Heather and Lola: Sharpie Answer Girls

They’re baaaaaaaaack!  Heather and Lola, the Sharpie Answer Girls.  Heather and Lola work in Sharpie’s consumer affairs department and are here every Friday with answers to some of the many questions they receive from people just like you.

Today’s question is an important one.  I mean it’s not everyday you run into a celebrity and get an autograph on your t-shirt.  The only problem is how to preserve it for posterity.  Heather and Lola are on it…

Q:  My son ran into a celebrity on vacation and had him autograph his t-shirt with the Sharpie marker we packed for marking our belongings. We want to set the ink so it does not wash out. Any suggestions?

Janet G., Tallahassee, FL

A: Janet,
Before you wash the shirt, be sure to apply a heat setting to it. We suggest ironing the shirt or throwing it in the dryer for a few hot minutes. You can launder it, but in order to minimize the fading, heat should be applied first. The ink, just like any screen print, may fade after numerous washes but the initial heat setting may help protect the evidence that he met the real deal.
For future vacations, let me suggest the Sharpie Rub-a-Dub Laundry marker. The Rub-a-Dub Laundry marker marks permanent on cloth and stays permanent though washing and dry cleaning. It is great for marking anything that will be going through the wash. Our kids use it to label their belongings before going to summer camp. We also use it to separate the families’ socks on laundry days.

If you have a question about Sharpie markers, post a message below or email us as consumer.service@sanford.com. Thanks and be sure to check back to see if your answer gets published here!

Heather and Lola - you have questions, they have answers!

Meet Heather Cooper and Lola Walker, the Sharpie Answer Girls!  Heather and Lola work in Sharpie’s consumer affairs department.  They answer more questions in a day than the mother of a two-year-old!

“We get some pretty interesting questions,” Heather says, “some that even we can’t answer – and we probably know more about Sharpie than anybody : )  I think everybody who works on a brand should work in the consumer affairs department first.  It’s really the best way to find out just what makes a brand tick with consumers.”  (Note to Sharpie brand managers: do a rotation there.)

“Most of the calls and emails we get are positive,” Lola says. “People want to know where to buy a certain type of Sharpie in their area, or whether a Sharpie is permanent on glass (Sharpie markers are permanent on most surfaces).  But every once in awhile we get somebody with a problem, and it’s our job to come up with the solution.  Sometimes it’s a challenge, like solving a Sodoku puzzle.  But that’s why we’re here!”

Heather and Lola will be here on the Sharpie Blog every Friday with answers to your questions, like this one from Beverly in New Mexico.

Q: I notice some Sharpie markers have the ACMI seal on the barrel that says non-toxic. Does this mean I can use them on skin?

Beverly, NM

Beverly,

That is a great question because we know consumers use Sharpie markers in creative ways.  Some girls want to know if it is safe for use as bold eyeliner and others want to darken those old tattoos we talked ourselves into in our college days.  We love that people use the product but we ultimately want everyone to be safe.  Although the markers have been tested and are safe for art use by children and adults, we express caution and do not suggest using Sharpie markers on skin.

As for the labeling, ACMI stands for the Art and Creative Materials Institute. The ACMI is an organization that helps companies provide consumers with art materials for children and artists that are non-toxic. All products are required to undergo an extensive toxicological evaluation in order to be eligible to bear the ACMI seal. To learn more about the ACMI certification, visit http://acminet.org/. If you find yourself in the middle of filling in that tattoo right now, or just noticed your child marked her arm, you can apply some baby oil to the skin and wash it all away with soap and water. The oil will help gently loosen the pigments and the soap and water will wash it all away. We want you to use Sharpie markers and have fun doing it, but we encourage you to be safe and use only products designed and tested for use on skin when it comes to your eyeliner and tattoos!

If you have a question about Sharpie markers, post it here as a comment, or email us at consumer.service@sanford.com.