Because you probably have one in your junk drawer right now and because it's fun to see if things like this work. How to fix a dried out Sharpie ...
I shared this tip over a decade ago but have let it languish in obscurity since then. Mainly because my Sharpie was fixed and I didn't need to do it again.
However.
I made a great big batch of applesauce the other day and preserved it in my canner. That is what I did, because I do things like that.
Then, I went to to my newly organized kitchen drawer to grab some labels and a Sharpie for my jars. That's when I saw my Sharpie marker in the drawer sitting quietly beside the Sharpie cap. So I cried. A real gutteral one with feeling. This is what I did, because I do things like that.
I tested the Sharpie, the Sharpie had indeed dried out proving the tears were worth it.
I had an official calamity. Jars that needed labelling and nothing other than countless pencils, pens, and other working Sharpies to label them with.
So I fixed it. Because I do things like that.
Sharpie Saving Supplies
- A dried up Sharpie
- Rubbing alcohol
- paper
- Test the Sharpie again just to make sure. Nope. Doesn't work.
2. Grab a bottle of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. 99% is better, but if you only have 70% on hand, use it.
3. Pour some alcohol into the cap of the bottle.
4. Set the Sharpie tip down in the alcohol until you see a bit of ink swirling out from the tip.
5. Put the cap back on and leave the Sharpie to sit for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, try again. If it's fixable this way, it will be fixed.
That is what I did, because I do things like that. All the time.
This trick will not revive allllll markers. Sometimes, some things are just too far gone to be revived with a little bit of alcohol.
TOP TIP
The same trick will work on regular markers using plain water instead of rubbing alcohol.
MORE ADVANCED METHOD (if the first doesn't work)
If you're really adventurous and quite fond of your Sharpie (or just won't ever give up on anything) you can take the Sharpie apart and drip the rubbing alcohol into the market from the top down. This will saturate everything that might have dried in the marker, not just at the tip.
- To disassemble a Sharpie, grab both ends with vice grips or plyers and pull apart.
- Squeeze about half an eye droppers worth of alcohol into the the top and let it work its way down.
- Keep the marker upright for 10 minutes or so.
- Try the marker.
- If it still isn't working, repeat steps 1-3.
- If it still isn't working buy a new Sharpie.
You might also be interested in my How to Remove Sharpie from Walls post if things get out of control during your fixing a Sharpie routine.
The applesauce is made (I churched it up a bit time with toasted sugar, maple syrup and a bit of caramelizing), labelled and in the cupboard.
My Sharpie is currently resting comfortably in its drawer wearing its protective nightcap.
Daryl
Well I was quite successful soaking my sharpie in gin, unfortunately it created another problem. The Sharpie Was no longer able to write a straight line until I gave it some strong black coffee.
Here is one to ponder, if you put just one drop of alcohol in the cap of the Sharpie after you are done using it, will that keep it from drying out in the first place?
Karen
Hah! I have no idea about your keeping the Sharpie semi-looped all of the time, but it seems like a possibility to me. My concern is that alcohol evaporates pretty quickly. But what do I know. I've been known to be wrong. ~ karen!
Bleu Jay Lady
LOVE this post! Love it, love it, LOVE it!! My Sharpie staggered a crooked line in support of it :-)
Kim
Chuckling over the "you ruined my Sharpie" comments. If they were already dried out, then they were already ruined. If they weren't already dried out, what the heck were they trying this on them for??? People amaze me, they really do. Great tip! Thank you.
Karen
I know. People are funny. ~ k!
Sara
Can you please do a post on how to remove a sharpie from a white couch?
Susan
You're sounding sassy and spunky and happy, so I think the vacation worked! I'm sure I've got a dead Sharpie around here somewhere to experiment on. Thanks for the info on how to maybe fix it!
Crayziladybug
And the sharpie butthole was a total hoot...wait....yeah! HA!
Crayziladybug
What I think is so cool is that you are still getting comments on this trick! Not that it's not a great tip, but really! Posted Feb. 14, 2011 and it's now Feb. 16, 2014....Now THAT'S amazing!!
Karen
Hah! Well thanks to people like you! Fun trick about the dry erase markers too! Thx. ~ karen
Bleu Jay Lady
Still later even! A good help is a good help, regardless of timing, until the item itself is extint ;-)
Bleu
its just me
thank you so much!!!! you just saved my sharpie and my life while I'm doing a project for school. I'm 11 :)
Bleu Jay Lady
its just me,
I wish I'd read this page a year ago, but the sentiment still holds true today :-) . I commend you for looking up how to FIX a sharpie as opposed to DEMANDING your parents get another one! (or, ;-) did you already try that route and they said, "I am NOT running out to Wallies at 11:00 at night for a Sharpie! You'll just have to make do with what you have!") Either way, keep up the good work and you will go far in life. I feel that those who FIX things are much more intelligent than those that ONLY buy things to replace the broken/non-functional.
Kelleigh Davis
Your trick to fix a dried out sharpie didn't even work. it ruined my favorite sharpie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karen
Lol. That's hardly likely since you came here to fix a Sharpie that wasn't working in the first place. ~ karen
John 760
I rarely leave comments on forums but this was just too good. I'm letting the marker sit as we speak. I couldn't believe how fast the alcohol drew the ink out. Great technique and one the best DIY fixes I've seen yet.
On a side note thanks for setting up your page so that posting comments is a straightforward process.
Karen
Thanks John. And I know what you mean. I hate it when commenting is a pain. Glad your Sharpie wasn't too far gone to fix. ~ karen!
K
Thanks !!
Allie Versluys
That's bull, I just wasted 15 minutes waiting for nothing to happen
Karen
Allie - Yeah, um, it's not bull. You, as I mentioned in the post, had a Sharpie that was beyond repair. ~ karen
Sheena McGuire
You’re my hero!!🤣
I just bought a retractable sharpie a few weeks ago and I hardly use it bc i ha e to justify writing w anything that cost over a dollar. 🤷♀️ I have no idea why...I was writing a lunch box joke on an index for my son the other morning when it started acting like it was drying out. It felt strange writing w it as if it had build up on it already or something. So I’m going to try this. And if it doesn’t work I’ll know it’s just “too far gone”. Or maybe you really are out to destroy ppl my giving them fake solutions to sharpies 🤦♀️ Happy holidays.
Vicky
I'd really like to know what the gorgeous shape is that you are using to test the pen? and where you got it?
Kenny Hendrick
That was a good read. I loved the way you wrote that...very cute and informative.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with us (our company has thrown out about 20+ permanent markers in the past couple of months; they are relatively new!).
No kidding, there's two in the waste basket next to me and if I check the umpteen trash cans around our building I'm sure to see more of these new markers that fail to make their mark.
Whew...it's people like you that keep corporate fascism/profiteering/mass manipulation via the media, curriculum, etc. to a minimum.
Now THIS is news I can use!
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
Karen
Kenny - You're very welcome. You're very welcome. :) ~ karen
courtney
works great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karen
Excellent! ~ karen
Pati Gulat
So, Karen,you ruined his sharpie butthole....what was he doing with a sharpie butthole to begin with ??? LOLOLOL !
Matt
You ruined my Sharpie, asshole.
Karen
Hi Matt - Well, #1 I'm a girl. Generally speaking you wouldn't call a girl an asshole. Maybe bitch would be better for you. #2. If you were trying to fix your Sharpie chances are it was ruined to begin with. #3. If you're so hard up that a wonky Sharpie is enough to send you into fits of swearing at a perfect stranger that was only trying to help you out (clearly you did something wrong, which is a horrifying thought since this was such a simple task) then I will send you the $3 to buy yourself a new Sharpie. All I need from you is your address. ~ karen
Linda
Normally I would respond to a person like that by calling him a "tool". He's too much of a simpleton to be granted the honor of being called a tool....Obviously he doesn't know how to use his tool....he's a little short on know how in that department.... ;-)
Doug Waldron
On the grounds that two wrongs still don't make a right, making a scene out of something so meaningless is simply wrong. Matt you may want to see someone about that bad attitude because it certainly can't be a failed attempt to revive an old sharpie. Karen keep up the good work. I like to learn new stuff all the time and you are doing a fine job in my books. Stay safe!
Karen
Thanks Doug, lol. :) ~ karen!
David B
I came here looking for a fix for my dry high-lighters. I had tried just plain water before and it didn't work very well. I had a flash of incite and thought maybe what I needed was an emulsifier. I put 2 drops of dish washing liquid in about an ounce of water stirred it around gently so it wouldn't foam up and tried that instead of just plain water. Worked great right off the bat. The soap helps devolve (emulsifies) the ink into the water . I think it will take a few treatment to get the moisture up into the reservoir of dried ink to really repair it though.
Steve L
Do you mean that you had a flash of insight, or did you incite a riot?
Jenn k
Lol no I work in a book warehouse we have to mark books if they are damaged for resale.
Jenn k
I will have to try this with my backup markers I use at work. I buy thedollar tree permanent markers as we go though marker every 2 to 3 days. This may help get another day or 2 of use out of them.
Karen
You go through a marker every 2 to 3 days? Wow! Are you some kind of marker graffiti artist? :) ~ karen
Kathleen
any idea if metallic sharpies work the same way?
Karen
Kathleen - Not a clue, sadly. Give it a shot! Lemme know if it works. ~ karen
Kathleen
will do! thanks so much for the response...