We all love lighting candles every once in a while for the cozy ambiance it creates.
But what to do when your seemingly perfect evening turns into a nightmare because you spill candle wax on your precious carpet?
Well, lucky for you, there are a lot of ways how to get candle wax out of the carpet, and doing this is fairly easy. So let us see how you can tackle this problem without ruining your carpet.
What To Do When You Spill Wax On Your Carpet?
Spills happen on carpets all the time. In case of food spills, we tend to clean the area as soon as possible so that the stain does not settle onto the carpet.
However, in the case of candle wax spills, we do the opposite. If you have spilled wax on your carpet, then there is no need to panic.
The key here is to let the wax dry out before you start working on it. Yes, that’s right.
Treating melting wax will lead you to push it even further into the carpet fibers and will make it difficult for you to clean it. So the key here is to let it solidify before you begin cleaning it up.
What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Candle Wax From Carpets?
Here’s the best way to get candle wax out of your carpet:
1. Scrape it off
Let the candle wax solidify completely first, then take a butter knife and start scraping the wax gently. Then follow it up by vacuuming the carpet to get rid of leftover wax.
Typically, this method should be enough to get rid of wax completely, even colored wax.
How to Remove Candle Stain From Carpet?
2. Clean it up
If you see any leftover stains on the carpet, then take a mug of water and add one tablespoon of clear dish soap to it.
Now dip a towel into the soap mix and start cleaning the outer edges first and work your way towards the center of the stain.
This will ensure that you do not end up spreading the stain. Wipe with plain water one last time once the stain goes away.
3. Vacuum away
Now let the spot dry and then vacuum away the area to clean away any leftover wax.
How To Get Candle Wax Out Of Carpet Using an Iron or Hair Dryer?
Another great way to get rid of candle stains from carpets is by using a heating source such as an iron or a hair dryer. Here’s how you can remove candle stains from the carpet using it:
1. Scrape it off
Again, the first step is to scrape the candle wax off from the carpet as much as possible.
This will help you remove the big chunks of wax, and then you can work on removing the leftover wax from the carpet’s fibers.
2. Place a paper towel & give it some heat
Now take a paper towel and place it over the candle wax. It is important you do not skip this step; otherwise, you may end up damaging the fibers of your carpet.
After placing the paper towel, take an iron, and once it is heated to a medium temperature, start moving it back and forth on the paper towel.
Alternatively, you can also use a hair dryer to get rid of the wax stain from your carpet.
For this, take the hair dryer and blow heat on the paper towel for 10-20 seconds from a safe distance. The wax will start melting, and the paper towel will absorb it.
If your paper towel gets full and stops soaking, then replace it with a new one. While using this method, just ensure that you do not use very high heat.
3. Clean up & vacuum
Take a commercial cleaning solution or alcohol and clean any leftover wax or wax stain from the carpet. After this, allow the area to dry, and then follow it up by vacuuming the carpet.
How to Get Candle Wax Out of Carpet Without Heat?
Although heat is the best way to get rid of candle wax from carpet, small stains can be treated with these alternatives too:
1. Commercial cleaners
So if there is a minor candle wax spill on your carpet, then you can simply apply some commercial cleaners to the area to get rid of the wax. Use the commercial cleaner as per the instruction on the packaging.
2. DIY Solution
Here’s another way to tackle small wax spills on the carpet. Take ¼ cup white vinegar and dilute it by adding ¾ cup water. Put this in a spray bottle and spray the solution onto the wax stain.
Now let the solution sit on the stain for 30 minutes and cover it up with a clean cloth.
After 30 minutes, rub the area with the same cloth and plain water. Carry out other methods if the was still lingers.
You can use this DIY solution to clean the carpet when your pet has accidental spills.
Different Types of Candle Wax
Let us have a look at different types of wax and learn how easy or difficult it is to get rid of them:
Paraffin Wax
This is the most common type of wax, and you will find many things, including crayons, wax cubes, candle wax, etc. Removing this type of wax from your carpet is easy. This implies you can also easily get crayons out of the carpet.
Beeswax
This is another popular type of wax, and when you burn a beeswax candle, it realizes negative ions and helps in cleaning dust, allergens, etc. If you spill Beeswax on your carpet, then it will come off in one piece.
Soy Wax
A lot of natural candles these days are composed of Soy wax. This type of wax is pretty dense and requires more heat to melt.
Coconut Wax
This is a natural and environment-friendly wax. You will not find Coconut wax candle in large retail stores; it is not that common yet. However, coconut wax is really soft, and getting rid of it is very easy.
Palm Wax
This wax contains palm tree oil and is denser than other wax types. So removing it is a bit difficult.
Why Does Cleaning Wax Require Special Instructions?
Wax spills might look scary and difficult to get rid of at first, but that’s not the case at all. If your carpet is made of silk or nylon and does not have many fibers, then removing wax is a cakewalk.
However, for fibrous carpets such as wool carpets, you will need to follow special instructions. On such carpets, wax sticks to the carpet’s fibers and forms a clump after it solidifies.
However, the clumps can be easily removed by scraping, and the rest of the leftover candle wax residue can be removed using a cleaning solution, heat, or rubbing alcohol.
How To Prevent Carpet Wax Spills?
Here are some tips for you to prevent carpet wax spills:
- Buy drip-proof candlestick holders as they catch fallen wax.
- Trim your candle wick to ¼ inch to prevent it from melting in an uneven way.
- Before relocating your candle, allow it to cool off completely.
- Avoid placing candles or candle holders at the edge of the table.
- Make sure your candle sticks are upright before you light them up.
- Place your candles away from rugs and carpets and place them on plates or trays.
Wrapping Up
See how easy it is to get rid of candle spills from your carpet. In this guide on how to get candle wax out of carpet, we shared many ways using which you can clean the stain off your carpet.
We also shared other tips on avoiding carpet spills, etc. We hope you found this useful.
FAQ’s
What can help in dissolving wax?
Anything that can cut through grease and dissolve oil can dissolve wax. Rubbing alcohol, acetone, etc., can remove wax.
How to clean candle wax from a carpet without iron?
If you do not have an iron, then you can clean the candle wax using a hair dryer and put medium heat on the wax stain for 20-30 seconds. You can also use a cloth dipped in boiling water to get rid of the wax.
Will wax damage my carpet permanently?
It is highly unlikely that wax will damage your carpet permanently. Wax is not a harmful material, and cleaning it up is fairly easy.
How to check which type of wax has stained my carpet?
You can check the label of your candle to find out which type of wax it is. For example: if it is body wax, then it is beeswax; if it is crayons, then it is paraffin, and so on.
How can I remove eyebrow wax from carpet?
If you have spilled eyebrow wax on your carpet, then allow the wax to harden up. Then scrape off the wax using a butter knife. Lastly, rub the remaining wax using rubbing alcohol or acetone.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!