How to effectively and easily remove stains of brightly colored crayons from fabrics, car upholstery, and the dryer drum.
As parents, it is so entertaining to watch our children engage in the world of coloring and inspiration. It’s fun to see how our kids develop and discover new things that they love to do. However, sometimes their newly found fondness for coloring with crayons could have some disastrous repercussions.
If you are a parent to a toddler, chances are that you’ve had to deal with the mess of crayons before. If not, it might be good to familiarize yourself with the cleaning processes for that day when the inevitable happens.
Crayons are nice to pack for a road trip or vacation. They can also be a nice activity to keep your kids busy at home on rainy days. The downside, however, is that it can be very difficult to remove a melted crayon stain.
It is so easy to forget crayons in the car or in the pocket of your children’s clothes. And, before you know it, the crayons melt, and you have a rainbow-colored mess on your hands.
Though it can seem tricky to remove crayon stains, it’s not impossible. Here are some tips and tricks on how to remove crayon wax from different fabrics and surfaces. These easy-to-apply tricks will help you keep your fabrics and furniture free from crayon stains once and for all.
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How to Get Melted Crayon Out of Fabrics
Kids are very energetic and busy beings, and with so many exciting things to explore and play with, they often forget to put the crayons back into their casing; instead, they usually end up in their pockets.
And with so many things to do around the house, we often forget to check our toddler’s pockets for items like abandoned crayons before we add them to that washing machine and dryer.
If this has happened to you, don’t worry! Here’s how you can fix it:
- Allow the messy wax to dry and harden.
- Gently scrape the crayon residue off with a butter knife.
- Lay your fabric on a layer of paper towels on your ironing board or kitchen counter.
- Apply WD-40, cooking oil, mayonnaise, coconut oil, or Vaseline to the stain – the oil will act as a lifting agent, which helps clean the fabric easier. Allow the oil of your choice to sit on the stain for about 15 minutes.
- Wipe off any residue that comes off after you have applied the oil.
- Once you’ve allowed the oil to sit on the fabric for 15 minutes, rub some laundry detergent or dish soap onto the stain. You can use an old toothbrush to rub the detergent in if you like.
- Let the detergent sit on the stain for 15-30 minutes to lift up the oils and the remaining crayon residue on your fabric.
- Place your treated fabric into the washing machine on the hottest water setting that the fabric can withstand.
- Check your stain before placing the garment in the dryer. If your stain is gone, proceed with the drying cycle. If your stain remains, use some OxiClean, soak your fabric overnight, and wash the fabric again.
- If you don’t have any OxiClean at home, you can try using some baking soda instead. Baking soda is an amazing product to have around the house and can be used for a lot of cleaning projects in and around the house.
How to Remove Melted Crayon From Car Fabrics
Children enjoy coloring during lengthy car trips. It can be the perfect way to entertain them when going on vacation or simply when you take a road trip somewhere.
Though these crayons certainly have their upside that merits taking them along, they also have some downsides. Unfortunately, crayons left in the sun melt in the heat, leaving a waxy mess in the car! If you have melted crayons on the car seats, don’t worry! They can be removed!
You can simply remove the car seat cover and use the above instructions to remove the crayon.
However, if your car seat does not have removable seat covers, you can remove the crayon melts from your car’s upholstery by following these steps:
- Use a butter knife to loosen up and scrape away any hardened crayon wax on the seat.
- Use a generous amount of dry-cleaning solvent to clean the stain with a clean white cloth by gently dabbing the cleaner onto the stain.
- After the stain has lifted, air-dry the area.
- If the wax stain persists, repeat the steps.
How to Remove Melted Crayon Stains from the Dryer
If you are left cleaning melted crayons out of fabric, you might need to check your dryer for melted crayon messes too. Here is how to remove melted crayon stains from a dryer:
- Use Vaseline or WD-40 to soak any waxy areas of the dryer drum.
- Use a rubber scraper to remove as much wax as you can.
- Wipe the dryer drum with a microfiber cloth.
- Use old towels and run the dryer on high heat for 15 minutes to remove any remaining oil residue.
- Check to see if your stain has been removed. If the stain remains, repeat the process.
How To Remove Melted Crayon From Plastic Surfaces
Plastic will not absorb melted crayons which makes this job a lot easier. However, the coloring of the crayon can stain plastic, so you might need to take extra care when treating your plastic surface.
Here’s how to remove melted crayon from plastic surfaces:
- Scrape the crayon off of the plastic surface with a dull knife. If you need to harden the crayon before scraping, place an ice cube over it, so it hardens, and then scrape the excess crayon off.
- If your surface is textured, you might need to use a scrub brush or an old toothbrush to get the crayon bits out of the plastic.
- Use a clean magic eraser to rid of any remaining stubborn crayon bits.
- If there is a stain remaining after you have lifted the melted crayon off the plastic surface, use a degreasing detergent, and wipe it away with a dish sponge.
- Dry the area and if any staining remains, repeat the process until the stain disappears completely.
You can use the same method to remove crayon stains from newly painted walls. But instead, add the cleaning solution, like dish soap and water, into a spray bottle and spray directly onto the stained area on the wall to get rid of the wax stains.
Allow the mixture to sit for a few seconds before wiping the stained area. You can use a clean cloth, sponge, or soft-bristled brush to wipe away the stain. Repeat the steps if necessary.
How To Remove Melted Crayon From Carpet
If you have melted crayon mess on your carpet, you can remove them by following these simple steps:
- Take dish soap and mix it with a few drops of warm water.
- Place a white cloth onto the stained area of your carpet.
- Pour the soapy water onto the cloth and let it soak for 15 minutes.
- Take a low iron and hover it over the stain for a few minutes.
- Remove the paper towel and see if the stain has disappeared. If the stain remains, repeat the steps until the stain is removed.
- Dry the carpet by blotting the area with a microfiber cloth. Allow the carpet to dry completely by either placing it in the sun or placing it in front of a fan.
Removing Melted Crayon Wax Bottom Line
Crayons can bring a lot of joy to our kids, but they can also wreak havoc if they melt and leave our fabrics and surfaces with nasty crayon stains. If you have been struggling with melted crayon messes, I hope some of these methods do help you out.
Raising toddlers can be hard, but cleaning after them doesn’t have to be!
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