Flickering candles are warm and inviting any time of year. People love how relaxing and warm candles can make any room. In fact, more than one billion pounds of wax are used each year to produce candles in the U.S.
Even though candles are so fun and relaxing, spilled wax is not as charming. Don’t despair—removing candle wax on your own is relatively easy. Keep reading to learn how to remove candle wax from various surfaces with these useful techniques.
Wood
For candle wax cleaning on wood, put an ice pack on the wax to help it harden. Then find an object like a credit card or plastic ruler to help scrape away the excess wax. Be careful not to get something too sharp to scratch the wood.
Then finish cleaning up any residue with a dry cloth and your choice of furniture wax.
Carpet
Wax on carpet can be pretty intimidating, but luckily, it usually looks a lot worse than it really is. First, you need to let it harden and then take a spoon to scrape off any excess wax.
Next, take a white paper towel or lint-free white cloth and put it over the wax. Take a warm iron and run it over the wax. If you have synthetic carpet, be sure to use the lowest setting on the iron.
If you have any leftover wax, use dry-cleaning fluid. Should you get any burn marks in the candle wax removal process, you can camouflage these areas by cutting the black bits away with scissors. Then use some fibers from another area and glue them into the burned spot with superglue.
Glass
Begin scraping away the excess wax from your glass. Then apply some heat with your blow dryer on the medium setting. You can start wiping off the wax with a soft rag as it begins to soften.
Then use hot, soapy water to remove the remaining wax off your glass.
Upholstery
If your fabric is more delicate in nature like silk, you may want to take it to the dry cleaner or hire them to come out. You can try to clean more durable fabrics like cotton yourself.
To clean upholstery, let the wax cool on its own. You can then place an ice cube wrapped in plastic over the area. Once the wax is firm, you can carefully scrape off as much as possible with something like a butter knife or your fingernail.
If the wax is on a removable cover, take off the cover and put several layers of damp paper towels on all sides of the fabric. Then iron over the paper towels on the iron’s lowest setting. The towels should start to absorb the wax.
You can then use a fabric stain remover to get rid of any remaining residue. Be sure to read the instructions for the stain remover. Blot the area with a clean towel before you launder it.
When you light candles in the future, make sure the wick is a safe distance from curtains and other loose fabrics that are flammable, and always put your flame out before going to bed. There are correct ways to burn candles near upholstery.
Wall
Walls can get their fair share of stains from crayons to fingerprints to even candle wax. If a candle with hot wax tumbles or is blown out forcefully, wax can splatter on your walls and floors. While you may think this is a catastrophe, you can get this splatter off the walls pretty easily.
To remove off a painted wall, get some white paper towels, an iron, and soapy water. Make sure your iron is on its lowest setting and put three layers of paper towels over the wax.
Then press your iron gently on the layers of paper towels. Change out the paper towels to make sure you absorb all the wax. After this candle wax cleaning, you will need to use hot, soapy water to remove any stains from the area.
Textured Wall
If your wall is textured, you will need a hairdryer instead of an iron. Make sure the hairdryer is on its hottest setting to heat up the wax.
Place paper towels beneath the wax to absorb the wax when it melts. Heat the wax with the hairdryer.
If you are removing wax from cement and rough tile, you will need to harden the wax with ice. Then pick the wax with a plastic scraper. You will then clean the walls with hot, soapy water.
Table Linens
Before trying to remove the wax, let it harden. Frozen wax is more brittle and is easier to remove, so you can put your linens in the freezer.
After the wax is hard, you can gently flake it off with a butter knife. You don’t want to scrape it because it could damage the fibers. If your candle was colored, it may leave a color stain, so you may have to have your linens dry cleaned.
Vinyl Flooring
First, try scraping off any excess wax that you can easily remove. Then soak the area with your favorite floor cleaner and hot water. Let it soak for a few minutes.
Wipe it up with a dry cloth. You may need to repeat this process a few times.
Leather Furniture
Don’t fret if you get wax on your leather furniture. First, you will take your blow dryer and warm the wax. Move the hairdryer around quickly to avoid burning the leather.
Use a clean cloth to remove the wax. Then use a leather furniture cleaner or damp cloth with mild soap to clean up the residue. This will also help prevent the leather from drying out.
Clothes
If you get wax on your clothes, first put your clothing in either the refrigerator or freezer to make the wax hard. Then you can bend the fabric to help break up the wax.
Pour hot water on the area to help remove any residue and then rub the area with your favorite laundry detergent. Wash your clothing in either warm or hot water.
Removing Candle Wax Can Be Easy
Phew…hopefully, this helps ease your mind for removing candle wax from various surfaces. Make sure you harden the wax before you start trying to clean the affected area. In some cases, you can soften the wax with heat to clean it up.
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