-Old Trick — another of Anna’s hints, and the little bit of science behind it.
- Tuesday Tip: Cutting Boards — How to Oil Bamboo Boards So They Last — how I bring dried-out bamboo boards back to life.
- Tuesday Tip: Parmesan Rinds — Don’t Throw Them Away, Save Them for Soup — one more thing you should never throw away.
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Tuesday tip: stain removal — About Stephanie’s Tips
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.