Candle Wax--Shedding Light on How to Remove Wax from your Carpets and Upholstery

Candles are a great addition to any decor, adding ambiance and a sense of festivity and romance to your room, and even promoting your health and wellness through relaxation enhancing fragrances. Today, with an estimated market of over 2 billion dollars, it's probably safe to guess you have at least a few of them accenting your home. But anyone who has ever been tasked with removing spilled wax from carpets and upholstery knows that it can be quite stressful—regardless of how therapeutic they're promised to be!

The best way to tackle wax removal is to act quickly, before it's had the chance to harden around or dye the fibers in you fabric or carpet. But when that isn't option—and before you consider replacing the rugs or rearrange the furniture to cover any unsightly spots—read on for a very effective method of removing wax and eliminating stains.

Though a little time consuming, one of the most effective ways to remove candle wax that has hardened on fabric or carpet, is with an electric iron. For this, you'll need heavy duty absorbent white paper towels (a brown bag also works well) and an electric iron. Here's what you do:

1. Start by using a brush or your hands to pick away at any of the excess wax, using care to not unravel the pile or tear the fibers.

2. Next plug in the iron in and turn it on to the lowest setting possible.

3. After the iron heats up, take a paper towel and place it over the spot and lightly apply the warm iron to the paper towel. As the wax begins to melt and liquefy, the paper towel will absorb it and its color.

For thicker or more textured carpets, like Berber, you may have to press down harder with the iron. But be sure you do not raise the temperature of the iron to any higher than the warm setting, or you'll risk singeing or melting the carpets or upholstery's synthetic fibers. Also be especially careful not to pull on any fibers or loops, which can cause running much like panty hose, and ruin the carpet.

4. This may take some time, so have patience as you continue working the iron and rearranging the towel until all of the wax is absorbed. It may require several paper towels.

This method should work to remove all of the wax. But if you have a particularly large spill or stubborn stain, and you're still noticing a wax residue even after you're finished, try using an ice cube to re-harden the wax, and once again use your fingers or a brush to pick it away, and repeat the steps above. Patience is key, of course, if all else fails, call on the services of Grime Solvers.

Sources:www.thefreelibrary.com
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