How to Remove Wax from Carpet

Anyone who loves candles, or who has ever used them in an emergency, sooner or later has to deal with spilled wax, either from picking up a holder or dish filled with extinguished but still liquid wax, or because a holder has been knocked over. Depending where it falls, clean up can be as easy as scraping it off a tile floor, or as heart stopping as watching it hit the new carpet in your living room.

Don't panic. Removing wax from a carpet is not all that difficult. There are two basic approaches, or rather two initial ways of starting the removal, and one commonly used tip for removing the last of the problem. Some people get on it right away, because it seems as if hard wax is more difficult to remove. However, others insist that letting the wax harden, and encouraging it to get brittle by placing an ice cube on it, results in being able to break off more wax than can be removed by scraping warmer/softer wax with a butter knife, the usual treatment. Get as much wax out as possible, then vacuum to remove any crumbs or particles.

Whichever way you start the clean-up, the finishing touch is generally a warm (not hot, and no steam) iron. Take a sheet of brown wrapping paper, a paper bag, paper towels, or even a cloth if necessary, and place it over the remaining waxy area. Pass the warm iron over the paper, being careful not to touch the carpet and scorch it. The heat will melt the wax, causing it to adhere to whatever you placed on top. In a pinch, your hair dryer can accomplish the same end.

This should remove the last of the wax, but if it was colored, you could be left with a stain. Never use something for stain removal that you haven't used before, or tested on a hidden area. A selection of the recommended methods for getting out a stain are dish detergent, denatured alcohol, carpet stain remover, laundry stain remover, and vinegar.