We all know how much children love crafts, and, unfortunately, we all know how messy it can get. From glitter to paint to play dough, crafting can quickly go from fun and innocent to a mucky nightmare.
Thankfully, we’ve created this list of top tips on how to clean up crafting mess. From doodles on walls to splats of paint on the carpet, we’ve got you covered!
Our Top Tips on Cleaning Crafting Mess
When crafting gets messy, take a look at the following tips to get your home (and your child) back to looking the way they should.
Cleaning Food Colouring
Food colouring can cause havoc as it tends to stain everything it touches. Whether it’s your child’s hands or your kitchen countertop, it can be tricky to get the stains out.
If you’re experiencing food colouring stains on the skin, the best option is toothpaste. No, that’s not a mistake – toothpaste actually works! Just rub the toothpaste over the affected area to help remove food colouring stains from the hands and any other parts of the skin that may be stained.
When it comes to food colouring stains on countertops, simply soak up any excess with a paper towel and then scrub the area with a cloth or sponge dipped in white vinegar.
Cleaning Crayon Mess
We’ve all been there, you leave your child for 2 seconds, and they go from innocently sketching on paper to drawing all over the walls – but how do you get rid of crayon mess on the walls?
Luckily, there are several things that you can do:
- Scrub the wall with soapy, hot water
- Spray the wall with glass cleaner, leave it for a few minutes and then wipe it clean
- Heat the wax with a hairdryer and wipe it clean with a soapy cloth
- Mix baking soda with water and use this to scrub the area clean
Cleaning Acrylic Craft Paints
When dealing with acrylic paints, it’s best to tackle it while it’s still wet. Rinse the paint stain with water, rub some washing detergent into it, and then rinse it again. Then, spray the stain with some stain remover and put it in the washing machine. Repeat the above steps as needed until the stain is gone.
If the paint is dry, however, there is still hope. Soak the affected area with rubbing alcohol and then gently scratch at the paint with your fingernails. Once complete, put it in the washing machine, and fingers crossed, it’ll come out stain-free.
Cleaning Play Dough
Playdough is a lot of fun, but it can be a nightmare if it gets squashed into soft areas like the carpet. If this happens, allow the playdough to dry completely and then loosen it with a stiff brush. Once you have got most of the playdough up, vacuum the area to remove all of the loose debris. If any staining persists, use cold water and give it a good scrub. You should avoid cleaning products or hot water when it comes to playdough stains.
Cleaning Glitter
If you’re dealing with spilt glitter, your best option is to vacuum, vacuum, and vacuum again. However, the vacuum obviously isn’t the best option when dealing with glitter on your child’s hands and face.
To remove glitter from your child’s skin, rub some coconut oil onto the affected area and then rinse this off with soap and water. Afterwards, use a baby wipe to clean up any remaining oil and glitter from the skin.
Cleaning Permanent Marker Pens
Permanent marker may seem like the worst craft mess of all. However, it’s not the end of the world. Whether the marker has made its way onto your walls, your child’s clothes, their skin, or upholstery items like the couch, there is hope.
To get a permanent marker off the walls, use a whiteboard marker to erase the damage. Alternatively, you can try using rubbing alcohol, hand sanitiser gel, hairspray, or nail polish remover. Be careful in the process, though, as you may end up wiping some of the paint from the wall with it.
If a permanent marker has made its way onto clothes or skin, use a cloth or a sponge soaked in rubbing alcohol and scrub the marker away. Hand sanitiser can also work on the skin if rubbing alcohol isn’t available.
To get permanent marker off your upholstery items such as the couch, cushions, rug, or curtains, mix washing detergent with some water and white wine vinegar. Then, sponge the stain with the solution. Leave this solution on the stain for around an hour and then flush it with cold water and dab the area until the liquid is absorbed. Sponge the stain away with rubbing alcohol and then blot the area. Repeat this step until the stain is removed.
Cleaning Crafty Mess on Carpets and Upholstery
If you experience mess on your carpets or upholstery in the form of pens, paint, or anything else that may stain, your best option is usually a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners use steam to rapidly clean the area, loosen stains, and provide fast stain removal. The intense heat from steam cleaners means that they also sanitise the area at the same time and can remove up to 99.9% of bacteria from your carpets and upholstery. You can find some tips on choosing the best steam cleaner here.
As you can see, although craft mess can be extremely annoying and inconvenient, there are many ways that you can clean up after crafty disasters. We hope that this article helps you get out of some of those accidental crafty blunders.
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