Red candles for romance, bright ones for a birthday, sleek and sophisticated tapers for a family dinner – candles make special occasions even more special!
But then, whoops! Candle wax suddenly drips onto your favorite clothing or tablecloth and your celebration is transformed into a waxy mess. Not to mention the heavy laundering bills you will now have to pay to get that wax out of your clothes or table linens.
The good news is that you can save yourself the cost of those bills and learn how to remove candle wax stains from fabric, using quick and easy methods to get rid of the waxy mess.
Here are three simple and effective ways to get wax out of your fabrics:
Method 1: Using Heat
Things you’ll need:
- Iron
- Ice cubes in a bowl
- Paper towels
Step 1. Freeze the wax
Put ice cubes in a bowl and place it over the wax spill. This helps freeze the wax solid. When the wax is frozen, remove the bowl of ice.
Step 2. Chip away the wax
Chip away as much of the wax as possible, using a dull knife or a small hammer. Chipping removes most of the wax from the fabric and only the stain remains.
Step 3. Place the fabric between paper towel layers
Put two paper towels under the wax stain and two paper towels over it.
If your fabric has a second layer of wax stain (like the leg of a pair of pants), you must also place paper towels between the layers of fabric.
Step 4. Iron over the paper towels
Heat an iron, set at low to medium heat. Run it over the paper towel covering the stained area.
The heat from the iron will melt the wax, which will then get absorbed into the paper towels and leave your fabric.
If you see your paper towel getting saturated with wax, replace it with a new sheet. Repeat the process until no more wax comes off on the paper towel.
Wash the fabric in detergent to remove any residual traces of wax, and the stain is gone.
Method 2: Using Vegetable Oil
Things you’ll need:
- Ice cubes in a bowl
- Vegetable oil
- Cotton ball
Step 1. Freeze and chip away the wax
Freeze and chip away any wax from the surface of the fabric as shown in step 1 of the above method.
Step 2. Rub vegetable oil over the stain
Soak a cotton ball in vegetable oil and dab this over the stain. Rub this around until there are no more traces of wax on the fabric.
While doing so, you might discover oil stains on the fabric. Wash the fabric in detergent to remove this stain. However, for stubborn stains, follow our guide to remove oil stains from fabric.
Method 3: Using Rubbing Alcohol
Things you’ll need:
- Ice cubes in a bowl
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton ball
Step 1. Freeze and chip away the wax
Scrape away extra wax from the fabric using the freezing and chipping process shown in step 1 of Method 1.
Step 2. Dab rubbing alcohol over the stain
Dip a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and gently dab it over the wax stain.
You will find the wax stain vanishing slowly. Repeat the process until the stain is no longer visible.
Finish with washing the fabric in detergent.
Additional Tips:
- Allow the wax to settle and harden before attempting to remove the stain. It is easier to remove wax when it has solidified. Plus, you can get better cleaning results.
- In the case of colored wax, follow a pre-wash stain removal treatment. For this, you can use a liquid detergent and a stain eraser ball. Just pour a small amount of liquid on the stain and rub the stain with the dimples on the ball. Finally, give the fabric a usual wash to see any remnants of the wax spillage disappear.
- If you do not have an iron, you may also use a hair straightener or a blow dryer with a higher degree of settings. This will take a little longer but will definitely serve your purpose.
- If your fabric is very delicate, such as silk, use a spoon instead of a knife to skim off the extra wax. Avoid digging into the cloth, so you do not end up damaging it. Using the edge of a credit or debit card is also a good option.
- For fabrics like wool or fleece, use blotting paper instead of paper towels. This will avoid small bits of paper towel getting caught in the fabric.