I walked into the living room and found my four-year-old nephew standing next to a mural. A Sharpie mural. On a white wall. He was very proud of his work. I was very aware that I was renting and my security deposit was at stake.

I tried scrubbing with a wet paper towel. The marker laughed at me. Then I remembered something I had seen online, and it saved my wall and my relationship with my sister.

Why permanent marker is actually removable

“Permanent” marker is permanent on paper, not on non-porous surfaces. Most wall paint has a slight sheen — eggshell, satin, semi-gloss — which means the ink sits on top of the paint instead of soaking in. That is your window.

Try the dry erase marker first

This is the weirdest trick that actually works. Take a dry erase marker and color directly over the permanent marker marks. Let it sit for a few seconds, then wipe with a dry cloth. The solvent in the dry erase ink dissolves the permanent ink underneath. Both come off together.

This worked on about 70% of the Sharpie art. For the stubborn spots that remained, I moved to step two.

Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer

Dab some rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl) onto a cotton ball or paper towel. Blot the marks — do not scrub aggressively or you will take the paint off with the ink. The alcohol dissolves the ink pigments. Hand sanitizer works too, since it is mostly alcohol.

Toothpaste for the last bits

Plain white toothpaste (not gel) has a mild abrasive quality. Rub a small dab onto any remaining ghost marks with your finger, let it sit a minute, then wipe off with a damp cloth. This took care of the final traces on my wall.

One warning: if your wall is flat or matte paint, you have less margin for error. Test any method on a hidden spot first — behind a bookshelf or inside a closet.