Laundry Nightmares

Go to Crayola.com they will give you helpful information on removign crayon from just about everything hope this helps.

Same thing happened to me, only blue crayon. Unfortunately what I did is time intensive but every single mark came out. Here is what I did: 1st. dabbed each mark with Goo Gone 2nd. dabbed Dawn dishwashing detergent on the marks 3rd. washed as usual. 4th. scrubbed the inside of dryer with a bit of Goo Gone, be careful to rinse off the Goo Gone I think it is combustible. Good luck

On May 8, 2007, I posted the exact same problem - mine was red crayon and it was literally on everything. I got a lot of advice, some complex some simple. BUT what actually worked was this: I did a search and found a bunch of people on other sites recommended the following:

1 capful Tide Cold Water, 1 cup Spray and Wash, and wash in hot water on the heavy soil setting. I also threw in a scoop of OxyClean for good measure.

Well, it worked! I washed once, noticed a huge difference, washed again and I can only find 5-6 spots total and 4 of them are on socks - Who Cares?!

I am a believer in this method because it was easy - some advice called for scrubbing each spot, but the crayon was everywhere - and it worked. Good luck!

L.,
I would try some Goo Gone it's some great stuff you could get at your local wal-mart for a reasonable price. I have used it several times and it has really qorked well...I would first suggest cleaning the dryer with it and then soaking the stains in it. It has worked for me before on everything from ink to bubblegum!

My husband left a tube of chap stick in his golf shorts last summer, so I completely understand the horror of a dryer full of waxy clothes! I second the Oxi-Clean - that's what finally got the wax out of our clothes. I made a thick paste of the stuff (just Oxi-Clean and water) and used a toothbrush to scrub each stain, then washed in the washer again. Then I let the pieces air dry so I could see the remaining stains (it was hard to detect when wet) and then I'd start the whole process again. I did this 3-4 times, but eventually I got it all out. I'm so sorry this happened to you - good luck!

HI L.,that has happened to me too many times to count. The last time is was with a black ink pen. in a load of whites. I was just about to give up when my mom asked if she could try a few diff things. She soaked the cloths in oxy-clean over night then washed and the ink came right out. I also used a product called goop it's supposed to get everything off, it did not work with the ink but I am pretty sure it said it gets crayon off. As for the dryer i just had to keep running the dryer, get it really hot then scrub it till the ink no longer came off. Good luck I know thats a horrible feeling to see all those ruined cloths.

Don't know about clothing but I do know a trick to get wax out of carpet (might be worth trying on clothes) Get a brown paper grocery bag (cut it so that you can use the inside where there is no ink *store name*) lay the bag on the clothing and iron (high setting) watch the material to see how it responds to the heat, may be too high or too low.

A carpet cleaner guy I know taught me that trick.

Good Luck

Hello,

I would try a bar of body soap and see if that helps....also you can try a magic easer. I have used this on jeans before...Hope this works for you. I caught mine before it went into the dryer so iam hoping it works it can still be done.

You got a lot of good advice here, but let me just add that the first thing you should do is sort the load, separating things for which the stains don't matter and concentrating your energies on the ones that do. Like one poster said, socks - who cares? Also diapers, cleaning cloths and anything that has the stain on the inside or near the hem or somewhere that it won't show. You will end up with a much smaller pile that you have to work on!

I have NO idea if this will work as it is a crayola stain, but for dye bleeding I've found that Smashing White (I think it's an Amway product) will strip it of the unwanted color. I know too that the product that comes in little chalk eraser-sized scrubbers (for cleaning walls & floors) WILL clean crayola marks from floors. Don't know how it would work on fabric, but I'd give it a try. Can't remember the name of that scrubber, but when you find it in the store, I would call the manufacturer of that brand for ideas. Hope one of these help. And good luck! J. M

If Crayon-Stained Clothing Has Gone Through the Dryer

Spray the visible garment stains - on both sides - with a petroleum-based prewash stain remover. Rub it into the fabric with your fingers. I would try the Carbona for crayon or the Spray and Wash with oxygen good luck! The Carbona is in the laundry products area at most grocery stores, Wal-Mart etc. They have a variety of types available. I personally have 3 of the 8 types (Ink & Crayon, Ketchup & Sauce, & Fruit and Red Wine) on hand at all times.

Let stand for a while and then wash as usual. You may have to repeat this several times.

I hope that this helps. K.

Oh, L.....
I feel for you. I did the same thing once. It was especially horrible because after my 'ONE' time shopping for myself for like an entire year, it ruined several items of hard-to-find pants, etc. I too was frustrated beyond words. I wish I could tell you how to get the crayon out of the clothes... I never could. Although, I think repeated washings can minimize somewhat, I pretty much gave up. I did however, physically scrape as much of the crayon out of the dryer as I could. If you look in there you should be able to see crayon melted onto the sides of the drum. I also found this article about WD-40... although I didn't try this,( I think I might have used Goo-Gone) it is worth a try:
http://homeparents.about.com/cs/householdtips/ht/crayon_d...
After this, I also ran the dryer on high several times with old towels just to try and get off any residue was left. I'm sure there are still places in the cracks with crayon burned onto it, but it doesn't seem to come off anymore!!! Sorry, I wish I could help more, but know I feel your pain! Good luck!

Try Lestoil, which can be hard to find. Maybe a hardware store. I have found it at Ace or True Value. Some grocery stores still have it in the laundry section.

It's oily so it helps release the oil in fabrics. I have used this on dark blue crayon with success. Of course, after you get the stain out you need to wash everything again because Lestoil smells so strongly!

Make sure you clean the dryer drum or crayon streaks will lurk in there!

Goo gone will be your friend. Good luck.

Thanks for asking this question. It happened to me a couple of months ago with red crayon, and I just set the clothes aside 'til I could deal with each one. I also have 4 children, and so many house troubles, I am having a hard time enjoying the most wonderful job on earth, mothering, but it helps to remember life has it's ups and downs!
I'll try some of these ideas too!Let me know what works for you!

it happened to me twice. green crayon. tide with bleach on your hottest setting. it may work on some stuff.

good luck

The only thing that has ever helped me with stains is "electrasol" dishwashing detergent.
Run your water first, add your detergent, then add the "electrasol" powder. I would use warm water, at least to dissolve the powder, then swith to cold. I've never had any experience with crayons though. It doesn't seem like anything would take out that waxiness.
I use "electrasol" powder only in my whites and pastel colors.
For whites I use HOT water, detergent, electrasol and a little bleach and the whites turn out the BRIGHTEST you've ever seen!!
I hope this works for you.
GOOD LUCK!!

Try using a RAG and an iron. Put the hot iron over the waxy crayon area and the iron SHOULD melt it and draw it to the rag. As far as getting out the color goes......IMMACU-10!

Try my favorite stain remover, ZOUT (liquid is better than the spray)Saturate for at least 10 minutes. If this wont get stains out nothing will. NOTE: A few dyes wont withstand this treatment so test first in a seam but if I cant remove the stain I throw it out anyway.

I had a similar thing happen with a $200 Columbia winter coat. The trick for us was tons of elbow grease and Zout. It's a cleaning product in a spray bottle in any major store.

I would try the Carbona for crayon or the Spray and Wash with oxygen

good luck !

One of my friends had the same issue but with red crayon. She used a product called Prespot. If you would like, I can send you some. You have to be a member to buy it, but it is all-natural, no chemicals. It works because there is tea-tree oil in it. We use it too for all kinds of stains. :) Good luck!

I work as a laundry attendent. I suggest that you try dry cleaning & if that's not possible there is a place calles D.W. Davies in Racine. They sell this stuff called Speedy Spot & it might help get rid of the spots. It has a strong smell so treat them in an open area. After treating the spots rewash the items. A non invasive way is to take a damp rag & an iron & try to iron out as much crayon as possible before washing. I don't know if that one works or not, but you could try it.

Goop hand cleaner, it works on all grease, oil based stains and is about 1.00 at walmart in the car car aisles