Q&A for How to Revive Dried Out Markers

Yes. It works fine with Crayola markers. Just do the water based markers step.

The alcohol method would probably work best, because Chromatix pens are alcohol-based.

I would recommend dipping and leaving it tip-down in a bowl of rubbing alcohol. (You can also use a bowl of lukewarm to hot water mixed with some vinegar.)

You should leave the marker in the alcohol, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.

Refill dry-erase ink can usually be purchased from office supply stores or specialty online retailers.

Yes, I used this method on one of my highlighters and it worked fine.

Some markers work with acetone. Nail polish remover will do the trick; follow the same steps, but replace the rubbing alcohol.

Some markers may not work with the water technique. To revive them, try using rubbing alcohol. You may have left them in the water too long. If you still have the water, depending on how pigmented it is, you could try to inject it back into the marker.

You could also use denatured alcohol, which can be found at hardware stores. It is usually located near the paints.

Check the packaging to figure out which method should be used. If the packaging says permanent on it, then use the permanent marker method. If the packaging says washable, then use the washable marker method.

You can by nail polish thinner, it is a solvent made specially for nail polish. You can find it in most drugstores.

You can buy it at any local drugstore or pharmacy. They usually have rubbing alcohol in the medical or beauty section of the store, although some may require you to ask for it and they will prepare it for you.

Push a needle through the base of the tip. Longer and thicker needles work better. Wear rubber gloves to avoid the transfer of ink onto your skin. After pushing the needle through the tip, wrap a piece of cloth around the needle and tip and pull. If you're a child, get an adult to do this for you.

The water-based non-permanent marker ideas work the best. If that doesn't work, point the pen at the ground and shake it in circles or back and forth hard. Then let it sit with the cap on for a few minutes, and it should work perfectly.

You can try any of these methods to revive a highlighter as most highlighters are similar to most markers.

Yes, you can.

Yes, you can.

The water method would work best, because Pentel makes water based and non-permanent markers.

Yes. Most Sharpies are permanent, and so the permanent method should work. Look on the packaging of the markers to see if the marker is water-based or if it is permanent, just to make sure you are following the right process.

It could be that there was not sufficient ink in the marker in the first place. In that case, just buy the ink separately or a new marker.

Absolutely. Although the marker is colored, it should have no impact on the revival of the permanent marker overall. Use the "Reviving Permanent Markers" process and follow each step carefully. The marker should work if the process was followed as said.

Yes, if rubbing alcohol works, so will metho (another name for methylated spirits).

The first method for washable markers would work best (reviving water-based markers). Follow the same process, and you should get the desired results.

When there is still ink in the barrel, I like to run the pen tip under warm/hot water. If you have not used the pen in a while or there was a leak in it, it will freeze the ball from circling. By running it under warm/hot water, it frees it. You may have to do it a couple times to get it working. You could also try getting a tooth pick and running it around the edges of the tip if you see some ink stuck in it. If you need it right at that second, you could always dab it on your tongue and see if that helps.

No, but you can keep the lids on and that usually helps to prevent them from drying out.

You could use wool, thread, or get some string from a craft store.

Repeat this process whenever the marker dries out should do the trick.

You can use nail polish remover instead. Just do the water based marker steps.

Food markers should be permanent so use the permanent marker method. This should work. If not, then try the other methods and see if they work.

Yes, it should still work with highlighters.