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We use candles on so many occasions. They just light up the environment letting us enjoy the whole aesthetic vibes they create around us. Many of us enjoy lighting up scented candles too because of their soothing and evocative scents. But when the wax falls and sticks to our dear furniture and beautiful clothes? Yeah, no one wants that.
Don’t let this prevent you from lighting candles though. There are different methods to remove the wax depending upon the surface type. Scroll down to check them out right away.
Outline
How to Remove Candle Wax from Any Surface:
1. Cloth
Materials Required:
All you need is a paper towel (blotting paper works equally well), an iron, a normal towel, and any washing powder/soap/liquid.
How to Clean:
- Step one in this process is to do nothing. When I say this, I mean that if the wax has just spilled, it will be hot so it’s better to let it dry. Trying to get rid of it while it’s hot will rather make a mess.
- After it has dried, try scratching the resulting hard component as much as you can by using a knife.
- After scratching, place a normal towel behind the wax stain. Put two paper towels above the stain and iron it between medium to low heat for the wax to melt. If the paper towel gets saturated, replace it or change its sides.
- If the stain is colored, use lukewarm water and an oxygen-based stain remover and let it soak (this step is only for colored stains).
- Finish the stain removal process by washing and drying the cloth. Tada! The stain is gone.
2. Wooden Surface
Materials Required:
Blow dryer, white vinegar, water, white cloth, and furniture polish.
How to Clean:
- Soften dried wax with a blow dryer on medium heat (Safety tip: Keep the blow dryer 3 to 4 inches away from the table and your face too).
- After it melts, blot the softened wax with a soft white cloth.
- Pour some white vinegar over the remaining wax and wipe it with a cloth.
- In case the polish dulls out because of vinegar usage, use the furniture polish to restore its look.
Related: Genius Vinegar Cleaning Tips for Your Home.
3. Metal Surface
Materials Required: Steel ruler or knife and textured cloth
How to Clean:
Try to scratch out as much wax as possible using a steel ruler or if that doesn’t work, use a knife. For the remaining wax, take a cloth with some solid texture, soak it in hot water, and then wipe it over the wax. This will easily remove any leftover wax.
4. Vinyl Flooring
Materials Required: Ice cubes, plastic bag, steel ruler or spoon, vinegar, baking soda.
How to Clean:
- Keep a plastic bag filled with ice cubes on the wax to harden it. Keep it for a few minutes. Cold treatment is used for vinyl floors because vinyl and heat aren’t that good friends.
- Remove the hardened wax using a ruler or spoon.
- Still, if any stain remains behind, use any multipurpose remover to wipe it out. Or you can try rubbing a paste of baking soda and vinegar over the stain to clean it. This is an efficient and cheap hack to clean the vinyl floor of any stains.
Related: Brilliant Baking Soda Cleaning Hacks You Must Know
5. Glass
Materials Required: Plastic Ruler, Warm water, Soap.
How to Clean:
To remove wax from glass, use the same method as used for other surfaces, i.e. to scratch away the hard dried wax. For glass, use a plastic ruler. Clean the remaining wax and stain with lukewarm soapy water. Warm water will soften the wax, facilitating easy cleaning.
6. Painted Wall
Materials Required: Hairdryer, water, vinegar.
How to Clean:
Use the hairdryer at medium heat to melt the wax. After it melts away, wipe it off with lukewarm water. Remove the residual stain using a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar to 3/4 cup water.
7. Carpet
Materials Required: Sharp object, lint-free cloth, an iron, rubbing alcohol, vacuum cleaner
How to Clean:
- Using any sharp object (not so sharp that it can harm the carpet) scratch the hard wax.
- Take a little wet, lint-free cloth and lay it over the wax. Iron the damp cloth with a medium temperature setting; the wax will stick to the cloth.
- Apply rubbing alcohol to remove residue.
- If rubbing alcohol is not available, use an ice pack to freeze the wax. Then scrap the frozen wax with a blunt object, like the handle of a kitchen utensil. Vacuum up the pieces before they soften.
8. Leather Furniture
Materials Required: Hairdryer, 2 clean cloth strips, soapy water
Use the dryer to warm and melt the wax but be very careful so you don’t burn the leather. Remove the wax with a clean cloth, and then use a little wet cloth soaked in mild soapy water to remove residue and keep the leather from drying out.
Safety tip: Be very cautious while using heat and sharp objects. Keep them away from your face and body while using them. Don’t leave it around children.
Use the wax removal method corresponding to the material type so that you won’t harm the product. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below!
