I am obviously getting this question from a nurse or a doctor and I must say this is a difficult one. A highlighter is almost as bad as a permanent marker so unfortunately, if you don’t wash it out right away, it might not come out at all. Wash right away after you mark your shirt and see if you can get it out before it has a chance to set. Use soap and water-any kind. Cotton loves to take in that dye, unfortunately.
If you can stick to the darker scrubs, you won’t have as much to worry about, or if your scrubs get too marked up, you can always dye them in your bathtub a darker color. I always take my blue jeans or my black clothes and throw them in the bathtub once in a while with their matching dye color to give them a color boost and even out all of the effects of multiple washes and wears.
Hope that helps!
April 29th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I have found that if you spray the area that the pen is on with aerosol hairspray, then dab it with a paper towel repeaditly (if you are laying the scrub flat to do it, then put a towel between the layers so that the ink doesn’t spread to the other side) this helps loosen the ink and will take some if not all of it out. Wash the scrub top and if it’s still there repeat with out drying. I have done this to my scrubs when I accidentally forget to recap or leave my pen out. Good LucK!
May 6th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
On another subject my wife and i watch you all the time and think your wonderful but we are both around 40 yrs of age and think we are not ‘kids’.Keep on keepin on!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:22 am
most of the permanent markers and highlighters will come out (MY EXP.) with a pencil eracer. it takes a little hard rubbing but it works on cloths and tables and shoes and anything i have needed to get it out of it worked for me!!!!! also oxy clean has a instant spray (pocket size) works too if it is done right away!!!! : )
May 8th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I am a nurse and have had this problem. I used the clorox pen and the highlighter ink came out.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:10 am
When I worked for AAA, marking maps for members travel routes, we used highlighters, and when we made a mistake and wanted to erase the highlighter, we used bleach in an eyedropper. One drop of the bleach and the highlighter mark disappeared, leaving the map look good as new.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
2 weeks ago a got yellow highliter on my brand new white shirt. I don’t have a lot of white clothes so today when I went to wash it I dabed it with my Tide-2-Go and volia—GONE!