How to Remove Ink And Crayon Stains

In the world of everyday mishaps and accidents, ink spills and crayon marks are among the most common culprits when it comes to leaving stains on clothing & furniture, especially if you have kids. While they may seem hard to remove, don't worry! Purex® shares some great tips on how to remove ink and crayon stains from your clothing and other fabrics.

The steps you should follow will depend on the type of ink you were using:

If the ink was water based, place the item on top of a paper towel and blot with another wet paper towel. You will begin to see the ink being transferred to the blotter. Make sure you move the shirt and replace your blotter as the ink is lifted or transferred to the paper towel underneath. Once you have removed as much of the stain as possible, apply some Purex® liquid detergent, like Purex® Fresh Mountain Breeze™ detergent or Purex® Advanced Oxi + Coldwater Power detergent. Let the stain sit for five minutes. Then launder as usual, following the care instructions of the garment or by fabric type. As always, check the stained area before transferring to the dryer as the heat from the dryer will cause the stain to be permanent.

If the pen was a ballpoint pen, Purex® suggests using a color-safe bleach. Apply to the stain and let sit for 5 minutes. Then launder as usual, following the care tag instructions. You may want to test the color safe bleach on the inside of the clothing item if you are concerned that it may damage your clothes. If this does not completely remove the stain, repeat the pretreating process with Purex® liquid detergent.

The last type of pen, and the most difficult to remove, is a permanent ink pen. In this case, lay the item on top of a paper towel and apply rubbing alcohol to the stain. Make sure to test this on an inner seam to make sure that it does not damage the color of your clothes. Blot the stained area: you may see some of the stain being transferred to the paper towel that is underneath. Replace this as necessary. When you have removed as much of the stain as possible, make sure to rinse thoroughly. Then apply some detergent to the stain, allow to sit for 5 minutes, and launder.

In all cases, if the clothing item is bleachable, that is also a method for trying to remove the stain.

The best way to handle any fabrics with crayon stains is to simply freeze it. Once the wax has frozen, gently scrap off the excess. Then put a clean paper towel on both sides of the stain and go over the stained area with a warm iron. Check the paper towels and replace as needed. You want to replace them often so you don’t transfer the stain to other places on the clothing.

After you have removed as much of the stain as you can, pretreat with a stain remover or create your own with liquid detergent and allow it to sit for five minutes. Then launder with your favorite scented laundry detergent or Purex® Pacs, a convenient way to do laundry.

As always, check the stain before placing the article of clothing in the dryer. If the stain is still present use a color-safe bleach, or a chlorine bleach if the clothing allows for it. Due to the nature of this waxy stain, it may take a few iterations to completely remove it.

For other craft related stains, view how to remove paint stains or how to remove face paint stains.

Purex® offers an array of great products, all at an affordable price. Discover Purex® liquid laundry detergents, Pacs, and Purex® Crystals™. Purex® products will keep your clothes smelling fresh in a variety of scents while keeping them looking brand new.

We understand that life gets messy and want to make laundry as easy as possible for you. With quality & value continuing to be at the core of our product development, we continue to create highly effective laundry detergent & supplies. We tested some of the toughest stains to keep your clothing looking brand new. View our Stain Lab for our best recommendations to get life's toughest stains out of your clothing.