Q&A for How to Clean Marker off a Doll

Here are some suggestions: baby oil, alcohol, nail polish remover. If none of these work, there are commercial cleaners that can be found at department stores.

You can try lightly sanding the doll's face with a very fine grit sandpaper. Use a rougher grit like 400-600, then one that you would use for auto-paint finishing or buffing (1000+ grit) to make it as smooth as possible.

Porcelain dolls can be fragile and sensitive, so you want to remove any markings from them properly to avoid damaging them. Pour about 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of acetone into a small bowl or cup. You will only need a little acetone to clean away a few small marks. Pour a little bit more if you are cleaning larger marks. Soak a cotton swab or cotton ball in the acetone and then rub the marker in small, circular movements. The marker should lift up and disappear as you rub. Wipe away the extra acetone and marker with a paper towel or washcloth. Then, wipe your doll with a wet cloth to clean away the acetone. You don't want the chemical to remain on the doll, as it can eat away at the porcelain.

Cloth dolls are a little sturdier than porcelain dolls, so you can try washing your doll in the washing machine. A normal laundry cycle and lift away non-permanent ink and marker stains. However, if you have permanent marker spots on your doll, your washer may not take them out thoroughly. If that's not enough, apply acetone to your doll's marker spot using a cotton pad. Pour either rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover into a dish, and dip your cotton pad into it. Rub the cotton pad over the marker spot on the doll. If the spot is really stubborn, Rub some hydrogen peroxide over the marker spots after the acetone. Pour a bit of hydrogen peroxide into a dish, and dunk a second cotton pad into the peroxide. Go over the same spots you applied the acetone, rubbing the hydrogen peroxide over the marker spots.

If the doll is plastic, there are a few things you can try to get marker off of it. If the marker recently got on the surface, try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Magic Erasers are square, multi-purpose cleaning tools. Run your Eraser under warm water to moisten it and activate the chemicals. Rub back and forth and apply steady pressure over all of your marker spots. Try moving in small, circular motions to help lift away the marker. For set in markings, use baking soda if you want to avoid harsher chemicals (which may be a good call if it's a kid's doll). Mix 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of hot water into 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) of baking soda. Dab your washcloth into your mixture, and rub it over the marker spots. Evenly cover the marker with your baking soda mixture. Scrub the marker away using small, circular motions. Wash off any remaining baking soda with a wet washcloth. You can also squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice. Lemon juice is very acidic, which can help lift stubborn marker from your doll. If you need something sturdier than a cloth, use an old toothbrush to scrub away the marker.