Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning · Carpet Cleaning 101 ·Dec 01, 2022

How to Get Crayon Out of a Carpet

Crayon Stains on carpeted floors may seem like a tough task to remove, but it’s a lot easier than it seems.

There are several effective methods that you can use, each suited to a slightly different type of crayon stain. Washable crayons are easier to remove, but wax crayons, or old crayon stains, will require heavier cleaning.

We list the most effective methods to get crayons out of your carpet, so you are ready to clean when the next art session turns into a mess.

What this article covers:

How to Get Washable Crayon Out of a Carpet
How to Remove Wax Crayon From a Carpet
How to Get Crayon Stains Out of a Carpet

How To Get Washable Crayon Out Of A Carpet

As a preventative, it’s safer to use washable crayons in your home as they are much easier to clean out of a fabric surface.

If you are faced with a washable crayon stain, you can usually get away with a simple cleaning solution using common products that are already on your shelf to clean the dirt from your carpet.

Remove The Excess Crayon

The first step is to remove as much excess crayon as you can. Use a teaspoon or butter knife to scrape off the crayon from the carpet. Be sure to do this gently, as scraping too hard, or with something too sharp, can fray the fibers and damage your carpet.

Sweep or vacuum the debris that you scrape up, making sure the area is clear before proceeding to the next step.

Removing excess is an important step with most stains, like getting playdough out of a carpet.

Mix And Apply Your Solution

You will then prepare your cleaning solution. Mix a tablespoon of any liquid soap you have available with one cup of lukewarm water. Ensure it is well combined to avoid soapy streaks on the carpet.

Transfer this to a spray bottle. Make sure that the water is not too hot.

Spray the solution generously on the stained area. You should apply enough to properly soak through the carpet fibers, and cover the entire stain. Leave it to settle in for 10-15 minutes before continuing.

how to clean crayon off carpet

Dab Area

Use a clean, dry cloth to dab the dampened area. Apply a bit of pressure when doing so. You should see the crayon transfer to the cloth during this process.

After every few dabs, move to a clean side of the cloth so that you are not pressing the transferred crayon back into the carpet. Continue until there is no more crayon transferring onto the cloth.

Do not rub or scrub the stain, as this will just push the crayon deeper in, and spread the color to make the stain even bigger.

Rinse Area

Pour or spray some plain cold water onto the area to rinse out the cleaning solution, and any remnants of the crayon. Use a dry, absorbent cloth or paper towel to blot the area repeatedly to absorb as much liquid as possible.

Leave to air dry fully for a few hours, or overnight, and then check to see if the stain has completely cleared. If not, repeat the process from the second step.

How To Remove Wax Crayon From A Carpet

Some crayons are more difficult to remove than others, and wax crayons are one of them.

If you have ever worked with these, you know they have a thicker, more pigmented transfer, and can melt into surfaces fairly easily. This translates well on paper, but can be bothersome in the form of a stain, especially on carpet.

With this type of mess, you will need to get a little creative. However, you can still use simple household products here - you will just need to add iron to the mix.

Scrape Off Excess

First, use a spoon or butter knife to scrape off as much of the crayon as possible. The fresher the stain, the more you should be able to remove it in this way.

This leaves you with minimal crayon to remove in the following steps. It can be done with most stains, like removing ashes from a carpet. Be gentle when scraping to avoid damaging the carpet fibers.

Apply Solution

Mix a tablespoon of liquid soap with a cup of warm water, and transfer the solution to a spray bottle.

Lay a light-colored cloth or towel over the stain (ensure it is big enough to cover the stained area), and generously spray the solution onto the cloth or towel. It should be enough to soak through to the stain underneath.

Iron The Stain

Turn on your clothes iron to the lowest setting so that it warms up without getting too hot. If the iron heats up too much, it can result in burn damage or discoloration on the carpet that cannot be repaired.

Once warm, iron over the cloth or towel. Focus the pressure on the actual stain (make a note of its location before you start).

Move the iron around for 4-5 minutes, and then switch it off. Once off, leave the iron face down on the stain so that the excess heat radiates through. Leave it like this for about 10 minutes.

Check the Area

Remove the cloth or towel, and check the area to see if the stain has fully transferred onto it from the carpet. If there is still some crayon on the carpet, repeat the process using a fresh cloth or towel.

Once clear, leave it to air dry overnight. If you want to speed up the drying process, you can place a running fan near the area to do this.

How To Get Crayon Stains Out Of A Carpet

If you are dealing with a crayon stain that has been on the carpet for a few weeks, months, or even years, you will need something more powerful to remove it. For this, you should turn to professional carpet cleaning products.

Specialized products are ideal as they are formulated for stubborn stains, and they are generally much safer to use on your carpet than other harsh cleaning chemicals.

Prepare Solution

First, you will need to prepare your cleaning solution or pre-spray. One of the best around is the Truck Mount Forum Pure O2 Set Breeze Odour and Stain Remover.

This product is fantastic for stain removal. Not only does it effectively remove any stain, but it also brightens and softens your carpet in the process. It cuts through grease and oil well, which is useful for particularly waxy crayons.

When crayons are left for a long time, the odor can worsen, especially if they start to turn bad. This product also has an odor removal component, so you will not have to deal with lingering smells from your carpet.

Prepare the solution according to the instructions given on the bottle.

Apply Solution

Next, you will apply the mixed cleaner to the stained area. You can either use a water extraction tool to clean the stain thereafter or if it is a small area, use a dry cloth to dab and soak up the liquid. The extraction tool is usually needed for a bigger mess, like getting mud out of a carpet

The solution works well for stubborn stains, like getting magic marker out of a carpet.

You will then rinse out the area with cold water, and again, use a fresh cloth to absorb the moisture. Once you have drawn out as much liquid as possible, leave it to air dry for a few hours, or overnight.

Check The Area

Once the area of the carpet is fully dry, inspect it to ensure all the crayon has been removed. If there are still remnants, repeat the process from the beginning. This process also works well to remove old paint from a carpet.

Conclusion

There are several effective ways to clean crayons out of your carpet. The method you choose just depends on the type of stain you are working with.

Washable crayons will naturally come out much easier, with a simple cleansing method, but wax crayons and old crayon stains will need heavier forms of cleaning and professional carpet cleaning products and tools (like an Orbital carpet cleaner).