How to Remove Melted Candle Wax From Stained Wood

Melted candle wax can produce one of the toughest household stains to remove. And, as with most stains, is generally best removed when treated as quickly as possible. In the case of spilling candle wax on stained wood surfaces, however, you'll save yourself a lot of effort and trouble if you wait for the wax to harden most of the way before starting to clean it.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic laminated card
• Hair dryer
• Facial tissue

Instructions

1. If the wax spill is very fresh, allow it to cool for a few minutes. You'll know that the wax is ready to be removed when the surface loses most of its shine. If the spill has been on the wood for several minutes already, you can proceed immediately.

2. Gently scrape the easily removable wax off of the surface with the edge of a plastic laminated card. Cards sealed in lamination material, like many library cards and gym membership cards, work best. Thicker cards like driver's licenses and credit cards will also work well, but they won't have such fine edges. Be sure to hold the card as close to parallel as possible with the surface so that you don't scratch it.

3. Brush away the scraped-up wax. Plug in the hair dryer and turn it to a medium setting.

4. Blow hot air on the remaining waxy residue from a distance of about six inches. After several seconds, the wax should melt and turn into liquid droplets.

5. Quickly dab the melting wax with a clean facial tissue. If there is still more wax after the first dabbing, continue blowing the hair dryer on the stain and dabbing every so often until all of the wax has been absorbed.

Tips & Warnings

• When you're completely finished, polish the surface with a wood polish and a soft cloth to make it look like new.

• If colored candle wax is allowed to fully harden on a stained surface, it may create a deep, colorful stain that will be visible until the wood surface is stripped.