Cleaning
How to Get Melted Crayon Out of Clothes & The Dryer | Ask a professional
So your husband was helpful, did a load of laundry, and one of your kids had a red crayon in his pocket. It’s now all over the dryer and a load of clothes. Nothing was saved. Is this load ruined? Is there a way to get it out? And what about the dryer? Is it toast? In this post, I answer all these questions and tell you how to get melted crayon out of clothes and the dryer!
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How to Remove Melted Crayon from the dryer.
Unplug the dryer, proceed with caution, and see our disclaimer before trying any of our tips!
- Warm the drier
Warm crayon is easier to remove than when it is cold. Therefore, turning on the dryer to melt the crayon before you start makes sense. This will help it to slide right off.
You may need to keep warming up the dryer several times to keep the wax crayon melted until you have removed most of it. - Dryer sheets
Use dryer sheets to remove the worst of the melted crayon from your dryer. Often cloths can smear the crayon around the drum of your dryer. Dryer sheets seem to scoop it up and remove it without smearing.
- Remove the lint catcher
Remember to remove the crayon from the lint holder too, as it’s easy to forget.
- Check for residue
The drier sheets will capture most of the crayon but probably not all of it. You will most likely find that there is still some residue left in the dryer, especially around any fixtures which you will need to remove.
- Next, use a cleaning solvent like nail polish remover with Acetone.
Only use a tiny bit of the solvent on a rag or a soft brush to remove the melted wax crayon. Do not overwet the area, or it may ruin your dryer. We want the Acetone residue to evaporate because it is highly flammable. After it evaporates, the dry surface is no longer flammable (unless it is made out of other flammable or combustible materials). See more here. However, the Acetone vapor remains flammable and may potentially cause an explosion even after it has dispersed into the air and traveled. It would be best if you took care when cleaning near the dryer. It should be unplugged from any electrical source. You should also use a breathing mask, refrain from smoking and ventilate the room before use.
- Add a clean, wet, white towel to the drum.
To ensure you’ve removed all the wax crayon, place a wet, white towel in the dryer by itself to see if there is any transfer.
You’ve finished cleaning if it’s clear and there is no transfer. If the crayon still transfers to the towel, you must continue with the Acetone until the drum is clean.
- Leave the machine with the door open.
Leave the dryer door open and untouched for several days as the Acetone is highly flammable and needs to evaporate before reconnecting the machine to the electrics.
- Clean with soapy water
After several days clean the drum thoroughly with soapy water to remove any residue.
- Allow the drum to dry.
Allow the drum to airdry by leaving the door open for an hour or so.
- Use as normal
I would run a dark wash for the first load to ensure that there is no remaining wax crayon.
Three more tips for getting crayon out of the dryer.
- A magic eraser like this one, should clean the dryer, but care must be taken as a magic eraser is abrasive and could cause scratching to the machine.
- Damp towels. Take some old towels and dampen them, then keep drying them in the dryer. They should slowly start to absorb the crayon. Test with a new, old towel each time to see if the crayon has transferred.
- Barkeepers friend. Run the dryer to heat it, then use BarKeeper’s Friend to gently remove the crayon with a cloth. Barkeepers Friend is also abrasive and may scratch the drum, so please proceed cautiously and ensure you rinse the area well afterward.
Five steps to remove melted crayon from clothes.
If a crayon found its way into your dryer and ruined an entire load of laundry, don’t worry. I will help you get that crayon out of your clothes and share my laundry and clothing tips!
- Soak the garment in hot water for 10 minutes to loosen and warm the crayon to make it easier to remove.
- Add white vinegar and dish soap. Add a splash of white vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of Dawn Liquid dish soap (or Fairy platinum if you’re in the UK), and leave to soak for a few hours.
- Wash the garment in your machine on a heavy soil setting using your usual laundry detergent or a few drops of dish soap. If you live in a soft water area, you must be careful about the load getting too frothy if you use dish soap.
- Start cleaning your dryer. While your clothes are washing, it’s an excellent time to clean your dryer. You do not want to throw all those clothes you just worked so hard to get cleaned back into the dryer to have them ruined again.
- Repeat the process if required. Often, it will be necessary to repeat the process, especially if you have red or blue crayon on a white shirt, for instance.
Three other crayon removal methods for clothes
- Iron. If you’re wondering how to get crayon out of clothes with an iron, then I’m here for you! This method is only beneficial for a garment with one or two spots of isolated crayon wax and may not remove it altogether. Place brown paper or blotting paper over the stain and iron over it. The melted crayon should soak into the paper.
- Laundry stripping. Mix 1 cup Tide, 1/4 cup Borax, and 1/4 cup washing soda with hot water and let it soak an entire day. Then wash as usual. Repeat if required.
- WD40. Some people in my Facebook group have suggested WD40 to get crayon out of clothes !!!! Apply a small amount of WD40 to a cleaning cloth or sponge and wipe down the area with the crayon until the wax is gone.
- Dry cleaning for delicate garments, always take the item to professional dry cleaners to be cleaned. Read the secrets that the dry cleaners don’t want you to know in this post.
FAQ
Use a small amount of dish soap on a cloth and gently pat the area to remove the crayon. Take care not to scrub as this will break the carpet’s fibers causing irreparable damage.
With a bit of preparation before you wash your garment, and if you follow the tips above, you should be able to get melted crayon out of clothes without too much trouble.
Read this post to see how to get lipstick out of clothes and tips for all other stain removals.
Chlorine bleach stain removal products like OxiClean are suitable for removing the last traces of crayon. However, you would need to follow the steps above to make sure you have removed all the crayon first, or you may make the stain worse.
try following the steps above to remove crayon from your dried clothes.
Have you ever had to get melted crayon out of clothes or the dryer? Tell us about your disaster in the comments!
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