Candle wax spills can happen to the best of us. While it can be devastating to watch the molten wax make it’s way from your candle, across your brand new table, on to your favourite rug via the leg of your linen trousers, there are fixes available.
It’ll take some elbow grease, a little patience and the right tools, but thankfully there are plenty of ways to remove melted wax from almost anything.
How To Remove Wax From Wood
Glowing candles are the perfect way to set the mood for a romantic dinner, but the dripping wax can cause ugly marks on wooden surfaces.
The melted wax itself isn’t hot enough to damage furniture, but the colour can create ugly stains. We recommend removing the wax as soon as possible.
- Grab your hairdryer and hold it over the wax stain until it begins to melt. Keep the hairdryer a few inches away from the surface while you do this.
- Using a soft cloth, gently wipe the wax away. Don’t be tempted to chip away at the wax as this caused cause real damage to the wooden surface underneath.
- Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar into 1 cup of water.
- Dip the cloth into the vinegar mixture and use it to wipe away any leftover wax.
- Use a quality furniture polish to restore the wood to it’s former glory.
How To Remove Melted Wax From Carpets & Rugs
There’s no need to rip up your carpet or throw away the antique Persian rug if wax is accidentally spilled on it. You just need and iron and a paper bag…
- Once hardened carefully pick off the larger bits of wax being carefully not to pull out the threads of the carpet or rug.
- Place a plain paper bag (with nothing printed on it) over the stain and gently iron over the top on a low heat. The remaining wax should absorb into the paper.
- Use a high quality carpet cleaner to remove any remnants of the stain.
How To Remove Wax Drips From Painted Walls
Getting melted wax onto your walls isn’t uncommon – blowing candles out too hard can easily splatter the wax onto your perfectly painted Farrow&Ball walls.
Thankfully getting rid of melted wax from the walls of your home doesn’t mean repainting the entire space.
- Grab a few paper towels from the kitchen and place them over the offending wax.
- Using an iron on a low heat, gently press down over the towels to melt the wax, allowing it to be absorbed by the paper.
- Wash the area with hot soapy water to remove any remaining residue.
How to Remove Melted Wax From Fabric
Did you blow out the birthday candles a light hard, sending wax flying across your new table cloth? No worries, just follow these steps to remove the wax completely.
- Chuck the wax covered fabric in the freezer for at least 30mins, or until the wax has hardened.
- Carefully pick off the larger bits of wax.
- Lay some plain paper over the stain, and gently iron on a low heat until all the wax has been absorbed by the paper.
- If the fabric is washable finish by applying a quality stain remover and washing as instructed.
Top Tip: You can also try gently wiping off the wax using a gentle makeup remover.
How To Remove Wax From Hair
Long hair and candles aren’t always the best of friends, but there’s no need to panic if you get wax in your hair.
Wax At The Tip
- Place the tips of your hair into a bowl of boiling water, allowing the wax to melt off. Then wash the hair as usual.
Wax Near The Root
- Massage the hair with olive oil to help loosen the wax.
- Being careful not to burn yourself, use warm water (as warm as you can stand) to wash the hair.
Your Wax Removal Top Tips
If you have any tips on the best ways to remove melted wax we’d love to know. Just tweet us at @osmologyco so we can add them!
