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Blot out the stains of crayon
from cotton, AS long as crayons are confined to drawing books of kids, they have a constructive role. But the moment their use is extended—to walls, clothes, shelves, etc—they become tools of damage. But all smart moms and dads should know what to do when their precocious kids extend their artistic experiments to all those forbidden surfaces. A coloured vision The dyes in crayons can cause permanent stains, especially if set by heat and ironing, but here are things you can try. The crayon is basically a wax. You can place the stained area of clothes between old white towels, run over it an iron (medium setting) to melt the wax and the towel will act as a blotter. Be sure to move the stain to a clean part of the towel frequently. Once there is no longer colour transfer you have done all you can. Precaution: For
fine fabrics you should go to a good dry cleaner and explain the
nature of the stain for best results. |
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Scrape excess crayon with the dull edge of a butter knife. Place the stained surface down, on top of half a dozen blotting papers and run an iron on the back side. The blotting paper will absorb the excess crayon residue. Apply liquid soap and rub it into the stained area. Blot as much residue off, then wash in hot, soft water with soap and 1/2 cup baking soda for 10 minutes. If the stains remain, work soap paste (powder soap and a few drops of water) into the stain. Wash for five minutes, and rinse. To remove any remaining colour use bleach that is safe for the fabric. Always test for colour fastness. Wash in hot water with laundry detergent and bleach for the longest possible cycle and rinse in warm water. Into washing machine too!
Run a load of dry rags through a drying cycle to ensure that your drum is clean. Shelf life If you have toddlers in your home, it won’t be surprising if your kitchen cabinets, bookshelves and clothes closets are smeared with crayon marks. Take heart! You might have Husains or Picasso’s in the making. The best solution for cleaning smooth surfaces is to rub them liberally with cigarette ash. Spray some on these shelves and wipe with moist, cotton cloth. However, test a small area to be sure it does not damage the finish. — Chetna Banerjee |
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What if your kid has a
crayon in the pocket of his shirt and you put this clothing in the
washing machine? Chances are that all the other clothes will have
splashes of a fluorescent green or orange crayon stains all over. This
will need an elaborate damage-control exercise:
To clean the drum of
your dryer to remove any remaining crayon, spray a soft cloth with
liquid detergent and wipe the drum.