Suddenly, they’re a lot less magical and a lot more messy.

While it may seem counterintuitive, usually the best way toremove crayon stainsis to apply some oil.

If the garment label says “dry clean only,” though,head to a professional cleaner.

crayon stains on a tshirt

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Inspect the clothing carefully to see to it all traces of the stain are gone before drying the item.

If the stain remains, do not dry the clothing and move to the next step.

Put the bag on the melted crayon wax and leave it for at least 30 minutes.

materials for removing crayon stains

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Repeat spraying, scraping, and wiping as needed until no more traces of crayon remain.

Rinse the rag and repeat for a thorough cleaning.

Wipe and Dry

Rinse the wall with a clean white cloth dipped in plain water.

pretreating stain with WD-40

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If necessary, repeat the mayonnaise tool until the stain is gone.

Dry with a clean white cloth.

When treated properly with the right cleaners, they can be easily removed.

scraping away crayon solids

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It is easier to get crayon out of washable fabrics.

Take all other fabricslike silk or dry-clean only garmentsto a professional cleaner for help.

3 Condiments you might Clean With

treating the stain with detergent

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garment care label

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Crayon solids scooped up with spoon from green carpet

The Spruce / Sanja Kostic

Vacuum passing over green carpet with crayon stain

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Dry cleaning solvent rubbed on green carpet with white towel on crayon stains

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WD-40 oil sprayed inside drying machine drum

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Credit card edge scraping crayon smears from dryer drum

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Dryer drum wiped with dampened towel to rinse crayon residue

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Old towels placed in drying machine to absorb oil traces

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Light blue cloth smearing mayonnaise over crayon marks on painted walls

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Clean cloth rinsing painted wall with mayo and crayon stains

The Spruce / Sanja Kostic