Here’s how to get crayon stains out of clothes:
- 1. Scrape off any excess crayon
- 2. Freeze the garment and chip away at the wax
- 3. Pre-treat the stain with dish soap
- 4. Machine wash with warm water and laundry pods
- 5. Air dry and repeat if necessary
The kids are back in school, which means they’ll be spending a lot of time channeling their inner Picasso and coloring with crayons. This is great for their creativity. But it can also be a major headache for you on laundry day.
Crayon stains are double trouble. First, they’re made from paraffin wax, which is hydrophobic, so they repel water. As a result, water-based detergents struggle to break it down. Second, crayons have oil-based dyes and pigments that can bind to fabric fibers.
Fortunately, crayon stains don’t have to be permanent blemishes that ruin your kid’s back-to-school outfits. With the five-step process below, you can remove any crayon stain—even if your kid’s clothes look like an artist’s smock at the end of the school day.
1. Scrape Off Any Excess Crayon
Crayons are made out of wax, so like a candle, they can melt and harden. Before you attempt to get any crayon out of any clothes, make sure the stain hardens at room temperature. Scraping melted or even fresh crayon off a piece of clothing will just smear it.
Once the crayon stain hardens, find a tool with a dull yet firm edge, like a butter knife, spoon, or even an old credit card. Anything that won’t slit, tear, or damage fabric. Then you’ll want to pull the fabric taught, creating a smooth surface with zero snags for you to gently scrape across.
This will likely strip off the surface layer of wax. But a thin yet stubborn coat of wax will likely remain. That’s where your freezer comes into play.
2. Freeze It and Chip It
Leaving your clothes stain-up in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or pressing an ice pack directly on the crayon stain will make it as cold and hard as possible. The more brittle, the cleaner the break from your kid’s clothes. You can then use the same dull-edged tool to chip away at the wax.
But even if you scrape off that last layer of wax, there will likely be an oily, colored blot left over on your kid’s clothes. Enter dish soap.
3. Pre-Treat the Stain with Dish Soap
Dish soap is designed to dissolve oils, which is ideal in this situation because paraffin wax is derived from petroleum, a type of oil.
After rubbing dish soap into the crayon stain with your fingers or an old toothbrush, let your clothes sit for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the dish soap to break down the oil-based dyes and pigments.
4. Machine Wash with Lukewarm Water and Laundry Pods
Now it’s time for your washer to shine. Put your pre-treated clothes into the washer by themselves. Then set the temperature to cool or lukewarm. Paraffin wax is heat-sensitive, so hot water can actually melt any remaining wax deeper into fabric fibers, setting the stain permanently. And cold water isn’t very conducive to breaking down oil.
Finally, toss in a laundry pod that’s rich in bio-enzymes, like Laundry Sauce. Not only will their bio-enzymes help dissolve those crayon stains—they’ll also make your kid the best-smelling student in class.
5. Air Dry and Inspect
There could still be a little crayon left on your kid’s clothes after you wash them. And if you throw these clothes in the dryer, the heat could melt any remaining wax and essentially bake the stain in.
To avoid a permanent crayon catastrophe, lay your kid’s clothes flat or hang them up to air dry. Once your clothes are dry, take a look and scan for any residue. If you see any, repeat steps 3-5.
Common Questions About Crayon Stains
If you’re still worried about crayon stains, here’s everything else you need to know.
Are Crayon Stains Permanent?
Crayon stains can turn permanent if you let them sit for days or weeks, which allows the oil-based dyes and pigments to fully bond with fabric fibers. But the process above can remove almost any type of crayon stain, especially if you treat them early.
What Water Temperature Is Best for Crayon Stains?
Lukewarm water is the best temperature to wash out crayon stains. This will help loosen the stain without setting the oils or pigments into the fabric.
Does Baking Soda Remove Crayon Stains?
Baking soda can help remove crayon stains. But it can’t dissolve wax or break down oil. If you want to add baking soda to your crayon stain removal process, consider sprinkling a little but directly onto the stain after you scrape off any excess crayon, gently rubbing it in with a damp cloth, and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes before you pre-treat the stain with dish soap.
Does Rubbing Alcohol Remove Crayon Stains?
Rubbing alcohol can remove crayon stains. It’s a solvent, so it can break down wax and oil. But it can also discolor or damage fabric. Only use it if pre-treating your crayon stain with dish soap doesn’t do as good a job as you hoped.
Can You Bleach White Clothes With Crayon Stains?
You can bleach white clothes with crayon stains, but only if you’ve removed the wax and oil from them first. Bleach can actually cause the wax or oil to set in place, so you only want to use it to scrub out any leftover dye or pigment. Ideally, you would do this after you take your clothes out of the wash.
Crayons Don’t Stand a Chance Against Laundry Sauce
Your kid might be a future art prodigy, but that waxy masterpiece on their jeans? Yeah, that’s going in the trash—unless you’ve got Laundry Sauce. Sure, our laundry pods erase the evidence of crayon stains (and whatever else the school day throws their way). But they also make their outfit smell like it was laundered at a five-star resort in the south of France—even if it was a 2 a.m. rush job at your house.
So let Picasso do his thing. You’ve got Laundry Sauce. And in this house, crayons don’t stand a chance.
