Give kids a box of crayons and their imaginations go wild. And sometimes their coordination does, too. If your little Rembrandt left crayon marks on clothing, carpet or upholstery, follow this advice from the Masters— cleaning masters, that is.
How to remove crayon marks from clothing
Meg Roberts, president of Molly Maid, offers the following tips for removing stray crayon marks.
- Using a metal spoon or dull knife, scrape off as much of the solid crayon material as possible from the fabric.
- Apply liquid dish soap and work it into the stained area.
- Allow it to work for a few minutes, then run the fabric under warm water to remove the stain.
- Machine wash using the heavy soil setting and the warmest water the fabric will allow.
- Air dry and repeat as needed. Avoid using the dryer until the stain is removed because heat will set it.
How to remove crayon marks from upholstery
Roberts suggests a similar method to remove crayon from upholstery.
- Scrape off excess crayon with a dull-edge knife or metal spoon.
- Spray or dampen with warm water and apply liquid dish detergent to the stained area.
- Work the liquid dish detergent in with a brush.
- Wipe the stain away with a damp sponge.
- Repeat as needed until the stain is gone.
If stain persists, contact a cleaning professional.
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How to remove crayon marks from carpet
Jack White, vice-president of technical services for Rainbow International, uses heat to remove crayon marks from carpet.
- Scrape away residual crayon with a dull object such as a spoon.
- Cover the remaining crayon mark with a white paper towel. Heat the area with a blow dryer. The heat should melt the crayon and it should be absorbed into the paper towel.
- If any color remains, you can try removing it with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Just make sure to pretest the hydrogen peroxide on an inconspicuous spot in the carpet first. If there is no color change, it’s okay to use.
- Dab the crayon stain with hydrogen peroxide.
- Allow it to work for 1 minute.
- Rinse by alternately dabbing the area with a wet cloth and a dry towel.
If stain persists, contact a carpet cleaning professional.