3 Best Ways to Remove Sublimation Inks from Mugs?

When we’re grumpy in the mornings, coffee mugs provide comfort and can even make us grin. But only if they’re imprinted with our favorite design. But what if you made a mistake when sublimating a cup, or the Mug was destroyed entirely? You don’t want to be compelled to drink from a cup that features an ugly graphic or a Sublimation error, do you? As a result, that design must be removed, and You can remove sublimation inks from mugs, but don’t forget! To complete this activity successfully, you’ll need patience.

The print’s durability is the most significant benefit of sublimation printing on ceramic mugs. It will be scratch-resistant, with a high-quality image. As a result, figuring out how to remove sublimation ink from mugs will be difficult. It might be an arduous task to remove sublimation inks from mugs if something goes wrong. But not with the method we’re going to reveal.

How to remove remove sublimation inks from mugs with proper steps

Which methods can you use to remove sublimation inks from mugs? And Is it possible to remove sublimation inks from mugs? Can you re-sublimate the Mug? Keep reading our blog post to learn more.

For those who don’t know….

How does Sublimation work?

Sublimation converts stuff from a solid to a gaseous state without passing through a liquid form. You can sublimate on different things like coffee mugs, cotton shirts, and canvas fabric with the help of the Sublimation process. Learn more about Sublimation here.

How to Remove Sublimation Inks From Mugs

1. Play with Vinegar and draw the unwanted design:

Vinegar may be used in removing sublimation ink from mugs, and it is a tried and tested procedure.

Material Required:

  1. White Vinegar
  2. Kitchen sponge or scrapper
  3. A Bowl

This is how you can do it…

  • In a bowl, pour white Vinegar.
  • With the pattern facing down, dip the Mug in the white Vinegar.
  • Make sure it’s totally submerged before proceeding.
  • Allow for at least 30 minutes in the bowl.
  • Remove the cup after 30 minutes and scrape the design with the scrapper to loosen it up.
  • Submerge the Mug in the water for an additional 30 minutes.
  • That’s fantastic news if it starts to come off. If it continues to resist, leave it in the white vinegar for a more extended period.
  • When the timer goes off, grab the kitchen scrubber and clean the ink away.
  • Both solution and scrubbing will remove the ink, depending on your sublimation print.
  • After an hour (most probably), remove the Mug from the bowl, and Boom! You’ll have a plain mug with no design or spot on it.

Isn’t it amazing? Yes, it is.

But there are weaknesses in everything….

The disadvantage of this procedure is that you’ll get your Mug back, but the design will be browned or tanned, and the surface will not be entirely plain.

Using Apple Cider Vinegar:

Sublimation inks can be removed off mugs with apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can be used in the same way as white Vinegar. However, it is not an effective method of removing sublimation inks from mugs because it requires more severe scraping and exhausts you. Furthermore, it does not remove the artwork, leaving some spots on the cup.

For detail guide you can watch this video.

3. The Dishwasher Or Ovan Method

If you wish to remove a design from your coffee mug, run it in the dishwasher many times at a high temperature on the bottom rack. Some particles of the old design may remain, but most of it should be gone after a few cycles. This method requires less effort but more patience in removing sublimation inks from mugs.

Material Required:

  1. A Dishwasher
  2. Your Mug with unwanted design

Here’s how you can do it…

  • The first step is to place the coffee mug on the lower rack at high temperatures in the dishwasher.
  • This process will most likely take several cycles, but it will finally fade and disappear.
  • It won’t be flawless, but if the design or picture on the cup needs to be removed after a few cycles, it will be unrecognizable.
  • Although this method is effective, it will take time to implement.

If the removal of the design is not urgent, wash the Mug on the lower rack every time you wash it, and the design will progressively fade away. Head over to the next option; it will work better for you if you are willing to speed up the removal procedure.

Use Of The Oven Method

  1. An Oven (Preferably A Toaster Oven)
  2. Heat Resistant gloves

Follow the steps….

  • It will be considerably faster and easier to remove sublimation inks using your oven.
  • Set your Mug in a toaster oven or a conventional oven.
  • Set the oven to a temperature above 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until the desired results are achieved. (Probably 1 Hour). 
  • Allow the cup to cool to room temperature once heated and taken from the oven.
  • It will have more time to release any residual ink due to this. This is a tried and tested method, as shown in the image below, how Shubham painlessly removed the sublimation ink using an Oven. If you want to participate in community discussion, you can join through This link.
community Discussion regarding remove sub ink from mugs

NOTE: Cooking or heating food in the oven simultaneously is not a good idea. Because of the fragrance of the coffee mug fumes, it may change the dish’s flavor.

Pro Tip: We propose buying a toaster oven exclusively used for Sublimation so that there are no food or fumes hazards. If  you are not looking for pocket-friendly methods.

For further detailed visual description, watch this youtube video

3. Using Alcohol or Nail Polish Remover

You can use the most accessible tool from the comfort of your home to remove sublimation ink. That is a nail paint remover/thinner. Take off the sublimation ink in a matter of minutes using nail paint remover, soaking sponge, and scrubber by following the details below. How to remove sublimation ink using nail paint remover /thinner?

  • Take a soft soaking sponge. 
  • Fix the sponge on the bottle of thinner, and move the bottle upside down to soak a considerable area of sponge with thinner.
  • Rub the wet sponge all over the image on the mug.
  • The image will start fading away.
  • Soak the sponge in thinner again if needed. 
  • Once the image starts fading away, Soak the scrub pad with the thinner and begin scrubbing the picture with it. 
  • Coat with sublimation coating liquid after the removal. 
  • Place the mug in the heat press for a while (10 minutes).
  • The mug is ready for reprint. Head over to Youtube and watch this video for a clear understanding.

How to Remove Sublimation Coating from Mugs?

The cups’ sublimation coating can be removed.

You will need the following materials for this task:

  • Ammonia.
  • Vinegar.
  • Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
  • ice-cold water
  • a Toothbrush

Procedure:

Follow the procedures below to remove the sublimation coating off the Mug: combine one part ammonia and two parts water in a basin.

  • In a small bowl, immerse a toothbrush in the mixture.
  • Scrub the mug press to remove the coating.
  • Use Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide to rinse the Mug.
  • It will thoroughly remove the covering.
  • Finally, rinse it with water and allow it to air dry.

How do you Fix Sublimation Mistakes?

Sublimation is tricky. Sometimes it works; sometimes, it doesn’t. But it’s not impossible to do sublimation once you get the hang of it. So, we have heard many customers complaining,

When they put the mug in the dishwasher, all the ink bled or smeared.

This has been a pervasive question.

image ghosting

There are some handy tips you can opt to avoid these errors:

1- Make sure that your paper is firmly pressed against the mug surface because, when you place your mug in the mug press, any bubble gap or opening in ink will bleed through that space instead of imprinting on the substrate. This is what we call gassing or ghosting.

2- Choose the correct substrate, i.e., ceramic, in the case of a sublimation mug. Run the cup on the correct settings.

3- Use the correct butcher paper designed specifically for sublimation. As proven in the below-given image, when Angela used green silicon wrap, the ink bled through her mug. But when Valentina used butcher paper, she wasn’t worried about its quality because it already stood out.

perfect way to use butcher paper

Conclusion:

You must have answered your query about removing sublimation ink from ceramic mugs? Remove sublimation inks from coffee mugs using any of the methods given above, and you’ll have something you love again! Place your coffee cup on your desk and use it to keep your pencils or cosmetics brushes organized. If you still want to sip coffee from your Mug, it is advised not to remove the ink and cover it with a fabric koozie to disguise the pattern. Whatever the case may be, your new plain coffee mug can be used in a variety of ways!

Hopefully, you’ve mastered the techniques for removing sublimation inks from mugs. It’s just like everything else at the end of the day…

It doesn’t go away when we want it to. And just when we hope it will stay, it vanishes.

Isn’t that what life is all about?

2 thoughts on “3 Best Ways to Remove Sublimation Inks from Mugs?”

  1. Why bother going to all that trouble to remove a design – good or bad – from a mug if you cant put another design on it. If it can only be used on your desk for pens etc- just use it with the ruined design on it. What an absolute waste of time and money.

    Reply

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