I never check the pockets of clothes before putting them in the washing machine. This week taught me that it’s time I started. I wish I could say the blue crayon came from one of the kid’s pockets, but it came from mine – a leftover from picking up random toys and things off the floor. I didn’t know one little broken piece of crayon could cause so much trouble, until I pulled my clothes out of the dryer and found blue marks all over them.
I can’t be the only one hoping to resurrect clothes ruined by pesky melted wax, so I decided to see if I could save them without buying specialty cleaners. I found several solutions, but this one made the most sense and ended up being the most effective (although not a perfect solution).
How to Get Crayon Out of Your Dried Clothes
Ingredients
1/2 cup Vinegar
4 to 6 tablespoons Dawn
2 Pots Boiling Water
Standard amount of your preferred Laundry Detergent
Instructions
- Put 2 pots of water on the stove and bring them to a rolling boil.
- Add your stained clothes to the hottest cycle available in your washing machine.
- Add boiling water to machine. Use extreme caution when doing this step.
- Add vinegar and Dawn.
- Add your regular amount of detergent. It can be liquid or powder.
- Wash.
- Repeat, if necessary.
The idea here is to get extremely hot water to melt that wax and then remove the stains from your clothing. This method definitely faded the crayon on my clothing and took out some stains completely after 2 washes. I think I waited too long to treat my clothes and I believe this method would work extremely well if done immediately after you realize you’ve dried the crayon onto your clothing.
Cautions: Dawn can void the warranty on some washing machines, so be aware of this before adding to your cycle. Hot water is also not ideal for all materials and may shrink or distort delicates, but your clothes are done for either way, right?
How to Get Crayon Off of Clothes Before They’re Dry
What if you pull your clothing out of the washing machine and discover the crayon while they’re still wet? You can definitely use the method above or treat it with BunchaFarmers Stain Remover and hot water. This stuff is amazing!
How to Clean Crayon from Your Washing Machine
This one is simple. Wipe it down with a Magic Eraser.
Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this post.
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