The history, use and value of candles – removing candle wax – the hot method

Candles are lovely, and as long as you know how to deal with spills and drips, you can enjoy them just about anywhere. Using the hot method can remove wax stains in places you probably thought were damaged forever.

Removing wax from carpets

If you've got candle wax stain on your carpet, as often happens at Christmas or Halloween - all you need is an iron and a couple of paper towels. Heat the iron as if you were going to iron a shirt – but start with the ** or synthetic fabrics temperature – you can increase the heat if necessary. Once it's warmed up, place at least four paper towels on top of the candle wax and a few more sheets around the stain, which will prevent scorching in adjacent areas. Simply iron the sheets of paper that are on top of the candle wax – causing the wax to liquefy and be absorbed by the paper towels. As you iron and the wax is absorbed into the paper, you’ll see it starting to appear like grease on the paper towel. Once you've seen these spots, you know the wax is coming out of your carpet. Change the paper towels when the wax starts to appear so you’re not ironing it back into the carpet.

Removing wax from wood

Soften the wax with a hair dryer on medium heat. As it begins to melt, start wiping it away with a soft cloth – toilet paper is ideal for this – wipe and throw the paper away, replacing it so you don’t just smear the welted max around. Once you’ve removed most of the wax, finish by cleaning the area with a mild vinegar solution (equal parts vinegar and water) and then polish.

Removing wax from delicate fabrics

For delicate fabrics, use plain white paper with the iron on its lowest setting to just melt the wax. Place the paper between the iron and the wax as an absorbing medium and keep repeating with fresh paper until no wax remains.

Hot Wax Candle photograph by diongillard used under a creative commons attribution licence