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Cleaning Common Crafting Messes

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Cleaning Common Crafting Messes

Inevitably, there will be those times when all your best efforts will fail and someone will create a mess that needs special attention.

If you're armed with the right tools and the know-how, these mishaps can be taken in stride. It reminds me of the advertisement a few years back for the spray carpet cleaner where the kid spills grape juice on his mom's white carpet and she smiles, completely relaxed, and says "No problem." Well, I'm not sure it's quite that easy, but having a few dirt-killing weapons in your home arsenal, plus knowing what to use when, sure can give you a greater sense of confidence AND perhaps lengthen your fuse when it comes to the accidents created by other crafters in the family.

First, let's take a look at some of the most common crafting messes. Then we can talk about how to remove them.

The materials you'll most likely have to pick up, wipe up, scrape off, or get out of fabric or carpet are:

• Paper, wood, metal, or glass scraps
• Fabric and thread scraps
• Glue
• Paint
• Marker
• Ink
• Crayon
• Colored pencil
• Dye
• Wood and other dust

Immediately you can see why the vinyl flooring suggested in Choosing Your Crafting Space would be easier to clean than carpet, especially when it comes to just picking up various scraps and dust. Materials like glue, paint, or marker create soil or a stain, however, on most any surface, and need to be removed.

The secret to removal of any kind of spill or stain is to get it when it's fresh, so act quickly. The longer the stain has had to penetrate or dry, the harder it will be to get off. (Just one more argument for having cleaning supplies nearby or toting your cleaning caddy to wherever you're crafting.) You'll want to remove as much as you can, as fast as you can, then apply the right cleaning agent and get up the rest.

But what if you don't see a stain right away and it has time to penetrate, dry, or harden? Fear not. Chances are there's a way to get it out.

These are the five steps to removing any kind of soil or stain:

1. Identify. You'll need to know what the stain is, and how long it's been there.

2. Remove. Get up whatever you can by blotting the stain with a dry, white absorbent cloth or white paper towels. Don't scrub! If the staining material is a semi-solid, scrape up what you can with a spoon or a spatula. If it's a solid, break it up if you can and vacuum up whatever's loose.

3. Apply. Put the right cleaning agent to work on the stain. The right one may be something as simple as water or as powerful as an industrial cleaner or solvent. Generally, you'll want to use the gentlest cleanser you can to do the job. Not sure which one to use? I'll give you some resources a little later to help you find the right one.

4. Wait. Give the cleaner time to work. It'll give you more of what you paid for and save you some elbow grease. If the stain is on a hard surface, you may need to rub the cleaner in a bit. If the stain is in carpet, don't scrub or rub it in.

5. Remove. You want to get up both the dirt and the cleaner. This may mean blotting, wiping, flushing, rinsing, or sucking it up with an extractor or vacuum. You'll want to get all the cleaning solution up as well, since leaving it in a surface like carpet may mean the area will get dirty again more quickly.

Remember, you may have to repeat these steps several times before the stain actually comes out. Be patient and keep doing it as long as you're getting some results.

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Stain Kit

It's a good idea to put together your own spot removal kit and have it handy when you are crafting. A plastic container or caddy is good for this. I have mine, along with my stain removal manual, in the laundry room cabinet. Be aware that there's no one stain remover that will work on every kind of stain, so you'll want to have a variety of things on hand. Here's what I have in mine:

• Acetone
• Ammonia
• Baking soda
• Bleach
• Fels-Naptha soap (a heavy duty laundry bar soap ideal for prewash spot treatments, made by the Dial Corp.)
• Dawn dishwashing detergent (this works especially well on grease or oil stains)
• A toothbrush
• Clean cloths
• Dry-cleaning solution/spot remover
• Enzyme solution (there are several on the market; I buy mine at a janitorial supply store)
• Stain stick
• Biz pre-soak
• Zud rust remover
• Sponges
• Turpentine
• White vinegar
• Rit color remover

If you're handling certain types of crafts materials on a regular basis and know there's a particular solvent or other substance you need to remove any stains, keep some on hand in your crafts area.

Hopefully, if you carefully plan the location and design of your crafts area, and if you take preventative measures before you craft, you'll have very little use for your stain removal arsenal, but it's good to know it's there-just in case.

What's Your Stain?

Crafty Clues

Remember to always test any stain removal method on an inconspicuous place, or better yet, on a sample of the fabric or surface. That's why it's a great idea to keep scraps of drapery or upholstery fabric, extra tile or pieces of flooring, and carpet remnants.

Safety Signals

When cleaning up hazardous materials like paint removers and solvent, use old newspaper and put outdoors where the liquid will evaporate more quickly. Dispose of the papers in a metal container with a secure lid. Contact your local sanitation department or waste disposal contractor for information on disposing of hazardous materials.

I've listed a few key stains that might commonly come up when you craft:

• Glues. Some glues dissolve in water or can simply be peeled off (like rubber cement). Epoxies and resins are more difficult to remove. Look on the label for instructions on which solvent to use. Sometimes hardening the glue with ice first (or putting the stained material in the freezer, if it's clothing, for example) will make it easier to peel or scrape the glue off.

• Paint. You'll first need to know if the paint is oil-based or latex. The label may tell you the procedure to get stains out, so read it carefully. Your cleaning method will also depend on whether the paint is still wet or has dried. If oil-based and wet, flush the stain with mineral spirits. If latex and wet, flush the stain with a detergent solution. If dry, first soften the stain with lacquer thinner or paint stripper, then use the appropriate solvent.

• Ball-point ink. Sponge it first with a detergent solution and rinse. Saturate with cheap hair spray and blot. Try (in this order) alcohol, acetone or non-oily nail polish remover, and fabric-safe bleach. I've also found that soaking ink-stained fabric in skim milk can take the stain out of some fabrics.

• Oil. Sprinkle cornmeal or fuller's earth (available from your local pharmacy) to absorb the oil first, then sponge the stain with dry-cleaning fluid. If the stain isn't completely gone, sponge it with a detergent solution and then rinse.

• Crayon or candle wax. Scrape off as much as you can with a scraper or knife first. First try freezing or putting ice on the stain to help harden it and make it easier to take off. If that doesn't work, put a clean white cloth (a cloth diaper works well) over the area and iron it with a warm iron. This will melt the wax and force it into the cloth. If that doesn't take everything out, repeat the procedure and then finish up with some dry-cleaning fluid.

Remember: it's always a good idea to do your crafting projects in the same place each time. That way, a little mess now and then won't be so stressful, nor will it cover the whole house. Get help with deciding on the best location for your crafting in Choosing Your Crafting Space.