How to Remove Crayon Stains From Walls

Isn’t it sweet when your toddler gifts you with a piece of artwork to hang up on the fridge? Unfortunately, it’s not so sweet when your toddler takes to a less-than-ideal surface, such as a wall in your home, to practice his or her artistic talents. Drawing on walls seems to be a rite of passage for toddlers and young children—so there’s a good chance it will happen at some point.

By knowing how to remove crayon stains from walls, you can stress a little less about these inevitable mishaps. From there, you can take some gentle measures to prevent your child from drawing on the walls again in the future.

Tried-and-True Methods For Crayon Stain Removal

Crayon can be difficult to get off of painted drywall or wallpaper, but there are some methods that are usually pretty effective.

Pencil Erasers

One of the easiest and most effective ways to remove crayon stains from walls is to use a pencil eraser or magic eraser! More than likely, you have some of these lying around already if you have a toddler or young child. Grab a rubber eraser and get to work; you may find that the eraser actually smudges the crayon at first, but if you keep going, it should actually remove the crayon wax from the wall. For larger areas of “crayon art,” you may want to use a larger eraser, but a pencil eraser will do the trick for smaller areas.

Steel Wool

A steel wool soap pad, like the kind you may use to scrub your sink, can also be effective at removing crayon stains. This method is best reserved for painted drywall, as the abrasive quality of the steel wool may cause damage or tearing of wallpaper.

Simply dampen the steel wool pad and then scrub the stained area in small circles. This method is typically safe on painted walls without damaging paint, but if you do a lot of scrubbing, it is possible you may need to touch up your paint if it fades or chips. With this in mind, it’s best to scrub gently at first and only add pressure as needed.

Tooth Paste

Who says toothpaste is just for brushing your teeth? Clearly, crayons aren’t just for coloring on paper! Grab an old toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste. Ideally, you’ll choose a toothpaste that contains baking soda, as this mild abrasive is great for scrubbing away stubborn stains. Apply the toothpaste to your brush or directly to the stain on the wall and scrub away in circular motions until the stain is gone. Then, wipe the area with a damp paper towel to remove any excess residue.

WD-40

If all else fails, a little WD-40 will usually do the trick at removing crayon from walls. This method should be safe on both painted walls and wallpaper, but it’s always a good idea to test WD-40 in a small and inconspicuous area to be sure before you get started. For maximum stain-removing power, spray a little WD-40 over your child’s work of art and allow it to sit for about five minutes. Then, simply wipe it away and then go over it with a damp towel to remove residue. You’ll have a fresh canvas (oops…we mean a fresh wall) once again!

Preventing Crayon Mishaps in the Future…

Toddlers and young children may not understand that crayons and other drawing utensils should only be used on paper or canvases. This is exactly why it’s so common for these little mishaps to occur in the first place. Still, if you’re looking to discourage your child from drawing on the walls again in the future, there are some steps you can take now.

Have Your Toddler Help Clean the Mess

When you catch your child drawing on the wall, have him or her help you clean up the mess using one of the methods above. This will help him or her understand that walls are not for drawing and that a lot of work goes into removing the crayon from the wall. If your child knows he or she will have to help clean up, he or she may be less likely to color on the walls.

Avoid Reacting With Anger

As frustrating as it can be to discover crayon stains on your walls, it’s important to avoid reacting with anger towards your child. Remember that your child probably doesn’t understand that walls are not appropriate drawing surfaces, and getting angry or yelling is not going to help the situation any. Having a little grace and patience will go a long way.

Encourage Drawing on Appropriate Surfaces

Remind your child that coloring and drawing are meant for specific surfaces, such as paper and canvas. Keep plenty of appropriate drawing surfaces around and use them with your child regularly. Praise your child when he or she draws on a proper surface and go out of your way to display works of art on your fridge or elsewhere in the home.

Keep Drawing Supplies Out of Reach

Most younger children will do best with drawing supplies kept out of their immediate reach. Have your child or toddler ask you when they want to draw so you can get the supplies out and make sure supervision is involved. Keeping drawing supplies in a drawer or on a shelf that is outside of your child’s reach will help prevent mishaps!

Save Your Sanity With a Cleaning Service

If you have a toddler or young child, it’s only a matter of time before you discover a “work of art” on one of the walls or other surfaces in your home. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get crayon stains off your walls—and in a worst-case scenario, all you’ll need to do is touch up a little paint. From there, you can begin working with your child on learning why it’s not appropriate to draw on walls or surfaces other than paper, canvas, etc.

Living with toddlers and small children is always exciting and usually unpredictable! It can also be stressful, especially when you’re tasked with not only caring for your child, but keeping a clean house and/or working on top of that. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your “to-do” list, cut yourself some slack and look into hiring a professional house cleaner.

At Maid Sailors, we’re here to make your life easier by offering an extensive range of house cleaning at reasonable prices. Contact us today to set up an appointment or book your service online!