Retro remedies - do they really work?

Ball point pen

You can remove a ballpoint pen stain by rubbing with lemon juice and salt, by spraying the mark with hairspray or by pouring milk on it?

GHI VERDICT Hairspray works best. We drew on a white cotton shirt with ballpoint pen - like being back at school! - and tried out each method. Rubbing the mark with lemon juice and salt before washing in biological washing powder faded the stain significantly, but didn't remove it. Milk only faded it slightly, even after a biological wash. Our spritz of hair spray seemed to dissolve the ink and we used cotton buds to pick up any ink that bled out, then washed the shirt in biological washing powder. In previous GHI tests, Dr Beckmann Stain Devils for Ballpoint Ink and Felt Tip (0845 017 8000, drbeckmann.co.uk) was the most effective product.