Seeing crayon stains in the oddest of places around the house or office area is a common sight if you have a kid around.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you’ll most likely see crayon stains on mostly plastic-like toys, chairs, and tables, in fact everywhere other than a writing pad where it should be.
Trying to clean these stains can be frustrating when you’ve exhausted all your strength scrubbing yet it is not working.
If you don’t know how to get crayon off plastic, you may end up damaging the item completely.
This is why I will be sharing with you easy methods on how to get crayon off plastic, wood, and walls. Read On…
How To Get Crayon Off Plastic
As a parent or caregiver who handles children, cleaning automatically becomes a top chore in your life, this is a no-brainer. Kids mess up everywhere.
If they’re not trying to run water in the bathtub, they’re using mum’s lipstick to paint or spilling their body lotion, there just has to be a mess somewhere.
Crayon stains are one of such messes you’d be seeing now and then on plastic, tiles, and baby toys.
To get rid of it, you’d have to implore the most effective method available to get rid of as much as possible. Here are a few steps on how to get crayons off plastic items around the house.
Things you’ll need
Some of the items listed below have been used by people who confirmed it worked out well for them, you may know other substitutes that could work better in place of them, go ahead and use them for a satisfactory result.
- Baking soda
- Sponge
- Lemon or citrus-based cleaners
- Dish soap
- All-purpose surface cleaners
- A damp towel or paper towel
- Hair Dryer
Method 1: Use of Baking Soda
Dampen the stained area with water, pour a ¼ tablespoon of baking soda on your wet sponge, and scrub gently.
Method 2: Using Lemon
Cut one lemon into two halves, use one of the cut halves to scrub gently on the area.
If lemons are not accessible, use a lemon-based cleaner, apply a reasonable amount of the cleaner to the affected area.
Then leave it to soak for at least 5 minutes and wipe it off with a damp towel.
Method 3: Using Dish Soap
Pour a few drops of your favorite liquid dish soap into warm water, deep a sponge in it, and use it to scrub the area.
Method 4: Using an All-Purpose Surface Cleaner
Spray the affected with an all-purpose surface cleaner and then clean with a dry towel.
Some surface cleaners are disinfectants so they will not only wipe off the dirt but also get rid of the germs there.
Method 5: Using Heat
Apply heat using a hairdryer to the stained area. Then move the hairdryer around the stained area. Finally, wipe it down with a damp sponge.
Method 6: Using Oil Based Lubricant
Apply an oil-based lubricant to the stained area. Then wipe the affected with a paper towel. Finally, wash any leftover residue with dish soap and warm water
Method 7: Use of Spray Remover
You could also employ the method of using spray adhesive remover to the stained area. Then wipe the stained area using a paper towel.
How To Get Crayon Off Walls and Wood
Things you’ll need:
- Sponge
- Baking soda, Non-gel toothpaste, or lemon
- All-purpose surface cleaners
- Paper towel
- Hairdryer
There are different ways you can apply to get crayons off your wood or walls, and they are:
Method 1
- Firstly, you make a solution of baking soda and water
- Then dip a sponge in the solution and apply on the affected area in a circular motion
- Finally, wipe it down with a clean damp cloth
Method 2
- Apply the non-gel toothpaste to the stained area
- Then use a scrub brush to scrub the toothpaste
- Finally, wipe it down with a clean damp cloth
Method 3
- Apply an oil-based lubricant to the stained area
- Then wipe the affected with a paper towel
- Finally, wash any leftover residue with dish soap and warm water
Method 4
- Apply your favorite all-purpose cleaner to eraser sponge or paper towel
- After that scrub, the stained area using either a sponge or paper towel
Method 5
- Simply apply lemon essential oil to a paper towel
- Then wipe down the stained area in a circular motion
Method 5
- Apply heat using a hairdryer to the stained area
- Then move the hairdryer around the stained area
- Finally, wipe it down with a damp sponge
Alternatively, you could also employ the method of using spray adhesive remover to the stained area. Then wipe the stained area using a paper towel.
Are Crayon Stains On Walls Permanent?
Depending on the type of paint on your wall, crayon stains on walls are not necessarily permanent.
If your wall is painted in oil paint, all you have to do to get rid of crayon stains is scrub the wall using any of the above methods listed.
But if you used industrial paint, you may as well consider getting a new wall. If your wall is tiled up, you can just use a wet towel to wipe it off and it’ll come off without much struggle.
Crayon stains on tiles are the easiest to clean since they do not form any adhesion.
How To Remove Hard Water Stains From Plastic
Crayon stains may not be the only stain around the house giving you a hard time cleaning.
Hard water stains present an equal if not greater challenge. When left unattended to, hard water stains are not a good sight to behold.
Seeing your plastic buckets covered in the thick whitish dried residue isn’t so cute. It makes the bucket look dirty and makes the cleanliness of its owner questionable.
Here are a few effective methods for removing hard water stains.
What you’ll Need
- White vinegar
- Hand towel
- A brush
- Water
Step 1:
Damp the edge of the hand towel with only white vinegar and use it to rub on the stains.
Rub in a circular motion all over the plastic. This will dissolve the dried residue without causing any damage to the plastic.
Step 2:
Deep a brush into some of the vinegar and use it to scrub the stains in a circular motion until the stains start falling off.
Step 3:
Dampen the other edge of the hand towel with water and clean the dirt. It’ll restore the looks of your plastic in just a few minutes. But, in any case, some stubborn stains remain, you can go ahead with the next step.
Step 4:
Soak the plastic in a bowl of 50% water and 50% white vinegar through the night and use a sponge or hand towel to clean it in the morning.
How To Prevent Your Child From Writing On Plastic
To be honest, there’s not so much you can do to prevent kids from being kids, it’s how they express themselves and that is the difference between kids and adults.
While you can yell at an adult for making an unnecessary mess around the house, you can’t use the same method with a kid.
The best way to manage the mess your kids make is by having the necessary cleaning items available to clean up after them as immediately as the mess occurs. This may not sound exciting but it’s what parenting entails.
Although you can reduce the mess into a manageable one by keeping most of the fragile items in the house hidden from them and letting them have access to only the items that will not cost you so much fortune to replace when damaged.
You can also create a play area for your kid where his toys are kept so that way, the mess is reduced to only a section of the house.
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The steps listed above are confirmed to be very effective when what you’re looking for is how to get crayon off plastic. These methods have been tested and trusted.
However, some of the items may not be necessary if the stains come off by scrubbing with just soap and water.
So, I advise that before you go out of your budget to buy some of the listed items that may not be available in the house, do try a simple method of soap, sponge, and water, confirm that it is not yielding your expected outcome before proceeding with the other items.