Crayons have the power to keep your children occupied and entertained for hours, which is great for you while you’re working, right? True, however, there may be a point at which they begin to colour everything except for the paper. Crayons can also get misplaced while in use, only to be found later, melted into your kid’s clothing. Luckily, there are some tricks and tips you can use when learning how to get crayons out of kids’ clothing. Even if it’s not their clothes that have become damaged, we’ll also look at cleaning methods for other surfaces in your home.
How To Get Crayon Out Of Clothes
It’s easy for crayons to slip past your eyes and into the washing machine, even if you usually check the pockets. As soon as the clothes go into the dryer, the crayon melts into the clothing. If this happens to you, learn how to remove melted crayon from clothes using the 4 steps below:
- Firstly, place the garment in the freezer for about an hour to allow the wax to harden. Once it has dried and hardened, scrape off as much as you can with a butter knife.
- Place some white paper towels on the counter and lay the crayon-stained area of the clothing on top. Then, use cooking oil or butter to treat the stain; apply the oil to a clean white cloth and dab both sides of the stain.
- Leave the oil to sit for about 15 minutes. Then, scrape away any leftovers from the crayon with a blunt knife.
- Lastly, apply dish soap or laundry detergent to the stain and rub it into the item with your fingers or an old toothbrush. Leave the soap or detergent for 15 minutes, then launder the clothing on the hottest setting with oxygen-based bleach.
Before putting the clothes in the dryer, check the clothing and the label. If any stains remain, soak the item overnight in warm water and bleach that’s suitable for the fabric. Then wash the clothing as normal the next morning. Learn how to read laundry symbols so that you’re never confused by them.
How To Get Crayon Out Of Other Fabrics
Upholstery
If your kids love to draw and colour while you’re driving, abandoned crayons usually melt from the hot sun, leaving melted wax behind. Follow these steps to get rid of crayon stains and residue from your car’s upholstery.
- Loosen the crayon wax by spraying a generous amount of WD-40. Then, scrape the wax with a dull knife.
- Apply a few drops of liquid detergent to a clean white cloth and dab the stained area.
- Lastly, leave the seat to air dry.
Walls
If you want to know how to remove crayon from a wall, you can use dish soap or detergent on a soft cloth to safely remove it from walls and most other surfaces around the house.
Carpet
For crayons melted into your carpets, cover the stain with a clean white cloth and press with the tip of a warm iron. Keep on repeating this with a clean area of the cloth until the wax has moved from the carpet to the cloth. If the colour remains, use a sponge to clean the stain with liquid detergent. Lastly, if that doesn’t work, you can try using the WD-40 method from above.
Dryer Drum
If you find crayon stains inside your dryer, simply spray a soft cloth with WD-40 and wipe the inside of the drum. Wash the drum with a damp soapy cloth; you could double-check that the drum is clean by running a load of old dry clothes or rags through a dryer cycle.
Conclusion
Follow these methods and you’ll be an expert at knowing how to get crayon out of kids clothing, your car seats, carpets, and even your dryer drum. Before trying these solutions, test each procedure on a small area of the material or surface you would like to clean. Sometimes it may be better to get the help of a professional. You should also check all cleaning products before use to be sure that you’re using it correctly.
If you have kids, we know that cleaning the house is an ongoing chore. Why not get some help from SweepSouth? With our range of professional cleaning services, you can rest assured that the cleaning is handled expertly by us, so you can spend more time with your family.
