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Getting wax out of carpets and rugs is a precious household skill to posses. Luckily for most of us, learning how to get melted wax out of carpets comes down to few simple tips, and it is definitely not unsolvable.

Be it that you threw a fancy party and need to clean up the mess, or you accidentally dropped a candle during a romantic evening, you will eventually deal with the major bummer of how to get candle wax out of carpets.

If renting a place, this may as well be the wisdom that will get you your deposit back.

Logan-Circle-Modern-by-JD-Ireland-Interior-Architecture-Design How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: JD Ireland Interior Architecture + Design

At the end of the day, there is more than one way to get wax out of carpets, and most of them are simple and short.

This means that you won’t have to soak and wash the carpet, or try scraping it with a sharp object that could damage it.

New-Showhomes-Calgary-Edmonton-by-Sabal-Homes How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Sabal Homes

Our suggestions on how to get wax out of carpets are fast, simple, and gentle enough to restore the original condition of your sensitive carpet fibers.

Better yet, our tips work on clothing as well!

Supon-Phornirunlit-by-Naked-Decor How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Naked Decor/a>

But why is wax such a pain to get rid of? Does this mean that we need to skip the brilliant and softening mood candles can set back home?

Of course, being attentive and preventing wax spillage is the best thing you can do, but it won’t necessarily prevent wax from dripping on your carpet.

Monmouth-Beach-House-by-i.fromkin-interiors How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: i.fromkin interiors

How to clean candle wax off carpets? Let’s check:

Step 1: Get prepared

This is what you will need to confront your stain enemy:
• A paper towel
• An iron
That’s pretty much it!

Step 2: The blotch is ready to go!

It has become a bit intuitive at this point, hasn’t it?
If interested to piece it up right away, get ready. We have your solution.

Greenwich-Residence-by-Liliane-Hart-Interiors How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Liliane Hart Interiors

Heat the iron in line with the recommendations for your carpet’s fiber material.
In an industrial setting, for instance, you may be risking burning out plastic and polyester materials, and cause even more damage.

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Image source: H3K Design

Put the paper towel over the wax stain, and place the iron on top. After few seconds, lift the iron, and check whether the wax is all stuck on the towel. In case it is not, reposition the iron, and let the towel absorb it.
Repeat all steps until the paper towel has absorbed each wax drop.

Step 3: It is time to be proud of your cleaning methods

Solution # 2:

1. What matters when cleaning wax stains is to get down to the work as soon as you’ve noticed one. If you let it stay there longer, you may not be able to remove it altogether.
2. Get a plastic bag, and put some ice in it.
3. Once ready, lay and press the bag directly over the stain.
4. Give the wax a couple of minutes to freeze.
5. Take a dull knife, move the bag away, and scrap the wax off your carpet.
6. To remove what is left from the wax stain, tale a clean cloth or a brown paper bag, and place it over the damaged area.
7. Warm up your iron, and press it slowly over the bag. As soon as you do so, the paper/cloth will absorb the wax, and once you lift it, there will be nothing left on the carpet. If necessary, repeat this process several times.
8. To make sure no wax residue has remained on the carpet, clean it and scrub the area with your usual solution.
There you go – You’ve cleaned an annoying wax stain off your carper all by yourself!

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Image source: ON Design Architects

Solution #3:

There is an even simpler way to get wax off your carpet:
1. Instead of freezing the stain, start by scraping it with a dull knife. It may take time, but wax will eventually let go of your carpet’s fibers.
2. Upon need, you can once again fill a plastic bag with ice cubes, and apply it on the damaged area to freeze up the wax residue.
3. In a similar way, use a dull knife to remove the residue.
4. If you have a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery fixture, use it to collect what is left from the wax.
5. The damage may be bigger with a colored candle, as you may as well deal with a color stain. In this case, take a white cloth, and pour a bit of cleaning alcohol on it. Dab the stain slowly and gently, as rubbing may damage your carpet even more.
6. At the end, take a clean and dry towel, and blot your carpet until it dries out.
You were throwing an amazing holiday party, at least until your naughty children started chasing around, and knocked a lit candle right over your new carpet. At that point, everyone will start suggesting solutions (most of them related to ironing a paper bag over the stain), but truth is there’s a big chance to make things worse if you don’t know how this works.

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Image source: Ed Ritger Photography

To get all dilemmas out of the way, we consulted a professional, and we got a number of different tips and DIY wax cleaning suggestions. As it turns out, the solution to this problem is much easier than it seems at that point.

The first thing to do is to remove the bigger chunks by hand, and it will be here where you collect most of it. The logical step for most of us would be to proceed scrapping the wax with a knife, but you should be aware of the possibility to damage it and make the area fuzzy. In case such thing happens, you can lay a pair of scissors flat on the surface, push the pivot down, and trim the fuzz off.

Remodeled-Arizona-Farmhouse-by-Design-InSite How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Design InSite

Heat exchange is an excellent method that helps reach out to the core of your carpet’s fibers, as it doesn’t only clean the surface, but it also drags the remaining wax out of it.

Unfortunately, odds are high that the waxed area will lose its color, especially if treating a lighter carpet. This is why you should always try treating a stain with a heavy-duty solvent or stain remover.

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Image source: Maienza – Wilson Architecture + Interiors

Cleaning natural-fiber carpets

If you have a natural-fiber carpet, you can clean wax with an ice pack. Shatter it, and use a vacuum cleaner to pick up the pieces. Next, go over the spot using a consumer solvent for dry cleaning, only if the manufacturer recommended so. The last step is blot-drying which you can easily perform with a damp and clean cloth.

Cassique-Cottage-by-Margaret-Donaldson-Interiors How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Margaret Donaldson Interiors

Cleaning stains off synthetic carpets

When wax damage happens to a synthetic carpet, the best thing to do is to rub it with an ice pack until it is hard enough to remove. Once shattered, wax pieces will be easy to collect with a vacuum cleaner, after which you can also treat the carpet with a cleaning solvent recommended by the carpet’s vendor. To blot-dry it in the end, use a clean and damp cloth, and repeat the process as many times as necessary.

Isabella-by-London-Bay-Homes How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: London Bay Homes

Treating similar carpet stains

Whatever the stain is caused by, jump on removing the excess right away. For most stains, it will suffice to spread some cleaning agent and leave it there for 10 minutes. Once ready, remove the agent immediately, and blot the damaged area with circle movements.

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Image source: Adrianna Beech

Hiring professional service

Sometimes, the stain will be too large or neglected for a while, in which case our DIY tips may not work. This is the moment when you should hire a professional carpet cleaning service, and put them in charge of saving your marvelous carpet.

Depending on the nature of the damage, they will apply a variety of industrial methods and their own skills and experience to get the work done, but it may also happen that there is nothing they can do to restore the carpet’s original condition.

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Image source: John Kraemer & Sons

Ending thoughts

It doesn’t take to be a designer to know that a couple of scented candles are the best way to set some positive mood. Be it that you’ve chosen a statement pillar of a great candle as your floating centerpiece, their warm glow will complete the charm of any occasion you may be hosting at home.

If you’re this romantic, nevertheless, you will also recall dripping wax incidents, and how much effort it took to get that wax off and keep your room stylish.

Master-Suite-and-Bath-Collection-by-Haddad-Hakansson-Design-Studio How to Get Wax Out of Carpet
Image source: Haddad Hakansson Design Studio

We hope that our guide on cleaning wax from carpets will help preserve the top-top condition of your home. As you could read so far, the process doesn’t have to be so annoying, so get back to turning out the lights and setting up a pleasant atmosphere.

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