How to Remove Candle Wax From Cloth Napkins

Remove spilled candle wax from cloth napkins with items you have around your home.

Candles add light and warmth to rooms and are often used to decorate. Candle wax often spills on surfaces and can be frustrating to remove. If candle wax spills onto your cloth napkins, you can salvage the napkins instead of throwing them away. The candle wax needs to removed as soon as possible to prevent the wax from sticking to the cloth fibers, which makes it more difficult to remove.

Things You'll Need

• Sealed bag
• Ice
• Plastic paint scraper
• Iron
• Paper towels or brown paper bag
• Commercial stain treatment

Instructions

1. Let the candle wax completely harden. If the wax still appears soft, fill a sealed bag with ice and place it on the wax to harden it. You can also place the cloth napkin in the freezer.

2. Scrape the candle wax off the cloth napkin gently with a plastic paint scraper.

3. Plug in the iron and turn it to the lowest setting for fabric.

4. Cover the wax stain with paper towels or a paper grocery bag. Press the hot iron onto the top of the paper. This will soften the wax. When the wax softens, the paper will absorb it. Repeatedly apply heat to the area until you remove the wax. Rotate the paper towels or paper bag each time so that the paper can absorb the wax.

5. Apply a commercial stain treatment to the stain. Launder the cloth napkins by following the cleaning instructions on the care label. Avoid placing the cloth napkins in the dryer after you wash them as this can make the stain permanent. Examine the napkins to ensure that you removed the stain completely and hang them up to air dry.

References

• Good Housekeeping: Removing Stains
• Oregon State University: Stain Removal Guide