How to save Carpet from Kids Paint

A....

My kids also love to paint and I just throw down a drop cloth. You can buy them at any lowes or home depot, they are made of some kind of sturdy fabric and can be washed. However if you dont want to spend any money...what about an old sheet you dont use/want anymore? I always buy the washable paint, just in case!!

K.

2 moms found this helpful

If you don't have a place that doesn't have carpet, I'd make sure to use washable paints, and put down plastic below her (like a garbage bag, or one of those mats that go under highchairs). I'd also make sure she does it at the table, so there is less chance of making a mess. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

We use painting tarp (clear plastic very cheep) cut to size in this house for painting, playdoh, water colors... It is a little bit of a hassle to have to lay it down on the floor every time she paints.. but well worth it. We just fold it up and reuse it!

1 mom found this helpful

If you have a great place maybe in the garage to set up a place to let her paint. I have the same problem at my home also. I have also put tons of towels on the floor under the table. Or maybe let her paint in the kitchen on the floor. It's much easier to clean up that way. Instead of using water color paints maybe shaving cream with some kind of food die in it that wouldn't stain if there is such food die like that.

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I have run an my-home daycare and preschool in carpeted areas, and I feel your pain! I have used a cheap shower curtain or paint drop cloth underneath the area. It is really larger than you need, which is a fine problem to have in my opinion! :) I also keep a package of baby wipes handy for the in-between clean-ups. This has worked for me! Blessings to you and yours! :)

Get a cheap plastic shower curtain and make it the paint cloth. Store it with her paint stuff. Get it out or have her get it out every time she paints.

I use plastic table covers that I buy from "Dollar store", the biggest size. I don't even wash them, when they get too dirty I would just pull out the next one.

Hi A.,

When my girls were little, I would cover the dining room table with newspaper then an old white flat sheet and let them paint on it. (The newspaper acted like a blotter). I also had Tri-Chem tube paint with hoop type blotters and taught all the girls plus the kids in the neighborhood how to use them and let them paint directly on the sheet.
Each child would have a section to paint on, about the size of a dinnerplate or placemat, then move to a clean section to paint another picture. (They usually painted one picture per setting). I kept using the sheet until there really wasn't anymore space left to paint. Kids have great imaginations and there are some really cute little pictures on it as well as areas where the younger kids had their little "Scribble" pictures.
They could still use other paints and books, but by using the sheet if they got paint on the sheet it wasn't a big deal. The tube paint is permanant where water colors may washout, but even so, they still had fun painting and wasn't getting it on the carpet and it was an easy way to keep their little pictures and I got a keepsake in the bargin.
I still have the "keepsake" sheet (25 years) and bring it out now and then to show the girls and sometimes use it for a Christmas tree skirt. It brings back a lot of memories for them.

I hope this helps, I know my girls had a lot of fun painting and this kept me from stressing on whether they made a mess or not.

Have fun,
I.

Is your kitchen carpeted? Mine does art in the kitchen so I can work and we can discuss what she's doing...and it's on the linoleum and near all the cleanup stuff.

When I was little I painted outside in good weather--better light, a breeze for faster drying, a view for more inspiration, and easier cleanup.

HI,

We go to Costco and get the large cardboard pieces that they use to put between items when they stack them. These are the most wonderful carpet savers. They work like a charm and when our daughter is not painting or doing playdoh on them they fit easily behind our couches.

D.

A.:
I think we've all been there with our kids art projects. I've used cheap trash bags (I cut them open) and laid them down where the kids are. Also, you can go a hardware store and buy the bigger sheets of plastic that painters use. Then you can just pick the up the mess and get it out of your house vs. cleaning the carpet all the time.

Good luck!

Well I have two thoughts. If your bathroom is not carpeted let her paint in the bathroom or perhaps in the tub. The second is if you have wall to wall carpet, go to the local Home Depot or Lowes and get a heavy grade plastic (used in construction as a moisture barrier) pull up the edge of the carpet from the tack strip, lay the plastic sheet over the edge and lay back down onto the tack strip and tap with a hammer. Continue this around all for corners, that should protect it unless she has something really sharp that would slice the plastic. This is very thick plastic so you can mop it or just spot clean with a rag and cleanser. Good luck.

Have a paint only place for her. It should be where you can see it when you do your daily chores, etc. Cover it with attractive picnic tablecloth fabric you can get at JoAnnes. Make it a large piece. The rule is she can only have a paint brush on the plastic.

There are also water paint color books that you can paint with just water and color appears.

In the summer your daughter can paint outside and in the winter she can paint in the garage.

There is finger painting.

hello

As a former preschool teacher, the best way that I know is to put down a plastic shower curtain linner on the floor around the area where she paints. You can even put down towels around the edges to absorb any spill that might run off the edge of the linner.

Does she have a small easle or table her size to work at? If not it is worth looking into and they are not too expensive. This also gives her a space to call her own and is good for preparing her for elementary school when she has home work to do.

Celebrate her creativity! They do not stay little for long and it is fun to watch the skills develope over time.

Have you tried finger painting with pudding or shaving cream. You cannot save the creation but most kids love the process and it is great for upper body development.

Hope this helps.

a friend said use an old shower curtin.. washes right off. i've been using newspaper, but now that you jogged my memory, i'll pull out a shower curtin!

JoAnn's sells clear plastic in the home decorator isle of various thicknesses. They are used to cover furniture and boating material so they don't rip. The great part about getting that is that it won't rip like cheap table clothes, is cheaper than fancy drop clothes, is clear so you can leave it under a play table without it looking awful, and you can get it a huge size. Wait until they have 40 or 50% off their home decorator fabrics to get it, or buy it with one of their 40% off coupons. It doesn't cost much and is perfect for protecting carpet. We also used the really thick plastic under my son's train table to protect the wood floors when the trains fell off (they were denting the floors).

My house is also all carpet. I took an old vinyl shower curtain and put it down under their art easel, or under the small table they often use. You can fold it to just about any size you need. It works great!

Buy some cheap shower curtain liners to lay on the floor

We went to Costco and bought one of the computer chair mats, the big heavy duty platic things. It wipes clean and stays put.

Hi,
Have you tried Crayolo's Wonder Product? It is wonderful! It lets them color, paint, markers, crayons everything and only works on color wonder paper!! I love them, because my 2 1/2 year old son loves to color... and likes to get it everywhere... and with color wonder, he can't:) Good luck!

They sell 9x9 tarps at Home Depot for about $9. I would put one of those down under a kid-sized table and let her go nuts!

Throw down a small tarp(canvas painters tarp) and let her paint away. It will last forever!! And won't tear! Good luck!

Hi:)
Try The Crayola Wonder Products They Are Wonderful! It Lets Them Color, Paint, Etc And It Only Works On Crayola Color Wonder Paper, So If She Goes Off The Paper, It Will Not Color Your Carpets Or Anything!! These Products Are A True Blessing LOL As My Goddaughter Loves To Paint And Color And Now I Don't Have To Worry About A Mess, Try Them Out And Let Us Know How It Works :) You Can Find Them At Any Store Usually Like Fred Meyer, Probably Toys R Us, Kmart, Wal Mart, Etc
hugs T.

Have you thought of a drop cloth or a cheaper version would be a cheap shower curtain liner? At least they are water colors so its easier clean up.

"Folex" from Fred Meyer is a miracle cleaner. Plain white bottle with brown letters. It has cleaned everything I've ever used it for, including engine grease from a brand new carpet.

Crayloa Wonder products! They work great!
Another tip, put her the bathtub or shower. Yes, you heard correctly. Tape of large pieces of paper on the shower or tub walls and let her watercolor to her hearts content. When she's done. All you need to do is rinse.

Easy, do what all mothers do. Put down an old sheet or some newspapers under the projects on the table as well as on the floor underneath her and spread them out. There are also cleaner that will take most of the kids non toxic paint off if a drip does escape by mistake. Water colors should come up easier than other paints too. I let my kids paint and read all the time. It's good for them versus video games and t.v.

I bought a couple of flocked-back vinyl tablecloths - the ones you'd use on a picnic table. They wipe clean (if you want to bother with wiping them down), and the flocking helps them "stick" to the carpet and not slide around. I just wad 'em up and stick 'em behind the sofa when we're not using them... or use them as picnic tablecloths in the summer!

Maybe you could set up a place in the garage..put a portable heater out there in the winter to keep her warm. Another idea is to buy a vinyl table cloth and put it down and create a little "craft station" explaining that is the only place we can paint.

Someone told me they would open the dishwashher and use the door as the table and then just close it and run the washer. No landfillswith tarps or anything. I havent tried it, but it sounds like a great idea.

I have two solutions to this challenge. Our daughter also loves painting and crafts (glue)... We purchased some of the floor protection "tape" that movers use - you can buy it at Home Depot and Lowe's. It is like very wide, thick, clear scotch tape. Each strip is about 2-2.5 ft wide and it comes on a roll. Just select your painting area, where her easel or craft table will be and cover the floor with this stuff. It is clear so it blends with surroundings. Plus you can just wipe it off, and replace it once in a while (although you probably won't need to very often). This stuff also works great if you have a patio door that opens onto carpet to help manage muddy or dirty shoes - it becomes a good landing and shoe removal zone that often looks better than a mat or small all-weather carpet.

The other idea is to purchase an outdoor carpet - they sell them at Home Depot, Lowe's etc. You can select your size and design and create her craft area using that as well. These carpets work well because you can either spray it off with a hose when your heart desires, or just let it be stained and get rid of it in the future.