How to Remove Candle Smoke from a Wall

Candles can set a festive mood, but those soot stains they leave on your wall are anything but festive. Here's how to get them off.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dry-sponges
• Trisodium Phosphate
• Vacuum Cleaners & Accessories

1. Remove any loose particles with a vacuum cleaner attachment.

2. Rub the area with a dry sponge or a soot sponge, a chemically treated sponge that absorbs soot and dirt into its pores.

3. Wipe down the wall with a solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP); use about 1 tbsp. TSP to 1 gallon warm water. Rinse thoroughly.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to prime and repaint if you've removed paint along with the stain.
• Use beeswax candles to avoid soot smoke damage in the first place.
• Simply painting over the damaged area without first removing the stain won't get you very far; the stain will likely bleed through your new paint job within a few weeks or months.
• If your candles are close enough to a wall to stain them with soot, they might also be close enough to be a fire hazard - move them farther away.

[warmedcandles]

on 9/5/2009 Better yet use only warmed candles. Don't use anything that burns chemicals into your air. www.scentsy.com/LLee Check us out :)

on 11/22/2005 Do not use Windex. You will have a bigger stain than what the candle left!

on 11/22/2005 Spray Windex over the area and remove the residue with paper towels or rags.

on 11/22/2005 A simple art gum eraser, which can be purchased at most art supply stores, works wonders on walls with some elbow grease. Just be sure to put something under the work area to catch the eraser bits that fall.