How to remove ink stains from white cotton/polyester tote bag?2 replies

I have a white tote bag, that seems to be of a thick canvas-y material. The tag says it’s 100% cotton shell and 100% polyester trim. The blue ink stains it has are on the back, outside, of the bag. And there are more ink stains on a pocket that’s on the inside. I’ve tried throwing it in the wash, and using Tide-to-Go on it, but the stains won’t go away. They’re pretty old, any ideas on how to remove these? Thanks!
Btw, if it helps the tag says do no bleach.

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1. pissy_old_lady said on July 23, 2009 at 1:39 am

   It will be difficult now to remove the stains if you have already dried the bag…try hairspray or hand sanitizer….you can also try rubbing alcohol in the products that remove the ink.
   found this site…try some of these…good luck and I hope you can clean your bag
2. yoohoo said on July 23, 2009 at 7:12 am

   I’ve always taken the Do Not Bleach warning to mean Do not bleach on a regular basis. Cotton/poly CAN be bleached, just do it gently. Try a little pre-wash, let it sit, rub w/ a bar of soap, scrub, rinse & see what you have left. If still there, just apply a little bleach, detergent mix for a few minutes. Watch it to see it lift the stain a little, & just use your best judgement here–rinse, scrub more or apply more of the mix. It’s going to take trial & error. Also set it out in the sun after MOST of the stain is gone–the sun removes LOADS of stains you’d never have thought it could! Apply a little of any type of lemon juice while its in the sun. Reapply the lemon juice over & over as it dries. It really worX!