Children against wallpaper: how to save the interior and even turn drawings into part of the decor

Kids often draw on the wallpaper. And there is nothing wrong with this: such experiments speak of their craving for creativity. But if you're worried about a new renovation, there are several ways to prevent artistic impulses or deal with their consequences as quickly and simply as possible.

How to prevent drawing on the walls

There are several ways - we talk about each in order.

Hide crayons, pens, markers away from children

It is worth keeping art supplies out of the child's reach. For example, on the top shelves or in closed cabinets to which he does not have access. When the kid wants to draw, he can do it only under the strict supervision of an adult.

And remember, this rule applies not only to him, but also to your office: you should not leave ballpoint pens or pencils in prominent places with which you mark something in the book. Always return them to the organizer.

Buy water-based markers

Markers are water and alcohol based. And if the traces of the first can be washed off with soapy water, then with the second everything is much more difficult. Therefore, when buying them, pay attention to the composition.

Create your own workspace for your child

Perhaps the drawings on the walls are the result of the fact that the baby simply has nowhere to be creative. Allocate a separate corner for him, where there will be all the necessary things: a table, a chair, paper, cardboard, crayons, felt-tip pens, pencils, plasticine, and more.

Gently explain to the child that you can draw only here and only on paper. Compare this art zone with your own office: “Look, now you have your own office, just like an adult! Do you know that adults only draw at the table and do not write anything on the walls?

Buy a drawing board

If the kid wants to be creative on the walls, you can offer him another option - paint on a whiteboard or chalkboard. In addition, it will not be superfluous in the future: when the child grows up, he will be able to write down important reminders on it or solve some problems.

By the way, some mothers use ordinary drawing paper instead of a board - they attach them to the wall with adhesive tape and invite the kids to draw without going beyond the borders of the canvas. You can also buy a roll of white wallpaper, fix it to the ceiling and gradually unwind it when there is no empty space left on the bottom.

Select a separate wall on which the child can draw

If your child's creative ego is so strong that he cannot be satisfied with a small strip of paper, go ahead and set aside an entire wall for drawing.

Many wallpaper a different color or hire an artist to paint a floor-to-ceiling landscape. So why not highlight a white accent wall for a young artist?

Buy wall coloring

While some kids want to express themselves violently with a brush, others have enough ordinary coloring books. For the latter, you can purchase special self-adhesive coloring posters that are easily attached to the walls.

As soon as the child completes one of these pictures, remove it and replace it with a new one. Young children will be interested in painting castles and spaceships, and for those who are older, you can offer, for example, an image of a map of the world.

Choose wallpapers that are easy to clean

If you are afraid that the child will still disobey and use the wallpaper as a canvas, make sure that it is easy to wash (or replace) them in advance. Consider the following options:

• The liquid wallpaper. They are easy to restore: you need to remove part of the surface with children's scribbles, and then apply a new mixture to this place, which, when dried, will not leave seams.
• Wallpaper for painting - this is a common name for different types of wallpaper that can withstand several stains. It is better to look at non-woven, vinyl or fiberglass options. The first and second can be painted 5-7 times, and the third - up to 20!
• Marker and chalk wallpaper - the most moisture resistant. You can remove drawings from them with a regular rag. Some manufacturers claim that such coatings can withstand up to 10,000 abrasion cycles. At the same time, they can be glued to any surface - wood, tile, concrete.

How to deal with the consequences

If it was not possible to secure the walls in advance, do not despair - there are several ways to fix everything.

Cover the spot with stickers or posters

The easiest option is to buy paintings or posterswith which you can cover your child's drawings.

If he only got to the bottom of the wallpaper, you can choose special wall stickers - for example, in the form of trees or animals, which will look organic, "standing" on the floor.

Try to erase the drawings

Depending on the wall covering and drawing tools, methods may vary. But here are some general tips that can help:

1. You can try to eliminate small spots with the hard side of the eraser. It will cope with traces of a pencil, pen, some felt-tip pens.
2. Ammonia is also great for removing streaks from a ballpoint pen or an alcohol marker. To do this, dilute 1 tbsp. l. substances in a glass of water and wipe the wall.
3. If the wallpaper is light, chlorine bleach will help. It is necessary to carefully apply the substance to the drawing and wait for it to discolor. With paper wallpaper, you should be careful: a caustic composition can be fatal for them.
4. If you have citric acid at your disposal, take 10 g of this substance, mix it with a glass of water, and then blot the ink strips with this liquid. An ordinary lemon is also suitable - just squeeze the juice out of it, and then proceed by analogy with the first option. In both cases, carefully spread the solution over stainuntil it fades.
5. For vinyl wallpaper, temperature exposure can be effective. Try putting a blank sheet of paper on the drawing and ironing it with a hot iron (without steam). Also, in this case, ordinary soap solution can cope with traces.
6. From traces of a ballpoint pen help get rid of a hard-boiled chicken egg. Cut it in half, remove the yolk and attach the cut to the pattern for 1-2 minutes. But remember that this method can only harm paper wallpaper!
7. 3 g of potassium permanganate mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar, apply to a clean cloth and attach to the "crime scene". After such contact, the drawing will leave the wall, leaving behind a dirty mark. You can get rid of it with peroxide. If the child used a water-based felt-tip pen, then potassium permanganate and vinegar can be postponed. Peroxide alone will be enough: apply it for half an hour, and then wipe the surface with a clean cloth.

Tape or paint over the drawing

If you can’t bring the art together, you can carry out a quick cosmetic repair. Perhaps you have extra rolls of wallpaper or cans of leftover paint that you used for finishing - this is the perfect time to put them to work. If all this is not there, then you can re-glue one wall - let it be accent!

paint the picture

Artist Ruth Osterman leads A YouTube channel that shares "remakes" of her daughter's drawings. Of course, she does not work with images on the walls, but after watching a few of her videos, you can be inspired for such a "collaboration"!

"Insert" the picture into the frame

Why not an interesting solution? For example, if your child painted on the wall house, you can not rub it off, but, on the contrary, save it as a valuable object of art: install a glass frame around the picture and make a signature indicating the year and name of the artist.

Do nothing

So, for example, did blogger and journalist Sarah Cottrell. In an article for Scary Mommy, she sharedI Let My Kids Draw On The Wall. Yes, You Read That Right / Scary mommy own experience and said that she did not see a problem in such a solution. Her children paint wherever they want. And if today they chose wallpaper as a canvas, Sarah does not run after a rag, trying to quickly wipe everything off.

Scolding a child, and even more so using physical violence against him because he decided to draw on the wallpaper, is not worth it. Probably, the kid was just trying to do "what's best." But, if you don't share Cottrell's ideas of creative permissiveness, then what's really worth doing is getting the kid involved in the aftermath.

Such a dull measure of punishment is likely to be a lesson for him, and then he is unlikely to use the walls as material for art objects.