Art Up Dates  

Dear Parents,

From now until the end of school, we will be using paint, oil pastel, chalk, and glue in the art room almost every day your child has art.  I have some aprons in the art room for the students to wear to protect their clothing, however, if you would like for your child to have his/her own smock or extra shirt you may send one with your child on the day they have art.  Be sure to write your child's name on it.  Below I have given you some suggestions for how to remove stains from different types of medium that we use in the art room.  Official school uniforms are heavily coated with protective finishes and should not be hard to clean. 

Chalk Stains

Shake the clothing outdoors to remove as much of the chalk as possible.   If the chalk stain still remains, lay the clothing on a clean white towel and blot with rubbing alcohol.  Rinse thoroughly.  Rub liquid laundry detergent into the stain and wash according to the directions of the label.

Water-based Glues and Adhesives   Use a spoon to remove as much of the excess stain as you can.  Rub petroleum jelly directly into the stain.  Gently rub and remove the glue pieces from the fabric.  To remove the petroleum jelly, rub dishwashing liquid into the stained area and rinse thoroughly in warm water.  Continue repeating and removing the glue until no more remains.  Wash in the hottest water that the clothing can safely tolerate.

Oil Pastel Stains  Set them outside if it’s sunny and sprinkle salt on the stain, quite liberally if it’s a set stain.  Don't rub it, don't scrub it. let the salt sit for about a day...and if it's the same type of stain my pastels leave, the salt should absorb the oil along with the color.  Or…..To remove oil based paint from clothing, mineral spirits should remove the paint from most fabrics. Rub the stain with a clean white cloth dipped in mineral spirits until the paint is removed. Launder as usual. Do not use mineral spirits on delicate fabrics such as rayon or acetate.

Tempera Paint  Spray with hair spray or alcohol then launder as usual.

Latex/Acrylic Paint   Soak with alcohol then rub lightly with a toothbrush.  Launder as usual.

Thank you very much for your support.    –Ms. Nelson (Art Teacher)