Things You'll Need
Rubber scraper
Mineral spirits
Cotton swabs
Clean shop cloths
Furniture polish
Earthquake wax is the best thing since sliced bread. You scoop a little bit of soft, waxy stuff out of a fat, little pot, roll it into balls or strips and attach it to the bottom of your precious breakables. Set them in place and they will stay there through just about anything—including earthquakes. It's as simple to remove earthquake wax as it is to use earthquake wax, in most cases. Old earthquake wax can be stubborn. Still, a small bit of effort in removing earthquake wax is a fair price to pay for keeping your breakables safe.
Step 1
Remove fresh earthquake wax from a collectible by gently twisting your item off of the surface it is on. The earthquake wax will usually adhere to the surface of the table or shelf, but if it doesn't, use your fingertip to roll the earthquake wax off of the item.
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Step 2
Pinch the surface of fresh earthquake wax that is left behind on a table, mantle or shelf and twist it. This is usually enough to make it come completely free of the surface.
Step 3
Use a hard plastic scraper to loosen any older earthquake wax that is being stubborn. It will fight you, stretching out like gum and sticking to a place further along the surface, but if you are patient and firm it will come up.
Step 4
Remove any residue left by earthquake wax by applying a few drops of mineral spirits to a cotton swab. Do a test spot, and if the mineral spirits do not damage the finish, pour a dime-sized spot onto a clean shop cloth and rub at the residue until it is gone.
Tip
Use furniture polish to refresh wood that earthquake wax has been stuck to.
Warning
Do not use earthquake wax on paper, drywall or porous surfaces.
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