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Blog > How to remove candle wax from your carpet
Tips on removing candle wax from your carpet.
Getting candle wax onto your carpet is easy to do but removing it is not so easy. If you do not go slowly, you can make a right mess.
Often, when people do it themselves, they generate more issues than they started. At best they leave some wax in (which can be unsightly when it is coloured) or worse still, set fire to the carpet (yes, this HAS happened!).
In my career, I’ve seen quite a few ruined carpets. This is common with rental properties whereby most seem to have an iron-shaped burn on the carpet somewhere. You must have seen one of these “iron” outline singe marks at some time or other.
Carpet cleaning professionals, though skilled and experienced, still approach these situations with care. It’s best to proceed with care than to jump right in and wreck things. These cut down the job time and significantly reduce the risk of damage to carpets.
We have some “professional secrets” that may you help a lot. Just remember though, I’m not there to look over your shoulder, so please practice first, and if in doubt leave it well alone. Please be careful. Remember I cannot be there to watch over you or keep you out of trouble and cannot be with you to supervise so if you have any doubts, don’t proceed.
We use various things to help remove wax from carpet fibres.
An iron with adjustable temperature control, aluminum baking foil, a roll of white paper kitchen roll, Some water, a wooden spatula (or a very blunt knife) and a towel (always protect the carpet), and something heatproof (to stand the iron-on).
This is the procedure for removing wax from carpets.
1/ Make sure you practise on an old piece of carpet first. Practice- you can risk the damage on a piece that does not matter (rather than the real thing). First, `use low heat. You must be very careful with manmade fibres such as polypropylene and nylon, as these can melt if too much heat is applied
2/ Melt some wax and drip it onto the test piece. Make sure it has set hard and cooled down. Scrape off the excess wax with the wooden spatula (not too hard or you will pull threads out).
3/ Wrap a piece of aluminium foil around the bottom of your iron. If you do not place this foil here, then the wax will spread all over the base of the iron. Not only will it burn but it will leave dirty deposits on the next thing to be ironed. This could be the next carpet or maybe someone’s best, expensive blouse or shirt!
Here’s the main secret.
4/ Take your paper towel and fold many sheets together. You need to get them through (this is a very important component in the process. Re-wrap them again so the whole package is wet but not dripping. Why do we do this? Here’s why. When damp, the towels conduct the heat of the iron quickly so that the iron is in contact with the carpet for far less time. The towel which is not under the towel remains damp (and much cooler) which minimises potential damage to the adjoining carpet.
As the middle bit dries out it absorbs the wax. Overall, the iron is in contact with the carpet for a far shorter time. Place it on top of the wax.
5/ Again, this is important. Start with the heat switch on the iron set to its lowest setting. Make sure the towels are centred over the wax and then lay the iron on top of them for a maximum of eight seconds only, then lift it off.
6/ Check the paper towel. Check that the middle is hotter than the outside. Repeat 5/ If there is no change, turn the heat up slightly. Try number 5 again and you should see some wax being absorbed by the towel.
If the paper towel dries out too much (or absorbs too much wax, change it and start again from 4/. Repeat 5/.
Do not be in a hurry to wreck the carpet! Increase the heat slightly each time. You can avoid most problems by doing a few trial runs on an unwanted piece of carpet. It is better to damage an offcut than destroy the real thing.
Just keep repeating the process gently. Once you’ve got the right heat setting you’ll be most of the way there.
The key here is patience. Going too fast at this stage will probably result in a damaged carpet.
If all of this succeeds, try the same procedure on the actual wax deposit on your carpet. With a bit of luck (and a “following wind”) you should be able to move the wax completely. You should also receive applause and plaudits from onlookers!