There’s nothing quite like the warm, romantic atmosphere that candlelight provides. The gentle heat, the soft glow, the… candle wax dripping onto your carpet?
Oops.
Whether you were trying to add a fairytale touch to a dinner party or the power went out for the night, there’s the risk that the candles will drip onto the carpet. Fortunately, there’s no need to cry over spilled wax.
How to get wax out of carpet? Try one of these methods:
- Freezing wax with an ice pack
- Heating wax with a hair dryer
- Heating wax with a warm iron
- Cleaning wax off with vinegar
- Cleaning wax off with rubbing alcohol
- Cleaning wax off with dry-cleaner solvent
Don’t forget to clean the carpet afterwards. That’ll take care of any stains or discolouration. Then you can go back to enjoying your candlelit evening… with some drip guards or holders for protection!
What Type of Carpet Do You Have?
Before you reach for any cleaning solutions, it’s good to know what type of carpet you own. Certain carpet fibres require specialised cleaning that you may not be able to do on your own.
Carpets made from synthetic fibres like nylon or polyester are much more durable, so they can withstand most cleaning methods.
However, natural fibres (like wool) or leather are more sensitive materials. In these cases, it’s better to reach out to a professional carpet cleaner.
How to Get Candle Wax Off Carpet
Most common ways to remove candle wax involve temperature – either freezing the wax residue or heating it up.
If the wax gets onto other surfaces (like your floor), a professional house cleaning service can help you out.
Before you remove candle wax from carpet
You’ll need a butter knife or a similar dull knife to scrape dried wax off carpet fibres. Afterwards, you should clean your carpet to tackle any wax stains or discolouration.
Never rub when you’re trying to remove candle wax. That’ll just push the wax further into the fibres and make it harder to get out.
Get candle wax out of carpet with ice cubes
This method works best if you act ASAP. While the spilled wax is still molten, grab a pack of ice cubes.
An ice pack or even a bag of frozen vegetables (like peas) will work as well.
Wrap the ice pack in a towel or plastic bag so the condensation doesn’t mix with the wax spills. Then place the ice pack onto the wax to freeze it.
Once the spilled candle wax has frozen, use the knife to scrape off as much residue as possible.
Keep working until you’ve gotten all the wax off.
Get candle wax out of carpet with a hair dryer
If the wax has already solidified, heat is your best weapon. Grab a hair dryer and set it to medium or high heat.
Hold it a few centimetres away from the spilled wax and move it back and forth. Once the wax begins to soften, blot it with a paper towel.
Try not to hold the hair dryer over the fibres for longer than 30 seconds – the heat could cause the fibres to warp or melt.
Keep going until you’ve gotten all the wax off.
Get candle wax out of carpet with an iron
Be careful with this method, since it involves applying direct heat to your carpet. Grab your iron and a terry cloth towel (or a similarly chunky cloth).
Lay the terry cloth towel over the spilled candle wax. (In a pinch, several layered paper towels will work too.) You can dampen the towel a bit, but it’s not necessary.
Turn your iron to a medium-low setting and press it down on the wax stain for 10 seconds. The towel will begin to absorb the melted wax.
Repeat until the remaining wax is removed.
NOTE: Some people say to use a brown paper bag, but a terry cloth towel is better. The paper bag could scorch under the heat of the iron and damage your carpet further.
How to Remove Wax from Carpet Without Heat
If you don’t want to risk using heat or ice, there are alternatives to remove wax!
Keep in mind, though, that these methods might not be as effective – or could take more effort to clean candle wax off.
Removing wax from carpet with white vinegar
Spot-check the vinegar on your carpet before cleaning – vinegar doesn’t always work well on some materials (especially wool).
Mix equal parts vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. Lightly saturate the affected area – but don’t get it too wet, since moisture can cause mould or damage.
Let the solution sit for about 30 minutes, then place a paper towel or fresh cloth on top to absorb the wax stain.
You can also use vinegar to remove the remaining wax residue after you’ve used another cleaning method.
Removing wax from carpet with rubbing alcohol
If the wax stain is small, try cleaning it with some rubbing alcohol.
Apply a small amount of the alcohol onto the spilled candle wax. Blot the area with a clean white cloth, working from the outer edges then going inwards.
Alternate between alcohol and blotting until all the wax has been removed.
NOTE: This method works well for coloured candle wax. Just make sure to dab, not rub, or you could push the wax further into the carpet fibres!
Removing wax from carpet with dry-cleaning solvent
For small wax drips, you can use a dry-cleaning solvent. Test the product out on an inconspicuous spot first, though!
Blot the affected area with a clean cloth, then apply a small amount of solvent according to instructions.
Gently dab the stain with the cloth to absorb as much wax as possible. Repeat until the remaining residue is removed.
How to Remove a Candle Wax Stain
Once the removal process is finished, it’s time to clean your carpet! You can use your preferred carpet cleaner or stain remover.
TIP: Try scrubbing the cleaner into the carpet with a spoon. The dull edges will scrape off any remaining wax.
Dab off any residue with a clean cloth, then let your carpet completely dry.
You can go over the fibres with a carpet vacuum attachment to catch any remaining wax crumbs and fluff the carpet up. Then your carpet should be good as new!
