How Do I Remove Crayon Stains?

Before treating any stain, it is important to determine the type of material that needs to be treated, because the way you remove crayon stains depends on the material that is stained. To remove the stains from clothing, you could try using dry cleaning solvent or blotting cloths. For hard surfaces, you usually can scrape the crayon stain off with a scraping tool. Similar methods are used to remove crayon stains from carpet, porous surfaces and other materials.

When removing crayon stains from clothing, you should first determine whether the garment is machine washable or must be dry cleaned. For garments that require dry cleaning, you might try carefully scraping off as much of the crayon stain as possible. If a dye stain still remains, use dry cleaning solvent to try to remove the stain. Crayon stains should be scraped off machine washable clothing as well, but to remove any excess stain, you might iron it between blotting paper, pour boiling water on the stain, clean with dry cleaning solvent or machine wash it on the hottest setting possible.

If a crayon stain is on a hard surface, you usually can scrape the stain and remove it because it is on the surface of the object. Scrubbing the area with dish detergent usually removes any remaining dye stains. When the surface is porous, it is best to remove the stain the same way you would from a non-porous surface, but you should take care not to gouge the surface.

Crayon stains on carpet usually require a bit more work, but it is not impossible to get these stains out. Being careful not to spread the stain, scrape as much from the carpet as possible. For the remaining stain, use an absorbent cloth and dry cleaning solvent to blot out as much of the stain as possible. When this no longer works, use a two-to-one solution of water and alcohol and another cloth to lift the rest of the stain. It is important to test the solutions on a hidden area of the carpet to ensure that it does not damage the color.

When removing crayon stains, you should always remember to use absorbent cloths when using liquid solutions on fabric surfaces to prevent further staining. Also, when scraping crayon solids, avoid smashing the solids into the fabric, or it will make the stain worse. By working carefully and patiently while using any of these methods, you have a good chance of removing any crayon stains.