Back to School Stain Removal Tips

Back to school time brings a whole bunch of unique stains on your children’s clothing. Markers, crayons, paint, glue . . . you know your kids will get them on their cute new outfits you bought them for school. So today I teamed up with Debra Johnson from Merry Maids to bring you some real solutions to help you save those cute clothes you spent so much money on.

Removing crayon

Did your child’s new crayons end up on the wall or carpet instead of the coloring book? We have simple steps for removing the mess from carpets, upholstery and walls.

How to remove crayon from carpet/upholstery:

Step 1: Scrape as much crayon wax as possible from the carpet, then cover the stained area with a clean white cloth.

Step 2: Use the tip of the warm iron to press on the cloth where the stain is to transfer the crayon wax from the carpet to the cloth.

Step 3: Replace or move the cloth frequently, being careful not to spread the stain further if you choose to move the cloth around.

CAUTION: Before using the iron on your carpet for this crayon stain removal process test it, with the cloth, in an inconspicuous area. Some carpets made with man-made fibers can melt even at low temperatures, which would damage your carpet.  At this point, call in a professional carpet cleaner.

How to remove crayon from walls:

Step 1: Wet a magic eraser.

Step 2: Test an inconspicuous spot on the wall using the magic eraser.  

Step 3: Once the wall area tested is dry and there is no visible removal of paint or discoloration, then use magic eraser to clean crayon marks off of wall.

Alternative:

Step 1: Make a paste using one Tablespoon of baking soda and add enough warm water to make a paste.

Step 2: Dip a damp microfiber cloth into the baking soda paste, test an inconspicuous spot on the wall using the paste.  

Step 3: Once the wall area tested is dry and there is no visible removal of paint or discoloration, then use paste to remove crayon marks from the wall.

Removing glue:

Did that new glue stick wind up all over your floor, table or couch? Most go straight to rubbing alcohol, but that can actually result in discoloration.

How to remove glue from upholstery:

Step 1: Mix 2 cups of water with 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid

Step 2: Dip a microfiber cloth into the soapy solution. Wring cloth out well.

Step 3: If glue has hardened, allow damp cloth to sit on glue to soften again.

Step 4: Blot glue area with damp cloth.

Step 5: Blot damp area with dry cloth.

Step 6: Repeat process until all glue is removed.

Removing  Glitter:

While fun to use, glitter always seems to end up everywhere.

How to remove glitter from the floor or table:

Step 1: Lay a wet, soapy cloth over the glue and let it set for several hours.

Step 2: After three to four hours, blot at the softened glue with a clean cloth to remove the glue that has softened.

Step 3: Repeat until all of the glue is gone!

How to remove glitter from clothes:

Step 1: Lint rollers are great for more than just lint! When your child’s glitter seems to get on every article of clothing, find a lint roller and roll away.

Step 2: If needed follow up by vacuuming carpet/upholstery with the upholstery tool to remove any remaining glitter.

Removing Permanent Marker:

Did you kids get permanent marker on the walls, carpet or upholstery? Don’t worry – there are simple, at-home remedies to make these situations not-so-permanent.

How to remove permanent marker from walls:

Step 1: Try finding a chemical-based toiletry (rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, hairspray or nail polish remover)

Step 2: Test it on your wall to make sure your wall reacts appropriately to it.

Step 3: Pour the cleaner on a soft rag or cotton ball and blot the Sharpie mark

Step 4: Clean the area with gently soap and water.

How to remove permanent marker from carpet/upholstery:

Step 1: Mix 2 cups of cool water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.

Step 2: Place microfiber cloth into soapy solution. Wring cloth out well.

Step 3: Blot the marker spot with damp cloth.

Step 4: Continue to blot marker spot until marker has transferred to cloth. Refresh the cloth with soapy solution as needed. Merry Maids recommends to quarter fold cloth, blot on 4 sides of cloth, then re-dip cloth in soapy solution and repeat.

Step 5: Should marker not diminish, then blot stained area with rubbing alcohol.

Step 6: Blot area with cold water.

Step 7: Continue to blot with dry cloth to remove excess water from upholstery or carpet.

And one more little tip from me . . . how to remove ball point pen from clothing. Hairspray. Seriously. Get the spot wet and scrub with soap (had soap usually works pretty well) then spray the pen mark with hairspray and watch it fade. Scrub well with a scrubber or by rubbing the clothing together. Add more hairspray as needed until the pen is removed. Rinse then send through a wash cycle.

Hopefully some of these great tips will help you save some clothing as long as the walls and carpet of your home. What are some of your favorite cleaning tips?