How to Easily Remove Melted Crayon from Clothes

It's something every mom fears because we know at some point it is going to happen to us. There's no avoiding it. You're doing laundry, load after load. You're feeling good, the end to this laundry madness is in sight. Then you open the dryer and see crayon all over the inside. The huge load of kid clothes you just washed is now polka dotted and striped in the shade of whatever crayon your child snuck into a pocket and you missed when sorting. The crayon isn't just chunks, it's melted in.

This was my weekend laundry fiasco when M2 stuffed a red and a yellow crayon into the pocket of a pair of pants. I hadn't ever even realized those tiny pockets were real, I thought they were decoration! The entire large load of her new fall and winter clothes, towels and blankets looked like McDonald's had thrown up all over them. I was freaking out. M2's must-have-or-she-screams blankets were casualties as well. There's no way we could afford to replace everything.

Don't miss the giveaway at the end of the post!

Removing the Stains from the Clothes
I read a whole bunch of suggestions online. None looked like ones I wanted to try. Hand washing the ENTIRE load in dish soap? Making an odd combination of cleaning products into a weird paste and smushing it in ALL the clothes? Dousing the stains in WD40?! Yeah, it sounded like I'd be going from one disastrous mess to another. Then I remembered I had gotten a new stain remover spray -- ESPRO Sports Cleaner. A whole unopened bottle starred back at me, beckoning me to give it a try. It's meant to be a sports cleaner, but works on other stains as well, from from mud, clay, and grease to blood stains, pet stains and baby stains. Even better, it works on any fabric -- even carpet, leather, car interiors and upholstery -- so I wouldn't have to worry about it messing up any of the stained items further. ESPRO is environmentally friendly, doesn't have harsh chemical, petroleum, butyl, phosphates, bleach, isn't chlorinated and doesn't have any other ozone depleting solvents. There's no worry about using it around kids or pets. Perfect for my crayon mess that was on clothes M2 would then be wearing. It removes odors as well.

I took the chance and sprayed down the whole load of clothes. There were a few pieces I didn't get to because I had to use the whole bottle there were so many stains. I sprayed each stain liberally (as the bottle instructs). It also said to use the nozzle or a soft brush to rub it in, but with that many stains it took me an hour to spray everything. I cheated and skipped the rubbing part. Just spraying everything down, I was already seeing the stains loosening and fading. There was hope!

With the spraying done, I let the ESPRO soak in for an hour. The bottle says to soak for a few minutes before washing, longer for worse stains. The ESPRO stain remover got onto other clothes I hadn't been able to spray. Next, I put it all in the washer on the highest water temperature setting for the longest amount of time on the heaviest wash cycle. I then said a prayer and crossed my fingers.

The crayon is already starting to come off just by spraying!

The Results
When the washer finished, I was afraid to look. I finally bit the bullet and checked the wash. I was AMAZED. All the stains were gone. Even on pieces I hadn't gotten to and the ESPRO sport cleaner had just soaked into from others were clean. You'd never know that everything had been coated in crayon! Even the pants that were Ground Zero and the absolute worst looked like new again. The stains came out of the white towels and shirts as well. (No, I don't sort things. Please don't judge me, my laundry-washing feelings were hurt enough this week.)

ESPRO sports cleaner is going to be my go-to stain remover from now on. It saved me from having to try crazy cleaning remedies that would have caused a huge mess and from having to replace all M2's towels and new clothes. I can't wait to try it on other stains, especially ones we have on the carpet. You can find out more about ESPRO and order products on their website. Connect with them on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Cleaning the Dryer
Next week, I'll share with you how I got all the crayon off the inside of the dryer! It was a quick fix that I hadn't seen suggested anywhere online, even though it's easier than the ideas I saw!

This post is sponsored by ESPRO Sports Cleaner. Experiences may vary.





Affiliate Links

How to Easily Remove Melted Crayon from Clothes

It's something every mom fears because we know at some point it is going to happen to us. There's no avoiding it. You're doing laundry, load after load. You're feeling good, the end to this laundry madness is in sight. Then you open the dryer and see crayon all over the inside. The huge load of kid clothes you just washed is now polka dotted and striped in the shade of whatever crayon your child snuck into a pocket and you missed when sorting. The crayon isn't just chunks, it's melted in.

This was my weekend laundry fiasco when M2 stuffed a red and a yellow crayon into the pocket of a pair of pants. I hadn't ever even realized those tiny pockets were real, I thought they were decoration! The entire large load of her new fall and winter clothes, towels and blankets looked like McDonald's had thrown up all over them. I was freaking out. M2's must-have-or-she-screams blankets were casualties as well. There's no way we could afford to replace everything.

Don't miss the giveaway at the end of the post!

Removing the Stains from the Clothes
I read a whole bunch of suggestions online. None looked like ones I wanted to try. Hand washing the ENTIRE load in dish soap? Making an odd combination of cleaning products into a weird paste and smushing it in ALL the clothes? Dousing the stains in WD40?! Yeah, it sounded like I'd be going from one disastrous mess to another. Then I remembered I had gotten a new stain remover spray -- ESPRO Sports Cleaner. A whole unopened bottle starred back at me, beckoning me to give it a try. It's meant to be a sports cleaner, but works on other stains as well, from from mud, clay, and grease to blood stains, pet stains and baby stains. Even better, it works on any fabric -- even carpet, leather, car interiors and upholstery -- so I wouldn't have to worry about it messing up any of the stained items further. ESPRO is environmentally friendly, doesn't have harsh chemical, petroleum, butyl, phosphates, bleach, isn't chlorinated and doesn't have any other ozone depleting solvents. There's no worry about using it around kids or pets. Perfect for my crayon mess that was on clothes M2 would then be wearing. It removes odors as well.

I took the chance and sprayed down the whole load of clothes. There were a few pieces I didn't get to because I had to use the whole bottle there were so many stains. I sprayed each stain liberally (as the bottle instructs). It also said to use the nozzle or a soft brush to rub it in, but with that many stains it took me an hour to spray everything. I cheated and skipped the rubbing part. Just spraying everything down, I was already seeing the stains loosening and fading. There was hope!

With the spraying done, I let the ESPRO soak in for an hour. The bottle says to soak for a few minutes before washing, longer for worse stains. The ESPRO stain remover got onto other clothes I hadn't been able to spray. Next, I put it all in the washer on the highest water temperature setting for the longest amount of time on the heaviest wash cycle. I then said a prayer and crossed my fingers.

The crayon is already starting to come off just by spraying!

The Results
When the washer finished, I was afraid to look. I finally bit the bullet and checked the wash. I was AMAZED. All the stains were gone. Even on pieces I hadn't gotten to and the ESPRO sport cleaner had just soaked into from others were clean. You'd never know that everything had been coated in crayon! Even the pants that were Ground Zero and the absolute worst looked like new again. The stains came out of the white towels and shirts as well. (No, I don't sort things. Please don't judge me, my laundry-washing feelings were hurt enough this week.)

ESPRO sports cleaner is going to be my go-to stain remover from now on. It saved me from having to try crazy cleaning remedies that would have caused a huge mess and from having to replace all M2's towels and new clothes. I can't wait to try it on other stains, especially ones we have on the carpet. So you can try out ESPRO, too, the folks over there have been nice enough to offer readers a $10 discount on their special deluxe package. Click here and enter the promo code ESPRO4 to get the discount. The package includes a 64 oz. bottle, two microfiber towels, stain wipes and a 32 oz. spray bottle. Even better, one lucky winner is going to get the deluxe package. Simply enter below for your chance to win. The giveaway ends at midnight. EST, next Wednesday (October 28). Enter now so you don't miss out! You can find out more about ESPRO and order products on their website. Connect with them on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Cleaning the Dryer
Next week, I'll share with you how I got all the crayon off the inside of the dryer! It was a quick fix that I hadn't seen suggested anywhere online, even though it's easier than the ideas I saw!

This post is sponsored by ESPRO Sports Cleaner. Experiences may vary.





Affiliate Links

Product Review: Dyson Animal D65 Vacuum

This review is longer than usual in order to cover all the aspects you consider when buying a vacuum.Especially a high-end one.

Rating Out of 10

Overall: 9

Features: 9

Suction: 9

Ease-of-use overall: 9

Tools: 9

Value: 8

Ease-of-use on carpet/stairs: 9

On hard floors/furniture: 8.5

Debris container, emptying and capacity: 9

It begins

For the past four years, we've had a Hoover pet vacuum. I hated it from the start. It was too heavy and unwieldy, made horrid creaking noises, and I couldn't use it without wanting to throw it out the window. A liked it so I told him if we kept it, he had to be the one to use it. We were both working outside the home and splitting chores so it wasn't a problem at the time.

Breaking up with Hoover

The problem came when we had M2 and I became a stay-at-home mom. More of the chores were on me. The house really needed more than the once-a-week vacuum we'd done previously with people home more and a kid in the mix. The stupid Hoover had me swearing and cursing it out every time I used it. It also beat up our woodwork any time it got anywhere near the edge. Recently, the stupid thing didn't really even clean the carpets any more. My allergies were going nuts.

The new vacuum hunt

I finally had enough of that crap. And so the hunt began. The prey: A vacuum that didn't leave me feeling like I'd lugged around a baby elephant and angry as tiger with a stubbed toe every time I used it. Importantly, it had to actually CLEAN. Even spending more money to achieve this was worth it if those requirements were met.

 Dyson vs. Shark

 I looked at the Dyson and Shark brands online and in store. Both were household-name brands. Both came highly recommended by friends and family. I tested out the Shark in a store and it seemed to be more cheaply made and not as easy to use. Just taking off the hose had the thing crashing to the ground and it wasn't easy to move.

Dyson's animal magnetism

Enter the Dyson Animal D65. With three cats, something for pets is important. It comes with a handy turbine tool, which is basically a mini vacuum, to help get cat fur up. It's also handy for getting to hard-to-reach places. That was a major selling point.

Manoeuvrability

Hose fitted into handle

This thing is very easy to move around the house. The ball is pure genius. It swivels and turns with little effort on carpet. It does take a bit more effort on hard floors with the brush turned off, but is still better than a traditional machine. The cord is long. I don't have to keep unplugging it and going to another outlet. It takes a few tries to figure out how to get it to stand back up as it's not the norm, but I got used to it fast. I can even go over area rugs without them being sucked up as the vacuum adjusts based on surface height automatically. The rugs also get clean, really clean.

Hose

The hose is long, comes off the vacuum easily, and stretches without the whole thing falling over. Tools snap on and lock into place so they don't pop off during use. When you're done, there's a nifty button to pop them right back off. The solid plastic part of the hose, that connects to the tools, slides right into the handle of the vacuum. As soon as you have the vacuum in the up-right position, the hose turns on. The suction is just as good with the hose as when used upright. There's no need to push buttons or move bits around. The hose is rather stiff and not all the tools have a spot on the vacuum. Neither is a deal breaker for me.

Soft dusting brush tool

Turbine tool

Tools

In addition to the turbine tool, there is a crevice tool that has a pull-out part to add a soft brush and a soft dusting brush. The crevice tool is pretty standard, the pull-out brush is just ok. The dusting brush is great. It's better that a regular duster on certain surface. I use it on flat surfaces, like tables and woodwork, and fans. It won't work on knick knacks, but I didn't expect it to. You can buy a stiff bristle brush and other tools separately. I'm not interested in any but that brush. I just don't think they're needed, it works well without them. The brush I'm going to buy to help get out the junk M2 grinds into the carpet and furniture. Doing stairs is also easy with this machine. We use the turbine tool for that.

Other features

Power and brush buttons are found in a convenient spot together on the front. One annoying thing is that the cord doesn't retract. As A commented, with something this expensive you'd expect that feature. Yet, there's really no way for that to happen as it's compact. Being compact allows it to be lighter (I lift it no problem at all) and to fit into smaller spaces for storage.

Capacity

Despite being compact, it holds a ton of dirt and debris. It also sucks. Really sucks. The good kind of vacuum suck. I can go a few days without vacuuming and not have my allergies act up because there's not a layer of dirt that didn't come up sitting below the new dirt. To empty the bin, you just hit the button at the top of the canister, shake it into the trash, pop it back closed and stick it back on the vacuum. No screwing around or touching it and getting your hands dirty.

Spare Parts
While I haven't had to do it myself, you can order parts for the vacuum and replace them yourself should something wear out or break. I have had family members do that with their 10-year-old machines. It was an added bonus for me as usually when something breaks, the vacuum is junk. Either you can't get the part or can't fix it yourself so it's not worth it. 

Recommendation

We've had the Dyson Animal D65 a few weeks now and I love it. It works great and is easy to use. Yes, it's pricey but it's worth it. I fully recommend it to anyone looking for a good vacuum. We'll see how it holds up over time. As many family members have had one for years, I've got lots of hope on that.


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Product Review: Seventh Generation Dish Soap

I don't know about you, but I am tired of using dish soap that doesn't cut grease, smells bad, costs a fortune (and still doesn't work), leaves an icky film on hands and dishes, and/or takes a ton to clean anything. That's why I decided to try some new dish soaps, like the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day one I reviewed here and now Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid in free & clear. You can get it on Amazon for a good price in 25 oz. bottle packs of 1, 2, or 6. There is even a 50 oz. bottle.

Rating Out of 10

Overall: 10

Scent: 10

Gentle on Hands: 10

Cleaning Power: 10

Cost: 9

To sum things up quickly, this soap is awesome. It is scent and dye free, hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly. This one 25 fl. oz. bottle has lasted us three months and is still going. I just refilled the soap dispenser today and there is STILL about half a dispenser left. You only need a tiny amount to wash your hands or dishes. Any more, and you end up with way too many bubbles. You just don't need much. That tiny bit cuts through grease and smells easily leaving dishes nice and clean with little effort. It even rinses off quickly without leaving a film.

I love how gentle it is on my hands. There is no need for a separate hand soap in the kitchen. My hands don't get dried out at all. Nor do they feel slimy or sticky after. This isn't one of those soaps that claim to have no scent then smell icky, it really has no scent at all (and this is coming from a pregnant lady with a sensitive nose). Let me tell ya, when dish soap smells were driving me nuts in the first trimester, this was a lifesaver.

We end up saving time washing pots, pans and dishes (everything that can't go in or doesn't fit in the dishwasher) since the soap works so well.

It costs a bit more than cheap brand. As A pointed out, it's worth it since it lasts so long. He is a big fan of this soap as well. We've tried the cheaper soaps, like Ajax, and have to use a ton to clean anything. Thus, Seventh Generation actually saves us money. I'd still like it even more if it cost less, though. I haven't tried any of the scented versions of this soap because I honestly don't think it's needed. The free and clear is awesome.

Seriously, I can't say enough good things about the Seventh Generation dish soap. There is literally not one negative thing I can think of to say about it. I wholeheartedly suggest you try it for yourself.
This post contains affiliate links.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day

Time to get cleaning.

I'm reviewing the products above today, just in time for spring cleaning. From left to right, there is the lemon verbena hand soap, lavender dish soap and geranium countertop spray. All are touted as being environmentally friendly and safer for you, along with being made with essential oils and free of chlorine, fake colors, parabens, phthalates, glycol solvents, animal-derived ingredients and formaldehyde. Because it is biodegradable, these would be great for those readers with septic systems.

The Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day website gives you more information about each product, what's available, and, best of all, breaks down all the ingredients to tell you what they are and what they do. That's a wonderful feature many companies don't do. The site itself is easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye.

The line comes in many different scents and offers other products. You can find them on Amazon and in some stores. I love how the packaging has a 50s-housewife-feel, while being modern. It's very fun and upbeat and the colors are perfect.

Hand Soap

Ratings (out of 10)

Overall: 7

Scent: 7

Gentle on Hands: 6

Cleaning Power: 7

Cost: 4

In our house, we usually keep regular dish soap in a dispenser at the kitchen sink as a multi-purpose soap. The Mrs. Meyer's hand soap is much easier on my hands for sure. It's taken up residence next to the dish soap. A little bit goes a long way, there's no need to use a giant squirt unless your hands are really, really dirty. However, it is nice. The lemon verbena scent is nice and leaves your hands smelling pretty for awhile. I'm usually not a fan of lemony scents, so that's saying something! Even A has been using this instead of the dish soap. I don't think it's a ton better than other hand soaps, maybe a touch.

What sets this soap apart is the cruelty-free and biodegradable qualities. The soap is clear because it's free of all those fake dyes. In fact, all the products I tested are. I really liked that about them.

This bottle made from 25 percent post-consumer plastic. All the ingredients I can't even pronounce listed on the bottle do worry me, but the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day website does the breakdown of each ingredient and what it does on the website to give you peace of mind. One bottle is much more expensive than Softsoap or the store brand equivalent. You can also get some fancy soaps for around this price.

Final review: It's a solid product. If you really like it and have the extra money to spend, I'd say go for it. We don't, so I'll be sticking to cheaper brands.

Countertop Spray

Ratings (out of 10)

Overall: 8

Scent: 9

Gentle on Hands: 8

Cleaning Power: 8

Cost: 5

The counter top spray one was my favorite of the three. I tried the geranium scent and it smells so good for hours after use. It definitely freshens the air as it claims. My countertops are left sparkling clean and any gunk was easy to get off. It is not a disinfecting spray, by the way. Like the hand soap, 25 percent of the container is post-consumer plastic. I haven't tried this in the bathroom but imagine it'd work well on counters there, too.

The bottle says the product is 98 percent plant derived, which is a big environmental plus. Again, the list of ingredients make me a bit leery, but there is a breakdown on the Mrs. Meyer's website for this one as well. The bottle is running out rather quickly, but I also tend to spray a lot to be sure I'm getting everything clean. You could probably use less and be fine.

Final review: This is a great product! While I really like it and it works great, I don't think I'll be a regular customer since my usual vinegar wash works almost as well, disinfects and is cheaper--mainly, because it's cheaper. Though, the vinegar doesn't smell nearly as good! The best part of the cleaner is really having the geranium scent for hours so your house smells like fresh flowers. If we had the extra cash, this would go on my shopping list. I was going to give this one a 9 (it's hard to get a 10 from me!) what brought it down was the price. If you have the money to splurge or hate vinegar, I'd say go for it.


Dish Soap

Ratings (out of 10)

Overall: 4

Scent: 3

Cleaning Power: 3

Gentle on Hands: 6

Cost: 3

The dish soap was my least favorite, by far. The first thing I noticed was that while the soap does have those essential oils, it still has sodium laureth sulfate--basically an inexpensive cleaning agent added to many soaps, shampoos, etc. It's also an ingredient I expect "healthier" brands to not have. A bit of disappointment from the start. This bottle is also only 25 percent post-consumer plastic, though that's still much more than many companies can say.

The soap cuts grease well but I found I had to use more soap than I'd expected for a more upscale product. The bubbles just weren't as plentiful as I'd like, especially for the price.

I'm a big fan of lavender, it's one of my favorite scents, but this soap is STRONG. After using it for a bit it started making me sick to my stomach and I had to switch to another. That may not bother someone else, but it bugged me. The upside of the strong smell is that all those plastic sippy cups, bibs, etc., that smell manky over time lost the mank once I soaked them with water and this soap in the sink for awhile. Not even baking soda got it all.

The biggest drawback and what cinched this as a "will not buy" for me was that it leaves a scent on all the dishes. Yes, it gets rid of the manky smell, but they're going to smell like lavender for sure. It does seem to fade eventually. That still doesn't sit well with me though, especially when using this on baby items.

Final review: An ok product. There are worse products, but there are also much better. I'll be using up the bottle and that's it. This one is not going to find its way onto my shopping list, even when we do win the lottery. I'm hoping they reformulate and improve this soap because it just isn't in line with the other products which tested much more solidly. This one's really the black sheep. For now, a skip it for sure.

This post contains affiliate links.

The Star of Multi-Purpose Cleaners

I don't know about you, but I've spent years looking for a cleaning product for the kitchen and bathrooms that truly works. One that doesn't smell horrible, doesn't cost a fortune and actually cleans is dang near impossible to find.

With our budget, those handy little one-time-use Lysol and Clorox wipes became impractical. Especially when it takes a whole bunch of them to clean anything and they don't even clean that wonderfully. Multi-purpose sprays came with a host of issues from the smell to not working at all. I hate bleach since the smell gives me a horrible headache and makes me sick to my stomach. It's also not safe around kids. There are plenty of natural products on the market but they tend to cost an arm and a leg while not always working the best. Nothing I tried even began to touch hard water stains on the sinks, toilets, counters or faucets, no matter how hard I scrubbed or what tools I used.

I had sadly resigned myself to Lysol until, one day, I could take it no more. I was totally fed up with the scent not coming out of the rags unless I washed them repeatedly with an insane amount of scented detergent. Many washings and lots of soap negated saving money by using rags. Plus, all the soap left the rags hard and icky (and still smelling a bit like Lysol). I was tired of smelling it all over the house, having M2 breathe it and it burning my hands.

As I stared at my hard-water stained sink with despair, a light popped on in my Lysol-smell-filled brain. A glimmer of hope existed. I'd been leery of trying it for years, fearing it was so simple it would never work. K had suggested it herself, extolling its virtues, a few weeks before as I told her of my Lysol woes. Finally, at my wits end, I pulled out the white vinegar from under the sink. It seemed to glow, like a be-decked Christmas tree. Angels sung from above. With one use of that vinegar on my kitchen sink, I discovered the most wonderful, cheap, effective and safe cleaning product I'd even laid my desperate-for-clean eyes on--white vinegar. Yes, folks, plain, simple white vinegar diluted with water.

After the kitchen, I quickly scampered into the bathroom to test it there. Lo and behold--my kitchen and bathroom sparkle. All the hard water stains disappeared with minimal effort. The rags came clean on the first wash leaving no nasty residual smell. The toilets gleam and lost their rings. My hands don't sting or burn. Everything is disinfected. No nasty, harmful fumes hang about. It is AMAZING! And cheaper!

Simply keep a large jug of white vinegar ($2.50 or less a bottle) on hand along with a spray bottle. Mix a 50/50 solution in the bottle and clean away. It works in the kitchen, bathrooms, outside on patio furniture--anywhere. If you want the vinegar smell to go away faster, dry surfaces with an old towel after cleaning. I don't know how I ever lived without it. You've got to try it. Seriously.