Lighting candles is one of the perfect yet easy ways to set a mood, be it a dinner party or a relaxing evening. The sweet scents and warm light spreading across the room is enough to melt away your stress until candle wax spills on your carpet. Lucky for you, this article will cover how to get candle wax out of carpet fibers, so you don't have to cry over spilled wax.
Accidents happen all the time, but knowing how to remove candle wax, in this case, will allow you to go back to hygge or entertaining. In addition, you will be using products already presenting your home, making your work half done.
Let's get into the best ways of removing spilled candle wax without further ado.
How Do You Remove Wax On Carpet Fibers Without Heat?
1. Using Ice Packs
What you'll need:
- Ice pack
- Paper towel
- Iron or Hair dryer
- Butter knife
- Dish soap solution or Rubbing alcohol
- Vacuum cleaner
Steps:
i). Freeze the Wax
The first step before removing spilled wax is to ensure that it does not spread. To do this, you'll need to place a bag of ice cubes or an ice pack covered in a thin towel. This ensures that the wax does not get wet. In addition, freezing the wax hardens it, preventing it from seeping into the carpet fibers.
ii). Start Scraping
Once the candle wax is hardened, the next step is to scrape it off. You will need to use a blunt object like a butter knife. Be gentle as you scrape and try to remove as much wax as possible.
Ideally, scraping off the wax with a butter knife should remove all the wax on the carpet. You can also vacuum while scraping to get rid of the wax residue. If there's any wax left on the fibers, proceed to step iii; otherwise, go to step iv.
iii). Use Heat to Absorb the Wax
This step involves using an iron box to remove candle wax. Follow the steps below:
- Place a plastic bag, terry-cloth towel, paper towel or brown paper bag on the remaining wax stain.
- Turn on your iron and heat it to the lowest setting. Remember to turn off your iron's steam setting.
- Slowly run the iron over the paper bag, paper towel or terry cloth towel to melt the wax. Repeat this motion but don't be tempted to increase the heat setting.
- Once the towel starts absorbing the wax, reposition it and place a clean area on the stain to absorb more wax.
- Repeat until no candle wax stains are left.
It's important to maintain the low setting when using an iron because a hot iron can melt your carpet fibers. Also, remember to use a clean iron for this process.
You can also choose to use a hairdryer instead of a hot iron. For this, blow hot air on the carpet until the wax melts, then place a brown paper bag or paper towel, firmly pressing, to absorb the wax.
iv). Blot the Wax Stains
If you've managed to remove all the spilled wax by scraping, blotting can help remove leftover candle wax stain, especially if it is colored. To remove candle wax, dilute 1 ounce of clear dish soap with 12 ounces of water. Avoid using colored dish soap as it could stain the carpet even more.
Blot the stains working from the edges towards the center using the soap cleaning solution to avoid creating a bigger mess. You can also use rubbing alcohol to blot the stains. However, be gentle while blotting and avoid rubbing since this method can hurt delicate carpet fibers.
v). Vacuum
The last step is to clean your carpet. Once it is dry, vacuum the carpet to restore it to its original texture.
2. Commercial Cleaners
You can use a commercial carpet cleaning detergent in place of heating and scraping to remove spilled candle wax from your carpet. Small wax spills can easily be dealt with using dry cleaning solvents like Guardsman. However, it's advisable to blot the stain before applying the solvent.
3. Vinegar
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Method 1:
- Dilute 1/4 white vinegar with 3/4 water.
- Using a spray bottle, apply the mixture over the stain.
- Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
- Place a cloth or paper towel to absorb the candle wax.
Method 2:
- Sprinkle baking powder on the candle wax stain and leave it to sit for about a minute.
- Neutralize the stain by pouring vinegar over the baking soda.
- Keep pouring the vinegar until all the baking soda has dissolved.
- Vacuum or dab a towel to soak up the vinegar.
4. Rubbing Alcohol
You can use rubbing alcohol to remove wax from the carpet since it is a solvent and candles are oil-based. Follow the steps below to use this method.
- Pour rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab and dab it on the candle wax. You should see the stain start to melt in seconds.
- Once it's a bit dry, use a sponge to wipe off the wax.
- Vacuum the affected area.
How Do You Remove Wax On Carpet Fibers Using Heat?
1. Using an Iron
Steps:
- Ensure that the wax is frozen or hardened. You can put an ice pack in a zipped plastic bag to ensure you don't wet the wax.
- Place a paper bag or paper towel on the wax stain, then gently press an iron on a low heat setting. The paper should start absorbing wax in a few minutes.
- Lift the iron as you reposition the towel to absorb more wax.
- Repeat until all the wax is absorbed.
- If color stains remain on your carpet, use the vinegar and baking soda cleaning solution.
2. Using a Hairdryer
Steps:
- Use a blunt knife to scrape off the wax
- Vacuum any loose wax particles on the carpet.
- Use a damp towel to clean the stain.
- Set the hair dryer to a low to medium temperature, then place it on the towel. The towel will absorb melted wax.
- Repeat until all the wax is cleaned out.
- Use a carpet cleaning detergent or rubbing alcohol to remove any left stains and leave the carpet to dry.
Conclusion
Removing wax from your carpet is as easy as using a few readily available products. While it may take more than one trial to clean out the stain completely, you will be happy to have your carpet restored to its original condition. In addition, you can use the methods above to remove hair removal wax or eyebrow wax spilled on your carpet.