How To Get Crayon Out Of Clothes: 5 Proven Methods 2024

In this article, you will have all the information you need about how to get crayons out of clothes.

Did your children decide to show off their artistic skills on their clothes? Did you forget a crayon in your pocket on a hot summer day? Worse yet, did a crayon somehow find its way in your tumble dryer, creating a waxy mess? Either way, you have got some work to do.

But no need to worry, give this post a read and you can handle crayon stains on clothes with ease. Now without further ado, let’s get to work!

Why Do Crayons Stick To Clothes?

A crayon is basically a stick of pigmented wax ⁽¹⁾. The different colored pigment makes the stains very noticeable on white clothes, while the paraffin wax can melt and stick to the fabric.

Once the wax is set, the stain will be extra stubborn and tricky to remove. So if you spot a crayon stain on your clothes, you must handle it right away, don’t let it sit for too long.

3 Tutorials On Removing Crayon Stains Out Of Clothes

Depending on the state of the stains, you need to take 3 different approaches. These include fresh stains, melted stains, and the toughest one, dried-in-the-dryer stains.

1. Fresh Crayon Stains

If your kids decided to use their white shirts as a piece of paper, here is how you can remove all the crayons from them and save the shirts from the rag bag.

What You Need To Get

• A butter knife
• Dish soap
• An old toothbrush
• Detergent

What You Need To Do

It is rather easy to remove a crayon stain that has been drawn on. The crayon doesn’t stick the fabric that strongly, so you don’t need any chemicals.

Step 1: Scrape It

Firstly, take the butter knife and scrape off any excess crayon on the fabric. If you don’t have a butter knife, you can also use a ruler, a credit card, or anything hard and flat.

Avoid rubbing since that will push the crayons further in the clothes, plus you will risk damaging your clothes.

Step 2: Apply Dish Soap

Pour some dish soap (about a tablespoon) on the stains and scrub it well with an old toothbrush or nail brush. You don’t need to dilute the dish soap with water, just pour it straight on.

This might take a long time, especially if the stain is too big. But keep scrubbing until the stain fades away. Then let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Rinse It

Give it a rinse under running water, rubbing the stained area as you do. Check to see if the stain is still visible. If it is, add more soap and repeat the second step.

Make sure that you have washed all the dish soap away because the sudsing action of dish soap can lead to overflow ⁽²⁾.

Step 4: Wash It

Put it in the washing machine. Choose the hottest water setting that your clothes can withstand as well as the heavy soil setting for the best result. When it is done, take it out and recheck the stained area. If the stain is still there, you must wash it again.

Step 5: Dry It

Afterward, allow your clothes to air dry. You can use your tumble dryer, but you have to be certain that there is no stain left on your clothes. If the stain remains, the heat from the dryer will set it in and make it permanent.

2. Melted Crayon Stains

Sometimes, life just happens and you accidentally leave a crayon in your clothes on a hot summer day. Now the crayon has melted, making a mess all over. If that is the case, have a look at this step-by-step tutorial to know how to get them out.

What You Need To Get

• Ice
• A butter knife
• Dish soap
• Detergent
• Stain remover (optional)

What You Need To Do

Since melted crayon stains are trickier than fresh ones, more time and effort are required for the best results.

Step 1: Chill It

When the crayon is still liquidy and melty, scraping it now will only smear it to other parts of your clothes. So what you should do is grab some ice cubes, wrap them in a clean cloth, and put it on the stain. Hold it there until the wax hardens.

Alternatively, you can also place your clothes in the freezer. This will also harden the crayon, making it easy to be scraped out.

Step 2: Scrape It

Once the wax is nice and hard, take your trusty butter knife and scrape all of it off. Again, a credit card or ruler can also do the trick.

Step 3: Apply Dish Soap

Apply an appropriate amount of dish soap to the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes so the soap can dislodge the wax. You don’t need to add water or scrub it since you might spread the crayon to other areas.

Step 4: Soak It

Pour more dish soap into a bucket of warm water, mix it up until it starts to foam. Then put your garment in and soak it for about 1 hour.

Alternatively, instead of dish soap, you can mix some baking soda and white distilled vinegar with warm water and let it soak the same way. The combination of baking soda and vinegar is very effective in removing stains.

Step 5: Rinse It

Rinse your clothes thoroughly under running water. Remember to rinse away all the soap to avoid overflow.

Step 6: Apply Stain Remover (Optional)

If the stain remains after rinsing, some stain remover will be a great help. Just spray some stain remover on the stained area and wait for 5 minutes.

If the stain is already gone from soaking and rinsing, feel free to skip this step.

Step 7: Wash It

Put them in the washing machine along with your detergent of choice. You should choose the heavy soil level and the hottest water setting that is safe for your clothes.

If you are using a top-load washing machine, consider adding some powder stain remover for optimum results.

Step 8: Dry It

Finally, air-dry the clothes. Do not dry your clothes in your tumble dryer until you guarantee that the stain is completely gone.

Let’s see how you can remove melted crayon stains from clothes with a video!

3. Dried Crayon Stains

When the stained clothes have been washed and dried in the dryer, it will create one of the most stubborn stains to deal with. However, it is not impossible to remove set-in crayon stains. Have a look at these tips to see how.

What You Need To Get

• A butter knife
• Iron
• Paper towels
• Dish soap
• Stain remover spray
• Detergent
• Bleach (optional)

What You Need To Do

This method requires a lot of attention so be sure to follow all steps properly. Roll up your sleeves because this will be a challenge.

Step 1: Scarpe It

Just like before, try to scrape off as many excess crayons as you can using a butter knife or a ruler/ credit card. And then dust off the crayon flakes.

Step 2: Iron It

Prepare your iron, set the heat level to low and no steam.

Put a piece of paper towel on the ironing board, place your garment on it, then put another piece of paper towel on the stained area. So you are basically sandwiching your clothes between 2 layers of paper towels.

Press the warm iron on the paper towel for a few seconds, and then lift it. Remember to lift, not drag, since that will spread the crayon to other parts of your clothes. Move it around a lot, so the paper towel won’t burn.

The crayon stain will slowly be transferred from the clothes to the paper towel. Change the paper towel to a new one when it gets too dirty. Continue to do so until the paper towel comes out clean.

Step 3: Apply Dish Soap

Apply a generous amount of dish soap on the stain and let it for 30 minutes to allow the soap to loosen the wax.

Step 4: Soak It

Soak the clothes in a bucket of warm water mixed with dish soap for at least 1 hour. The longer you wait, the easier it is to remove the stain afterward. Then rinse it well.

Step 5: Apply Stain Remover

Spray some store-bought stain remover directly on the stain. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and wait for the magic to happen. The stain should disappear at this point.

Step 6: Wash It

Once you’re happy with the result, put your items in the washing machine with your favorite detergent and the hottest but safest water setting.

If the stain is too stubborn, consider adding ½ cup of bleach to your washing machine, but only if your clothes are white and the material is not delicate. You can also replace regular bleach with ½ cup of oxygen bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or stain remover additive.

Step 7: Dry It

Ensure that your garments are stain-free before putting them in the tumble dryer. However, just to be safe, let your clothes air dry.

The ironing process can be tricky, so here’s a lively demonstration of how to do so!

Treating Crayon Stains On Clothes With WD-40

If the stains are too stubborn, grab a can of WD-40, and let’s get to work!. The solvents in WD-40 help break down the oil and wax from crayons, loosening the stains from fabric fibers. This is one of the best methods to remove crayon stains from clothes.

Step 1: Lay The Clothes Out

Turn your garment inside out and lay it flat on a table or the floor. I recommend you do this outside because the smell of WD-40 can be quite strong and unpleasant.

Put on a pair of rubber gloves (WD-40 might irritate your skin). Then place a piece of cardboard or a towel between the layers of your clothes before spraying.

Step 2: Spray It

Spray WD-40 on the back of the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then flip your clothes over and spray it again on the other side. Take a paper towel and gently press on the stained area multiple times.

Step 3: Rinse It

Thoroughly rinse both the front and back of the stains under running water to remove the residue. Then you can squeeze all the water out and air dry the garment. Or take a step further and wash it.

Step 4: Wash It

Choose the hottest water temperature, place your clothes in the washing machine with any detergent. Then allow your clothes to air dry.

How To Remove A Large Amount Of Crayons On Clothes

If you’re dealing with a large amount of crayon-stained clothes, scraping and scrubbing every single stain out might be a challenge. So there is a less time-consuming yet efficient way for you to clean your clothes.

What You Need To Get

• Borax
• Detergent
• Vinegar
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Powder stain remover
• Rubber gloves
• Bleach (optional)

What You Need To Do

Step 1: Mix It

Fill your washing machine with hot water. But if the fabric is delicate, switch to warm water instead.

Next, add 1 cup of borax, 2 cups of detergent, 1 cup of white distilled vinegar, 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and 1 cup of stain remover. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Step 2: Soak It

Put on your rubber gloves and dunk your clothes into the mixture. Make sure that they are completely soaked. Swirl the garment around in a circular motion.

Leave your clothes undisturbed in the washing machine for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Step 3: Rinse It

After soaking, run your garments through a warm rinse cycle before washing. This will help remove the cleaning solution from your clothes.

Step 4: Wash It

Wash the clothes with your detergent of choice and the hottest water setting that your clothes can tolerate. After that, recheck the stains and give them another wash if needed.

Additionally, consider adding bleach to your next wash to clean out all the stains completely. I recommend you use oxygen bleach or bleach alternatives because they are safer to use. However, if your clothes are not delicate or colored, feel free to use regular chlorine bleach.

6 Products To Get Crayons Out Of Dryer

Now, let’s move on to the dryer. When a crayon is left in your dryer, the whole drum will have crayon marks on it. If you don’t clean it thoroughly, it will stain another load of laundry. So here are some ways to remove all the crayon residues from your dryer.

There are many ways for you to remove crayons from your dryer so you can choose the most suitable one based on the products you already have at home.

1. Dryer Sheets

Turn the dryer on for 15-30 minutes to loosen the crayon wax. Then take some dryer sheets and scrub the stains hard until the sheets come out clean.

2. Vinegar

Pour some vinegar on a clean white cloth and wipe every square inch of the drum. You can use any type of vinegar you like, but the distilled white one is preferred.

3. Dish Soap

Dish soap comes to the rescue again! Mix a small amount of dish soap with warm water and dip a cloth in the mixture. Then give the dryer drum a thorough wipe.

4. Stain Remover Spray

Stain remover is an obvious solution. You can spray stain remover directly on the stains or on a cloth. Then wipe down the stained area until all the wax is gone.

5. Baking Soda

Stir some baking soda with a bit of vinegar until it forms a paste. Grab an old toothbrush and apply the paste to the stains. Scrub it around repeatedly until all the stains come out,

6. Acetone

Using acetone or nail polish remover is an efficient way to erase dried crayon stains from your dryer’s drum. Take a soft cloth, pour on some acetone and scrub hard. The stains will come right out.

Learn more tips on getting crayons out of a dryer with this!

How To Prevent Getting Crayon Out Of Clothes

Removing crayon stains out of clothes is a lengthy process that may require a lot of attention and products. If you don’t want to spend your weekend scraping crayons and rewashing clothes, the best solution is to prevent this from ever happening again.

1. Check Your Laundry Before Washing

One single crayon can leave a forever mess in your dryer. Not only that, they will stain every piece of clothing you have in there. So build yourself a habit to double-check your laundry before turning the machines on.

Check the laundry basket in case you kids drop a crayon in there, check all the pockets of your clothes, check the dryer drum as well. This only takes a few minutes but it can save you hours of cleaning later on.

2. Buy Washable Crayons

I don’t understand why people don’t do this more often. Regular crayons and washable crayons are relatively the same. They are both accessible, the prices are similar, the colors are vibrant, but washable crayons can easily be washed from clothes, walls, or skin.

The only disadvantage of washable crayons that I can find is that they produce more particles. However, that is not a major issue in my opinion.

FAQs

Take a look at these frequently asked questions for more information on this topic. If you still have some concerns, please leave a comment below.

Getting Crayons Out Of Clothes Is A Piece Of Cake

It’s fun to have a pop of color on your clothes to make you look young and interesting, but having crayon stains on clothes is definitely the opposite of that.

Removing crayons from clothes can be a pain, but with the tips I provided, crayon stains won’t be a big concern anymore.

I hope you find all the methods in this article useful. Don’t forget to like and share this post if you enjoy it. If you know any other hacks that I haven’t covered, please leave a comment below. Take care and see you later!

Reference

1. Wikipedia, 2021. Crayon.
2. Kitchn, 2021. People Are Putting Dish Soap in the Washing Machine — Here’s What You Need to Know.