Use bar soap or matching crayon for quick cosmetic concealment

Rub a bar of white soap or a wall-color-matched crayon firmly over a tiny nail hole or pinhole until the material fills the void. Wipe away excess with a dry cloth. The soap or wax fills the hole and blends with the wall color from normal viewing distance.

Why It Works

Soap is soft enough to compress into a small hole under finger pressure and dries to a semi-solid fill. Crayons deposit pigmented wax that fills the void and can be color-matched to the wall (Crayola alone makes 120 colors). Both materials are available in virtually every household, making this a true zero-cost, zero-tool emergency fix.

Tips

• White soap works on white or light-colored walls; for colored walls, a color-matched crayon produces a less visible fill
• Ivory soap and similar plain white bars work best; avoid soaps with moisturizer chunks, colors, or fragrances
• This is a temporary cosmetic fix only -- soap dissolves if it gets wet, and crayon wax melts in warm conditions (near heating vents, in direct sunlight)
• Like toothpaste, this method is limited to pinholes and tiny nail holes under 1/8 inch
• For the crayon method, warm the crayon tip slightly (hold it near a light bulb for 10 seconds) to soften it for easier filling
• Neither soap nor crayon is paintable -- paint will not adhere properly to these materials
• Best use case: quick apartment move-out concealment or hiding a single nail hole while you plan a proper repair
• Common mistake: pressing too hard with crayon on a textured wall, which leaves waxy residue in the wall texture surrounding the hole