Scribbles Off the Walls


Most of us have been here…kids and their scribbles on the walls. This great big artist’s canvas called walls becomes just too much of a temptation for the budding artist in our children. So what do we do?

Teresa Hunsaker from the USU Extension office shares ways to get scribbles off the walls.


While it does depend on the surface finish of the wall, many of these solutions will work on at least some of the wall surfaces. We picked three common scribbles to address today. Before you actually tackle the scribble, a small inconspicuous area of the wall for a test run on these remedies might be a good idea.

CRAYON
Toothpaste
Art gum eraser
Baking soda
Shaving cream
Goo Gone (or Goof Off)
WD-40 (or baby oil)

PERMANENT MARKERS (For most of these, use a small amount and rub gently with a soft cloth.)
Nail Polish Remover
Paint Thinner
Lighter Fluid
Hand Sanitizer
Goo Gone (or Goof Off)
Toothpaste

PENCIL/PEN
Art gum Eraser
Hand Sanitizer
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
Toothpaste

Part of the challenge in getting scribbles off walls, as was mentioned earlier, is that:

1. Each wall surface is “finished” differently. The type of paint (matt verses semi-gloss or gloss; latex verses oil based.), the quality of the paint, extra faux finishes—glazes, etc., wallpapers of all different types, textured walls, etc. This all makes a difference as to how readily scribbles will come off without damaging the finish.

2. The type of crayon, pen, marker, or pencil all contribute to the challenge…the chemicals used in the development of that particular marking utensil could be much different from the brand to brand.

3. You may not have caught the scribbles early on, and the length of time they are left to sit on the wall surface, just like stains in clothing, makes it more difficult to remove as time goes on.

If all else fails…sorry to say, prime and repaint is an option too.

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