You unroll the chart in the new house and find a hard fold across the middle, a water ring near the bottom, or a rip where the grommet used to be. A growth chart damaged during a move stings more than a chipped dish, because the marks and dates on it can't be bought again. Here's what to do tonight, how to fix each kind of damage, and how to pack the chart so the next move goes better. We focus on canvas charts, but the record-keeping and packing steps work for wooden ruler boards too.

Before you fix anything, save the marks

In short: the marks are the keepsake. Record them before you touch anything else.

1. Pause. Don't wash, iron, glue or tape anything tonight. A rushed fix can do more harm than the move did.
2. Lay the chart flat, face up, on a clean, dry surface like a table or a bed with a fresh sheet. If it's wet, skip to the water section below.
3. Photograph it in daylight. Take one shot of the whole chart, then a close-up of every mark so the name, date and any note are readable. Add one shot with a tape measure laid alongside, in case printed lines get damaged later.
4. Write every mark down, one line each. Then back up the photos and the list to a shared album or an email to yourself, so a lost phone can't take the record with it.

This format keeps the list easy to copy later:

"[Child's name] — [height] — [date on the chart] — [any note, like 'first day of preschool' or 'measured at Grandma's']"

Once everything is recorded, you can work on the canvas without worrying. Even in the worst case, you'll still have every number.

How bad is it? A quick damage check

Find the row that matches what you see, then jump to that fix below.

How to fix creases, dirt and water damage

Creases and fold lines

Check the care instructions before you reach for an iron. If your chart came from us, our classic canvas chart can take a light iron, but our rainbow chart should never be ironed or steamed. Neither should be washed or put in a dryer.

This no-heat method works for any chart:

• Lay it face up and cover it with a clean pillowcase or plain paper.
• Spread heavy books along the whole crease, not just one spot.
• Leave it for two or three days, then hang it. Gravity keeps working on soft creases once it's on the wall.

If your care label allows ironing, go gently. Lay the chart face down on a towel, put a thin cotton cloth over the back and use a low setting with no steam. Test a blank corner first, and keep the iron moving in short passes.

Be realistic about sharp folds. A crease that sat in a box for weeks may leave a faint line for good. That's mostly cosmetic, but a sideways crease that won't lie flat can shorten the chart slightly on the wall, so do the rehang check at the end of this guide.

Curled edges from being rolled

A chart that rode rolled up may curl at the edges for a while. Roll it loosely the opposite way around a wide tube for a day, then lay it flat under books overnight. Once it's hanging, any leftover curl usually settles.

Box dust, scuffs and smudges

Most moving dirt is dry dust, and it comes off best while it's still dry. Take the chart outside, give it a gentle shake, then go over it with a soft clean brush or a lint roller. Keep the pressure light over the marks.

For anything that needs water, follow our guide to cleaning a canvas growth chart without ruining the marks, and test on a blank corner first. Skip baby wipes and household sprays, which can smear pen or leave a ring.

Water damage from rain or a leak

Move fast with water, because some inks spread as they dry. Work in this order:

1. Photograph every mark right away, before any bleeding sets in.
2. Blot with a clean white towel. Press straight down and lift; don't rub. White towels won't transfer dye.
3. Lay the chart flat, face up, on a dry towel indoors, out of direct sun and away from heaters and vents.
4. Swap the towel underneath when it gets damp, and run a fan in the room to keep air moving.
5. Wait until it's completely dry, often a full day or more, before you deal with creases.

Never use a hair dryer or a clothes dryer. A faint tide line may stay after drying. If a mark blurred, leave the original alone; your written record has the exact number.

A musty smell or mildew spots

A chart that sat in a damp basement or storage unit can come out smelling musty or dotted with small gray or black spots. Let it dry completely first. Then take it outside, wear a mask, and brush the spots off gently with a soft brush, away from kids and anyone with asthma or allergies.

If the spots don't lift, or the smell hangs on after a few days of airing out, don't hang it in a nursery or bedroom. Ask a pro (see below), or retire it and move the marks to a new chart.

How to fix a torn or ripped growth chart

If your growth chart ripped while moving, the fix depends on where the tear is and how big it is. Do these repairs after bedtime or at a table little hands can't reach. Glue, needles, scissors and grommet parts don't belong near toddlers.

A small tear away from the marks

For a tear of a few inches or less, a fabric patch on the back works well. You'll need:

• A scrap of light-colored cotton fabric about as heavy as the chart, such as canvas, twill or old khakis (dark fabric can show through)
• Flexible fabric glue, the kind sold for clothing repairs
• Parchment or wax paper
• Sharp scissors and a stack of heavy books

1. Snip loose threads close to the tear, but don't trim away any canvas.
2. With the chart face up, nudge the torn edges so they meet without overlapping. Line up the printed lines and lettering.
3. Slide parchment paper under the tear and carefully flip the chart face down, keeping the edges together.
4. Cut a patch that reaches 1 inch past the tear on every side. Round the corners, since square corners tend to lift.
5. Spread a thin, even layer of glue on the patch and press it into place.
6. Cover with parchment, stack books on top and leave it for the full cure time on the glue's label.

If you sew, a few rows of stitching through the patch make it stronger. Skip iron-on patches. They need a hot iron held in place, which is more heat than a canvas chart's care instructions allow. Either way, you'll still see a line. The goal is a chart that hangs flat and a tear that stops growing, not an invisible fix.

A grommet that ripped out at the top

A chart that gets yanked off its nail or carried by its hanging hole can tear right around the grommet. Pick one of three fixes:

• No-sew: Use a clamp-style poster hanger, a pair of wooden strips that clamp or screw together over the top edge. Skip magnetic versions in a kid's room, since small magnets can work loose if the chart gets pulled down. There are no new holes and no glue. Check that it won't cover a printed name or number.
• New grommet: Glue a strip of canvas across the back of the top edge and let it cure. Then set a new grommet, centered, with a kit from a craft or hardware store. Practice on a scrap first, since a crooked grommet is hard to undo.
• Hand it off: Canvas, awning and upholstery shops set grommets all the time, so it's often a quick job for them.

A new hanging point will likely change where the chart sits on the wall. That's fine, as long as you do the rehang check before the next mark.

A long tear, holes or a missing piece

Big damage is worth a professional's hands, especially on a chart with years of marks. Here's who does what:

• Alterations or tailor shop: patches, edge tears and re-sewing a seam. Ask for a quote first.
• Canvas, awning or upholstery shop: heavy canvas repairs and grommets.
• Frame shop: mounting a fragile chart flat for display when it can't hang on its own anymore.
• Textile conservator: careful, reversible repair for a chart you'd grieve losing. It costs more than the other options. The American Institute for Conservation has a directory to help you find one.

Bring the chart rolled, not folded, along with your photos and the care instructions.

If the tear runs through the height marks

This is the one that stings. But if you recorded every mark first, nothing is lost. Follow the small-tear steps above, with three extra rules:

• Line up the printed lines, not the pen marks. Printed lines on both sides of the tear should meet exactly. Pen marks are often drawn a little crooked, so they're not a reliable guide.
• Keep glue on the back only. Use a thin layer and keep parchment under the front so nothing seeps through onto a mark.
• Measure across the repair. With the chart flat, pick two printed lines on either side of the tear and check them with a tape measure. Lines 10 inches apart should measure exactly 10 inches. If they don't, note the difference in your record instead of redrawing marks.

If a mark is gone or torn away, redraw it from your record with a fabric-safe pen, and add a small note beside it:

"re-marked from photo, [month and year]"

That note matters later. Years from now, your kids will know which marks are originals.

Leave faded but readable marks alone. The handwriting, and whoever held the pen that day, is part of what makes the chart worth keeping. If a mark is too faint to read but you can still find it, trace it once, lightly, right on top of the original, and add the same 're-marked' note.

When the chart can't be saved

Sometimes the damage is too much: a chart that sat in floodwater, mildew that won't lift, or a tear that took a piece with it. Even then, you have more options than the trash can.

• Keep the original if it's clean. A torn or stained chart can be rolled with paper and stored indoors, or a frame shop can mount the section with the most marks in a shadow box. If mildew or floodwater is the problem, keep the photos, not the canvas.
• Rebuild the record. Pull numbers from your photos, your written list and any baby-book notes. Checkup records help too; many pediatric offices list height from each well visit in the patient portal. Babies under 2 are usually measured lying down, so those numbers may not match a standing mark exactly.
• Label the copies. Put a small star beside each copied mark on the new chart, and add one line near the bottom so the story stays clear.

"* Copied from our first chart after the [year] move."

If you're starting fresh, our Canvas Kids Growth Chart ($44) is 100% cotton canvas, hangs from a single grommet and comes with a fabric-safe pen for copying the old marks over. It starts at the 6-inch mark to clear baseboards, and you can personalize it with a name. It ships in 7–10 business days, so order at least two to three weeks before you want it on the wall.

Canvas Kids Growth Chart

$44.00

View the Canvas Kids Growth Chart

Want more color? The rainbow style comes in the same cotton canvas at the same price. You'll find both in our canvas growth chart collection.

How to pack a growth chart for your next move

Most of the damage above starts with a fold, a leak or a crowded truck. This list is built to avoid all three.

• ☐  Take it down in the last week, after one final mark in the old house. Our guide to helping kids say goodbye to the old house has ideas for making that mark count.
• ☐  Photograph the whole chart and every mark, and back up the photos.
• ☐  Check the grommet and edges, and patch weak spots before they turn into tears.
• ☐  Cover the front with plain packing paper or tissue. Skip newspaper, since the ink can rub off.
• ☐  Roll it loosely, printed side out, around the widest tube you can find. The paper layer keeps the marks from rubbing on the back of the canvas. Never fold it.
• ☐  Wrap the roll in a towel or bubble wrap, then slide it into a poster tube or long box.
• ☐  Tape the wrapping, never the canvas. Tape can leave residue or lift the surface.
• ☐  On moving day, slip a plastic bag over the outside in case of rain. Take it off when you arrive, since plastic traps moisture over time.
• ☐  Label the tube or box on two sides (wording below).
• ☐  Ride with it. Pack it in your car next to the important-papers box, not on the truck or in a storage unit.
• ☐  Hang it within the first couple of weeks. If it has to wait, store it in a closet inside the house, not a garage, attic or basement.

"KEEPSAKE: ROLLED CANVAS. DO NOT FOLD, CRUSH OR STACK. KEEP DRY. THIS ONE RIDES IN THE CAR."

Rehanging it in the new house

Before anyone stands against it, take two minutes to check accuracy. Repairs, a new grommet, a leftover crease or a different floor can all shift where the printed numbers land.

1. Pick a wall out of direct sun, with no door swinging into it. Our guide to keeping a canvas growth chart from fading in sunlight covers what to look for. In a nursery, keep it off the wall above the crib.
2. Hang it with a hook or nail that holds firm if a toddler tugs the bottom edge. If you switched to a clamp hanger, secure its hook too. Our step-by-step guide to hanging a canvas growth chart covers the hardware.
3. Choose a printed line near the middle, such as the 3-foot line.
4. Measure from the floor to that line. On carpet, measure from the carpet surface where heels rest.
5. If the numbers don't match, move the hook until they do. Then check a second line higher up.
6. Add the first mark in the new house, and write "new house" beside it.

Most move damage looks worst the night you find it. Record the marks, lay the chart flat and give it a few days before you decide anything. Creases relax, dust lifts and tears can be patched. Even if the canvas doesn't make it, the marks can, and they're the part worth saving.

Frequently asked questions