How to Remove Crayon Stains From Absolutely Everything
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Boyfriend Is Boiling In My Purse … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha About . Her flagship column, Ask a Pure Man, debuted in 2011. Here at Offspring we’re launching a new iteration of it, with a focus on parenting and all the mess it brings.
I have a child, he is three years old, he loves crayons. I am also a mom, I wash clothes, I ruined my favorite shirt. How do I save this orange crayon mess? The spot is small – only along the edges of the shirt, but it is noticeable since the shirt is white.
I come with good news: lately I have won two color victories. Let me tell you about them so that my victories made with crayons become your victories made with crayons!
Removing chalk from upholstered furniture
The first victory with crayons happened at a friend’s apartment. Her daughter started scribbling on the couch, and between tea and the plane, a friend asked if I could think of a way to remove the scribbles from the upholstery.
The solution was so simple that I almost feel like I was fooling you into choosing a newer answer, but this is what it is: the diluted liquid laundry detergent pulled the crayon out of the upholstery. I know! That’s all it takes, but let me explain the technique and the specific detergent we used. The detergent was Tide Ultra Stain Release , which is very, very good. You can use other liquid detergents or even dishwashing detergent for this, so don’t feel like you have to end up buying this particular formula, but if you’re looking to buy a new bottle of detergent, then Tide is a great option.
To get the pencil off the couch, we poured a small amount – about a quarter teaspoon – of liquid detergent onto the bottle cap and then filled it halfway with water. Then, using a light colored dish rag (it’s important to use a light colored rag or sponge to prevent paint from getting on the area you are trying to clean), we rubbed the pencil and it just came right away. Finally, we rinsed the rag, wrung it out and rinsed with clean water to remove any remaining detergent.
Removing a pencil from clothing
Shortly after that first pencil win, I got a tweet from a woman sending a pencil through the washing machine. Since the couch success was fresh in my mind, I advised her to try soaking the stained clothes in hot water and Tide Ultra Stain Release for about an hour and then rewashing them. The reason for using hot water in this case was to help, in essence, melt the wax from the crayon to loosen it up.
And it worked great for her! So, here it is, don’t be afraid of the chalk!
Removing crayon from walls and floors
This section is likely to have more serious crayon problems, but before we close this one, it’s worth talking about how to get crayons off walls, floors, and other hard surfaces.
Minor scratches are likely to be removed with a little dish soap and a sponge or rag, but if they are too resistant to detergents, larger guns can be used.
The first is the Magic Eraser , melamine foam sponges. To use them, wet the sponge, squeeze well and rub the dirty surfaces. When working with the magic eraser, test it in an inconspicuous place to make sure it won’t damage the surface that needs cleaning.
The second is WD-40 . Dude, the WD-40 is so righteous. To use it to remove chalk from hard surfaces, spray onto the chalky-treated area, then let the WD-40 sit in the wax for a minute or two to let the cleaner do the job for you. Then wipe it off with a rag, sponge, or paper towel, and then wipe the area with a little dish soap to remove any residual WD-40.
Now let’s all get out and have some color wins!