Removing crayon: pick your surface

Crayon is a wax deposit, usually from a colouring session that wandered off the paper. The chemistry stays the same wherever it lands — but the safe way to treat it changes completely with the surface, which is why each pairing below has its own guide.

Not water-soluble

Water alone will not touch this stain; it needs an absorbent, surfactant or solvent stage.

Not heat-sensitive

Temperature is not the enemy with this one; the removal method itself does the work.

Fresh vs dried-in

Crayon is pigment-loaded wax, and unlike candle wax it usually arrives ground in rather than dripped on. Scrape the surface deposit cold, then use the paper-and-warmth trick to wick out the wax — the pigment left behind is more concentrated than candle dye and usually needs the alcohol stage.