How To Remove Candle Wax From Clothing & Tablecloths

by Taylor

Below I've gathered tips for how to remove candle wax from clothing and tablecloths.

I've grouped both clothes and table linens together, because since they are washable they are really cleaned in the same way.

Of course, there are really two parts to the cleaning process. The videos below focus a lot on actually removing the wax which gets on the fabric.

That, unfortunately, can be just the first step in the process though. After you remove the wax you are still often left with a stained area where the dye within the wax (if it is a colored candle, and not a colorless one) has left its tell-tale mark.

For advice on removing the stains itself, check out my article on candle wax stain removal. The videos below will give you some great techniques for removing the actual wax from the fabric.

Of course, candles have been around for quite a while, so there are lots of effective ways to remove the wax, some of which I'm sure I haven't got covered below. If you've used a technique for removing candle wax, or the stains they leave behind, I would love for you to share your tips for how to remove candle wax stains here, or you can read other tips for other surfaces which have already been submitted, such as for carpet or glass.

In addition, the tips below focus mainly on home remedies for how to remove candle wax from clothing and other fabric. However, there are also several candle wax removers available which are safe for fabrics, and these can also help. If you've used a product that has worked well for you, please share your stain remover review here.

How To Safely Remove Candle Wax From Clothing

Learning how to safely remove candle wax from clothing can be an important thing to know, so you don't put holes in your clothes trying to remove that stubborn wax.

The video below gives tips for how to remove wax from clothing, and suggests as the first step putting ice on a metal tray to get the wax cold and hard.

That is a perfectly acceptable way to do it, but of course there are alternatives for getting the wax cold.

One possibility is just placing the garment directly into the freezer for an hour or so, which is actually a lot simpler than placing the ice in a tray.

Another way to do it is to put ice in a plastic bag, and place this directly onto the wax stain. With this method, though, you have to be more careful with condensation, so you don't get your clothing too wet which can impede wax removal if you also need to use a warm iron.

After you get the wax cold the idea is to pop or shave off as much wax as possible with a dull knife. I've found, through experience, this works best for large drips.

However, if the candle wax has spread around while wet, or has penetrated the fibers, this will typically not be enough to remove all the wax.

With the wax remaining you can then heat the wax on the fabric, using an iron, to melt the remaining wax, such as between the fibers, and absorb it with paper towels or butcher paper.

Check out this video below for a full demonstration of this ironing technique.

Hope this video helped you learn how to remove candle wax from clothing. In addition, there is another video below with even more suggestions for you.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Removing Candle Wax Stain From Washable Fabric

Removing a candle wax stain, when the candle that dripped onto your washable fabric was colored, can be tricky.

That is because the dye contained in the candle wax can stain the fabric, and the stain can be difficult to remove.

Here is how this site suggests to get the colored candle wax stain out of the fabric, after you have removed the wax: use either a laundry pretreater or dry cleaning solvent.

This video suggests another method for getting out these colored stains: an oxygen based stain remover, such as Oxiclean. The video suggests leaving the washable fabric soaking in a solution of this oxygen based cleaner for several hours, to overnight, to loosen and remove the stain.

The video also shows some good techniques for removing the wax itself from the fabric, which of course you have to do before you can begin treating the stain caused by the wax.

See the video for full details:

As you can see, there are many methods for how to remove candle wax from clothing and other fabrics. If you have another method that has worked for you, please share your tip here.

Photo by FotoDawg

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