Candle Wax Stain Removal Guide

Candle wax stain removal is not something you want to think about when you are getting ready for that special date with your significant other, but you may want to know the next morning, if those romantic candles you placed all around the room have dripped wax everywhere.

Candle wax stains can be especially annoying, because not only do you need to remove the wax itself, many times the candles, especially if colored, leave a stain on the item dripped upon from the dye in the candles.

But, candles have also been around for a long time, and people have learned how to get rid of those candle wax stains well enough, and this page will give you step by step instructions for how to do it too.

So, never fear, you can have another romantic date with candles in the future without worrying about ruining your wardrobe or home furnishings.

Next time though, try not to spill the candle wax!

Please note also that the instructions below explain the process of candle wax stain removal from the perspective of both getting the wax itself and the dye from that wax which has stained your furnishing or clothing out.

However, if the stain you see after wax removal is dark or black, not the red or other color of the candle itself, for example, you may have a stain from the ash in the wick. If that is the case see this article about ash stain removal to get rid of that dark stain.

Candle Wax Stain Removal From Clothing And Washable Fabrics

Step 1: Scrape off the excess wax with a dull knife.

Hint: If the wax is still soft, and has not yet hardened, place the clothing in the freezer which will harden the wax and make it easy to scrape off.

If you scrape while still wet you run the risk of smearing the candle wax further, making it both harder to remove and also getting the stain spread around further too.

Step 2: To remove the rest of the wax remaining on the fabric place the stained area between clean paper towels and press the cloth with a warm iron. This will transfer the now warm wax from the cloth to the paper towel.

Hint: You need to switch out the paper towels quite often when doing this step. Do not get stingy with the paper towels because if you just move the paper towel over to a clean section, for example, you run the risk of spreading the wax stain to new areas of the garment.

Further, make sure your iron is NOT on the steam setting for this process. The steam will only dampen the paper towels or brown paper being used, and hamper the process of transferring the wax from the fabric to the other surface.

To visually see this ironing technique, check out these tips for how to remove candle wax from clothing and tablecloths.

Step 3: Now that the wax is removed if you still have a stain, pretreat the spot with a laundry stain remover.

Step 4: Launder in the hottest water the fabric will allow to get out the stain, and either chlorine bleach if the fabric will allow it, or color bleach if not.

Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place in the dryer or you may set the stain. Repeat if necessary.

If this does not work, the next step for candle wax stain removal is to try blotting dry cleaning solvent on the stain. Once the stain is removed launder as usual.

Remove Candle Wax Stains From Upholstery

Step 1: Scrape off the excess wax with a dull knife.

Hint: If the wax is still soft, and has not yet hardened, you can make it brittle, and thus easier to remove, by putting some ice into a plastic bag and placing this on the soft wax.

Be careful with this candle wax stain removal method that the baggy of ice does not get a lot of condensation on it, which can wet the upholstery and make it more difficult to remove the candle wax stains.

Step 2: For the wax stain still remaining after you have scraped off the wax take a clean white cloth and sponge the stain with a dry cleaning solvent.

Hint: First, be sure to test this solvent on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery to make sure it is safe.

Step 3: Next, blot at the stain until the solvent is absorbed.

Step 4: Repeat steps 2-3 until the stains are removed from the upholstery.

You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.

How To Remove Candle Wax Stains From Carpet

The instructions for candle wax stain removal from carpet is the same as for upholstery.

However, you can also use a warm iron to try to remove additional candle wax after you have scraped off as much as possible.

To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: After scraping off as much wax as possible from the carpet cover the stained area with a clean white cloth.

Step 2: Use the tip of the warm iron to press on the cloth, where the stain is, to transfer the wax from the carpet to the cloth.

Step 3: Replace or move the cloth frequently, being careful not to spread the stain further if you choose to move the cloth around.

CAUTION: Before using the iron on your carpet test it, with the cloth, in an inconspicuous area. Some carpets made with man-made fibers can melt even at low temperatures, meaning you would do more harm then good trying to get the candle wax out using this method in such a situation.

To see a demonstration of this ironing technique, along with additional tips for removal, check out these tips about how to remove candle wax from carpet.

Do You Have A Candle Wax Stain Removal Tip To Share?

Do you have your own candle wax stain removal tip? If so, submit your tip here, or read others that have already been submitted.

In addition, as you may have guessed, this is one of the top Halloween spots and spills. You can check out my article for removing the top 10 Halloween stains here, if you're a victim of such a scary problem!

This is also one of the top Valentine's Day stains as well.

Get Even More Stain And Spot Removal Help Here

Are you a stain magnet like me? If so, check out the A to Z Stain Removal Guide which gives directions for how to remove over 100 types of stains from all kinds of surfaces.

Fourth photo by Peter Becker

Related Pages You May Enjoy

A-Z Guide: Instructions For Removing Over 100 Types Of Stains

How To Remove Thanksgiving Stains

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.