How to get crayon off walls (and still love your kids)

Give your kids all the colouring books, doodle boards and scrap paper you like, but there’s nothing quite like the fresh canvas that is your living room wall. Or their bedroom wall.  Or the kitchen wall, bathroom wall… any wall will do!  

They just love scribbling their latest masterpiece exactly where you wish they wouldn’t. That’s something every parent learns pretty early on. But how to get crayon off walls? Not necessarily quite as instinctive as them creating it. But love is stronger than the living room wall scribbles, and as a parent you learn a whole host of tricks as your kids develop, and now you’ll be able to add knowing the best way to get crayon off the wall to that list.  

How to get crayon off wall with a go-to method 

Find a method that removes the marks successfully and you can keep your cool the next time you spot their latest Banksy impression. If you catch them in the act and think there’s no point trying to get the crayon off wall until they’ve fully let their artistic juices flow, maybe give them a little nudge to finish it off on paper (good luck with that!). Anyway, here’s how to remove crayon from wall surfaces. 

How to remove crayon from wall surfaces – what you need 

The key to getting rid of their waxy mess – sorry, masterpiece – is using the right equipment and cleaning solutions to get crayon off wall. Once you’ve got that sorted you’ll be well on your way, both this time and the next time they decide that paper is not quite cutting it as a medium for their work. Get crayon off a wall with the following: 

• White vinegar
• Soapy water
• Mayonnaise (leftfield, sure, but worth a go) 
• Kitchen towel 
• Toothbrush 
• A scraper – something plastic is best 

How to get crayon off wall surfaces – step-by-step guide 

Supplies gathered, so now onto how to remove crayon from walls. There are a number of methods people swear by as the best way to get crayon off the wall. We’ve included them all, so you can give one, two or all three a try.  

Just remember to do a patch test whenever you use a new cleaning solution. Down low, up high, in an inconspicuous corner. Just use a little cleaning solution and test it on a tiny area to see how the wallpaper or paint reacts before carrying on.

Then follow this step-by-step guide for getting crayon off wall surfaces, and the little ones will soon have a fresh canvas to start plotting future creations on: 

1. Take it slow. You may well be a little steamed up on the inside, and that’s to be expected. But a deep breath will help your calm levels (on the outside, at least), and taking your time will be worth it in the long run. 
2. Gently scrape off the clumpiest bits of crayon. Unless they’re the blended watercolour type, the chances are the crayon lines are pretty thick, so it’s quickest to pick off the biggest chunks if you can. 
3. Try soap and water first. Often, and if you act quickly enough, that’s all you need. Dip some kitchen towel in soapy water and get to work scrubbing at the crayon. 
4. Next up, try a bit of white vinegar. Try dipping an old, clean toothbrush in vinegar and scrub away. The properties of vinegar can be great for breaking down the waxy residue. A final wipe with kitchen towel should complete the job. 
5. Then turn to mayonnaise. Need something else to try? The kids have been creative, so now it’s your turn. Mayo. Smear it onto the crayon marks and leave for 15 minutes. That’s plenty long enough for you to take photos of the newly improved abstract masterpiece. Wipe off and it may well have performed a mayonnaise miracle – disappeared the ‘drawing’. Don’t panic though… you’ve got those photos for the memories. 

And there you have it, a choice of simple methods for how to remove crayon marks from the canvas wall. We mean wall. The next time your toddler feels the urge and it’s too late to stop them, you can remove the art as if it was never there. Then you can continue marvelling at the fabulousness of their ‘creative development’ throughout the early years – love them, love their art!