Candles create ambience, whether for a romantic night in, a relaxing shower or a classy cocktail night with your friends. As the wax in the candle melts, it can easily drip onto surfaces—whether tablecloths, carpets or hard floors. If you’re wondering where candle wax goes if it doesn’t spill, we’ve got an article on that topic for you, too. But for now, we’ll assume that at least some of the candle wax has made its way onto one of your household surfaces. What to do? We’ve got the answers for you; just read on!
Depending on the type of surface, you’ll want to remove candle wax when it is either warmed or frozen. You’ll also need additional tools to remove the candle wax, so even though some methods call for a gentle warming of the wax, don’t try and remove too much when it has just spilled, as you may just spread it around and make it harder to contain. Acting quickly is always good, though, especially if you’ve spilled colored candle wax as this may stain a surface if left too long.
It may seem really difficult to remove candle wax from a carpet, but there are two good methods to do this without too much of a fuss. You’ll need some equipment, but all of it can usually be found in your household.
- Paper method
Try and get out any excess wax, but don’t go overboard yet—pulling and scraping can damage the carpet fibers and you don’t want a bald spot! You’ll need a brown paper bag or some paper towels, as well as an iron. Put your paper bag or towel over the wax spill, and then set your iron to the lowest setting. Once your iron has heated up a little, place it on the paper towel or paper bag. The wax will melt and be absorbed by the paper. Make sure the paper is thick enough, so you don’t end up with a messy iron!
- Cloth method
As above, try and remove as much of the wax as you can without pulling too much at the carpet. Heat your iron to the lowest setting, and then lay a damp, white cloth over the wax. Put your iron on the cloth and then wait for the wax to melt and be absorbed by the cloth. Done!
You might be thinking that is all very well and good—but now you’ve got a waxy cloth! How to remove candle wax from fabrics? Follow the steps below for removing candle wax from tablecloths, and your cloth will be OK!
Removing candle wax from tablecloths is the same as removing candle wax from any cloth. We find that putting the fabric in the freezer works great. If you don’t have a freezer large enough, use a bag of frozen peas (or similar) on top of the wax spill.
Once the cloth has been “frozen” for about half an hour, remove it from the cold and you should be able to break off the cold wax. Once you’ve done this, you can follow the same steps above for the paper bag/towel method to remove the final pieces of wax from the tablecloth.
Because wax is a bit greasy, you may notice a stain. To combat this, apply detergent specifically for tough stains like Persil® OXI Power to the stain and let it sit. Then wash it as you usually would—we’ve got some laundry tips for you, too!