How to Remove Candle Smoke from a Wall

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Things You'll Need

  • Dry-sponges

  • Trisodium Phosphate

  • Vacuum Cleaners & Accessories

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.

Step 1

Remove any loose particles with a vacuum cleaner attachment.

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Step 2

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

Step 3

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

Tip

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.

Warning

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.

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