Help!! Crayons in the Laundry!!!

Updated on February 26, 2009
L.M. asks from Riverton, UT
13 answers

I just pulled a load of clothes out of my dryer and there are black and green marks on ALL of them, from two itty bitty crayon pieces...Is there ANYTHING that can be done or shall I throw them all away? Please help, I want to cry.

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J.B.

answers from Denver on

I have the easiest solution - one wash will take out everything: we found it online when my daughter did the same thing, and everything was out in a single wash.
2 capfuls liquid detergent (Tide, etc)
1 cup Oxiclean
1/2 cup 20 mule team Borax
1 cup Shout liquid
1 cup white vinegar

presoak (warm water) for about 10 minutes, wash on the longest cycle, and DOUBLE rinse (it's a LOT of detergent!). So many people swear by this, you will be amazed.

3 moms found this helpful

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A.P.

answers from Denver on

Try useing a degreaser like 409 (I like the new arm and hammer natural one) or a dish washing liquid that is designed to take care of grease (like dawn). I've not had the crayon problem yet, but this got a whole bottle of baby oil out of a hamper of clothes. Another stain remover I have used that works surprisingly well is Coke. With all treatments I spray them and let them set for 24hrs. Hope this works.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.T.

answers from Provo on

The Only thing that I have found that gets out crayon is an awesome product called Sol-U-Mel. Make sure you clean your dryer with it too, of it will wreck your next load of clothes as well. Let me know if you are interested in where you can buy it!

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L.J.

answers from Denver on

Hi L.,

Try Goop hand cleaner. It's for laundry too. I used it to get some green crayon marks out of a pair of light pink pants. It's in the automotive section at Wal-Mart with the other hand cleaners. I've also seen it at the Dollar Tree by my house. It's in a white jar with blue and red writing on it. Good luck!

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D.H.

answers from Missoula on

L. M,
I would stay away from toxic chemicals like Dawn and 409. The iron trick works almost everytime. Solumel did the trick in our home and is not toxic.

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K.M.

answers from Missoula on

If you freeze the clothes you can pick the wax off easily. It might take some extra effort if there is a lot of little markings, but you should be able to salvage the clothes. If there is a stain left from the color alone I would recommend a good stain treater. Good luck!

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A.S.

answers from Pocatello on

Hot iron and white rag of some sort. Place the rag between the iron and the clothes article that you are trying to take it off and go a piece at a time to heat it up and take it off .

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L.R.

answers from Denver on

Hairspray! It works for make-up stains too

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S.W.

answers from Salt Lake City on

If theres actual crayon stuck to the clothes the Iron trick works wonders make sure to use a thicker cloth. I even got red candle wax off of my sofa that way.
If they are just marks of color it might work better to do some of the other tricks.

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S.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

The easiest and most effective way I have found is a product called Kids'n'Pets. It's non-toxic and FABULOUS. My daughter left a red crayon in a pocket which got all over some quilts made by great grandma, coats, etc. I was ready to cry, too! I've tried this product when my daughter drew on the upholstery in my dad's truck and it got the crayon right out. So I put some in the washing machine where the bleach normally goes - filled it up to the full line for bleach - and just washed it all again. It got EVERYTHING out! I didn't pretreat or scrub or anything, and the quilts are good as new! I also soaked some rags in it to remove the red stains from the inside of my dryer. You can find it in most grocery stores, I believe. It has a 5 star review rating on Amazon.com, and I can see why. Gets rid of crayon without scrubbing and doesn't ruin the fabric! Careful with Goop or Goo Gone or Murphy's oil soap. These have oil in them, which could cause a fire in your dryer.

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K.M.

answers from Boise on

I haven't tried it, but heard that WD-40 works. Good luck!

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S.P.

answers from Provo on

I have a friend who did a whole blog post about this and she said using Murphy's Oil soap in your hot wash did the trick. I would give it a try..I am sure it is on the internet as well. Maybe even the crayola website. Good luck!

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H.W.

answers from Provo on

We just had the same problem with a maroon crayon. I don't even keep crayons in the house, so my son got it from his grandpa when he visited. I ended up using a Spray&Wash stain stick and washing everything on high heat. Don't dry with heat though! I only had to wash a couple of items more than once and nothing more than twice. It worked and I didn't have to put any extra effort into it except for the stain sticking. Good luck!

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