Remove Candle Wax From Carpet

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Tips for Removing Candle Wax

Most of us will at one time or another have a lit candle fall over. Or, you may have forgotten to put a plate under it. It never fails, though, that the candle wax gets onto the carpeting.

It is not easy to take care of candle wax simply because this product is a quick hardening product. Yet, no matter what kind of wax that you have to deal with on any of your surfaces you can use a few simple steps to help you to get rid of these stains for good. Luckily, most of what you need is probably already in your home.

The problem with candle wax is quite simple.

It is resistant to water and any type of water soluble cleaner or detergent is just going to be worthless to you. When the wax is hot, it really can get into that carpet, deeper and faster than some other stains. If you dump hot water onto the wax stain in an effort to get it out, you are likely going to make that stain just set deeper into the carpet. That is not what you want to do, of course.

Candle Wax and Crayon Stain Removal Tips

There are several things that you can try to get the stains out of your carpeting. Here are some steps that you need to follow.

1. Get rid of the debris. To do this, use a dull knife or other product. Easily scrape off anything that you can get off. Some of the wax should come off easily. Make sure to remove as much as you can from the carpeting in this manner, but do not rub it in.
2. To get more off in this manner, fill a plastic storage bag with ice cubes and place it on the location. This will allow the wax to set and make your scraping method work a bit better. Try to get into the carpet pile as much as possible.
3. Once you get all that you can out of the carpet in the manner of scraping, it is time to move on.
4. Next, take a good thick paper towel or terry cloth and apply it to the area.
5. Take a warm iron, warm, not hot, and rub it over the location. This will gently melt the wax just enough to be absorbed into the cloth. Make sure that you move the cloth around a bit in order to allow the wax to be absorbed fully.
6. If this does not remove all of the wax from the carpet, then try this method.
7. Apply isopropyl rubbing alcohol to the stain and allow it to sit for about 30 minutes.
8. Then, take a scrub brush and brush the stain with it. You will want to rinse this with warm water afterwards.

You can keep applying these methods until the stain comes out.

Make sure to test all treatments on a hidden location of carpeting before you apply it to an open area. You should also consult with a skilled professional carpet cleaner if these solutions do not work for you.

Additional Wax Cleaning Tips

Sometimes, even with your best efforts, candle wax can not be removed completely. Yet, even when the tips we have listed have not worked, you may have some additional help here. Here are some things to take note about candle wax removal.

• Realize first that candle wax, or any other type of wax, will not be bothered by water. So, any water soluble solution is not likely to give you the results that you want. Remember that when you are cleaning your wax stains.
• You can often get dry cleaning solvent to work on candle wax. To do this, just apply a small amount of it on to the area of the stain and then blot it up with a clean sponge or paper towels.
• Do not use products such as gasoline or paint thinner on the surface.
• If you have a stain that is colored wax, or even crayon, you can still get the stain off in this manner. You should try to get off as much as possible of the stain by removing the wax with a dull knife.
• If there is any type of dye left in your carpeting or on your clothing, you can apply a solution to the area to lift the dye. Try a solution of rubbing alcohol on the stain. Hydrogen peroxide can also help.
• Some stains from candle wax will leave an oily residue. If this happens, you will want to work to remove all the wax that you can as directed above. Then, apply a layer of baking soda to the area where there is still some grease. Allow this to set for several hours. The baking soda will pull the moisture out of the carpet and you can then vacuum the carpet to remove the baking soda. You likely will not need to wash the area again.
• If all else fails, contact your local professional carpet cleaning company to help you to remove the stain.

Candle Wax Stains On Fabric

Yes, it happens on your fabrics too. No matter what you do, accidents will happen. Here are some treatment options when it comes to treating fabric for wax stains.

• Try to treat these stains as quickly as you can. Warm and soft wax will come off much easier than wax that has set already. In fact, a stain that has been there for a long period of time will likely be set more so than others.
• Try these stain removal tips for your fabrics before you launder them. If you do not do so, you are likely to wind up with a set stain permanently.
• Use a dull knife or the edge of something and scrape off any and all of the wax that you can. This can help you to get the most stain out as quickly as possible. Be sure not to smash the stain more so into the carpeting though.
• Place paper towels over the area and use a warm iron on top of them. Move the towels around to keep the surface area clean. This will cause the warmed and softened wax to absorb into the paper towels. Use only a warm iron.
• Do not use a warm iron on colored waxes. Only use a scraping method in this case.
• Once you get as much of the stain out as you can, launder the fabric as you normally would, only if this is permissible to the item as directed by the manufacturer.