When your baby becomes a toddler, you will deal with a whole new bunch of messes. Because your baby can now move from one part of the house into another, messes are not isolated in one area of your home anymore. This is also the stage where your child learns to explore and express his or her creativity. With the brand new messes, of course, come a whole new set of stains on your little one's clothes: new and different food stains, grass, mud, paint, and crayon. Crayon stains present a unique problem because it is made of colored wax. However, with the right materials, you will be able to salvage your baby's crayon stained clothes.
First, check the crayon stained clothes. Remove the crayon from each piece of clothing. It is tiresome and time-consuming but it is a task worth doing in order to prevent the crayon from getting to other clothes. You may also try placing a terry cloth tower over the crayon stained area and running a medium hot iron over it to melt the wax and help the terry cloth absorb it. Continue removing the wax by placing a clean part of the terry cloth over the stain every time you iron over it. Once all the color has transferred to the terry cloth and the wax is completely gone, you can get started with the stain removal.
Place your baby's stained clothing on several pieces of paper towel with the stained area facing up. Make sure that there aren't any layers of fabric underneath the stain or else you will have more clothes to clean than what you already have.
Spray the stained areas with WD-40 or any water displacing spray. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then flip the clothing over to spray the other side. Let it sit for a few minutes as well.
Pour a few drops of dishwashing liquid onto the crayon stained area and rub it gently onto the stain. The crayon wax should go directly into the paper towels. You might need to change your paper towels a few times. Continue working the detergent into the stain until you get it out entirely.
Wash your baby's clothes following care instructions. Use a baby-safe detergent and baby-safe, color-safe bleach. Experts recommend washing in hot cycle for about 15 minutes or laundering on the heavy load option. Afterwards, rinse the clothes in warm water.
When you have finished rinsing, inspect the clothes for any remaining crayon stain. If the stains persist, do the process all over again. If the clothes come out residue free, proceed to drying the clothes as usual. Do not dry clothes until the stains are totally gone.
Do not forget to clean the drum of your dryer before you throw your other clothes in it. If you do not clean the drum, your risk getting crayon marks and/or residue on your baby's clothes again, or worse, on the clothes of other family members. Once you are finished cleaning the dryer, you can dry your clothing items as usual.
