How to Get Wax Out of Curtains & Carpet

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Things You'll Need

  • Ice

  • Metal pan

  • Butter knife

  • Vacuum

  • Boiling water

  • Large bowl or sink

  • Iron

  • Paper towels

  • Alcohol

  • Clean rags

  • Laundry stain remover

Avoid candle wax spills by using dripless candles.

Candle wax is a tough substance to remove. It can't be laundered away and it can leave a greasy stain even if the wax is chipped off. Wax spills happen often on tablecloths after the evening's candles have been blown out. The excess wax gets carried when you blow the candles out and can spatter across other surfaces. Candle wax removal is a two-part process. First, remove the tactile wax and then remove the wax that soaked into the fibers of the fabric causing the greasy stain.

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Step 1

Pour ice into a metal pan and place it over the wax. This will cause the wax to harden after a few minutes and make it easier to chip off with the knife. Brush off the pieces of wax if it is on a curtain. Vacuum it out of the carpet so the little pieces don't melt again and re-adhere.

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Step 2

Place a bowl under the curtains or remove them and situate the stain over a sink. Boil water and pour it over the stain, catching the water in the bowl or allowing it to go into the sink. This should heat up the remaining candle residue left in the fibers and melt it out with the receding water.

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Step 3

Preheat an iron for stubborn carpet stains or instead of using the boiling water method. Place a paper towel under the curtain stain and on top and press with the iron to melt the remaining wax, which will be absorbed into the towels. For carpet, vacuum all the loose wax and put a piece of paper towel on top of the stain. Iron and much of the wax will transfer to the paper towel.

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Step 4

Finish cleaning the carpet with alcohol. Saturate a corner of a rag with regular medicinal alcohol and blot at the remaining stain. Use a fresh corner of the rag with the alcohol until all signs of the wax have been removed.

Step 5

Remove as much wax as possible with any method or combination of methods and then rub on enough stain remover to cover the spot. Agitate it with your fingers and then in the case of the curtain, pour more water through the fabric to rinse out the cleaner. The carpet will need to be blotted repeatedly with fresh water and a towel until the stain remover is gone.

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