How to Remove Candle Wax

Those pretty votives, graceful candlesticks and scented pillars add warmth and beauty to your home. Unfortunately, spilled candle wax can also add headaches and unsightly stains. These steps will help you remove candle wax from a variety of surfaces, so you can bask in the glow again.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Ice pack
• Blunt knife or plastic spatula
• Clean paper bags, plain newsprint or paper towels
• Iron

Upholstery and Floor Coverings

1. Treat candle wax spills on carpeting or upholstered furniture by applying an ice pack.
2. Shatter the hardened wax. Pick up the pieces by hand, or vacuum them up.
3. Apply a commercial carpet or upholstery cleaner to any remaining stains or dye from the wax. Test the product first on an inconspicuous part of the rug or furniture to be sure the fabric is colorfast.

Furniture and Hard Surfaces

4. Scrape hardened candle wax from wood furniture or hard surfaces with a blunt knife or plastic spatula. Use a gentle motion to avoid damaging the finish of the piece.
5. Clean up wax residue by rubbing wood furniture with a cloth dipped in creamy furniture polish.
6. Spray hard surfaces like tile or laminate countertops with a commercial cleaner formulated for the material, and wipe dry with a cloth or paper towel.

Table Linens

7. Use the gentle heat of an iron to remove wax from tablecloths, napkins, and other linens. Place a clean paper grocery bag, sheets of blank newsprint paper or a few paper towels under the piece to be cleaned, and cover the stain with a similar layer of paper.
8. Set your iron to a temperature appropriate for the fabric you're treating. Gently press down on the top layer of paper with the heated iron, melting the wax. The wax will soften and be absorbed by the paper above and below the piece. Repeat if necessary, using fresh paper layers, until all the wax has been absorbed.
9. Spot clean any remaining stains from candle wax dyes with a product suited to the fabric. Then launder or dry clean as recommended.

Candleholders

10. Remove waxy buildup in glass votives or other candleholders by placing the item in the freezer until the wax has hardened and become brittle.
11. Chip the hardened wax out of the candleholder or scrape it from the sides with a dull knife.
12. Finish by washing glass or ceramic candleholders with liquid detergent and hot water. Use an appropriate paste cleaner to remove residue from silver or other metal candleholders, and buff with a soft cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use heat to melt candle wax on carpeting. Synthetic carpet fibers will melt right along with the wax, damaging your carpeting.
• You can use the heat from a blow dryer's gentle setting to melt wax on hard surfaces.
• Keep wax from building up in candleholders by adding a drop or two of water to the receptacle before adding a fresh candle. Candles are mostly oil, and oil and water don't mix, so wax won't stick to the candleholder.
• Choose white candles for the dining table. They'll be less likely to leave stains on table linens.
• Don't use a sharp or serrated blade to scrape melted wax from a surface. The blade will damage the finish.

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