How to Remove Candle Wax from Carpet and Rugs

Nothing sets the mood, clears the air, or calms the spirit like a candle. That is, at least, until you spill the candle wax all over the floor. In one fell swoop, the mood is shot, the air is clouded, and the spirit is screaming.

Getting candle wax out of carpet and fabric is not as easy as you might think. You can scratch and pick or pull and peel for hours, only to have both a stained carpet and pulled threads. There are however a few secrets to getting that wax out of the carpet. By following this guide, you can quickly get back to mood setting and air clearing.

Heat got it there – Heat will get it out.

Think about it, heat melted the candle before you spilled it. It will take heat to get it out of the carpet. If you simply pull and tug, you will most likely simply pull the threads from your fabric, and you will never get the wax out of the carpet. When these accidents happen, you desperately want to minimize the damages.

For this process, you will need:
An iron
A brown paper bag or thick paper towel
Rubbing alcohol or dry cleaning solution
Time and Patience

Step 1: Remain Calm
If you see the candle spill or fall over, pick it up immediately. You should not try to clean-up the wax immediately. You will want to let it harden and set. Your instinct will be to start cleaning; If you do that, you might burn yourself, but you will certainly spread the wax around making the problem bigger.

Step 2: Start the Clean-Up
After the wax hardens, get your various supplies. Plug in the iron, and set it on a low heat. You do not want the iron too hot, it may melt synthetic fabrics.

You will want to tear a piece of brown paper bag (or paper towel) and lay it over the wax. Gently apply the iron to the top of the paper. The wax will melt and adhere to the paper bag. You will know it is working, because the paper will appear greasy.

When the paper is greasy, get a new piece and repeat. After several applications, the wax will all pull away and stick to the paper.

WARNING – Do not leave the iron sitting in one place for too long. As with your regular ironing, you can burn the fabric or the carpet.

Step 3: Check for Stain
If your candle was colored, the pigment and dyes might stain the carpet or fabric after you pull the wax out. If this has occurred, apply some rubbing alcohol to a rag or piece of paper towel and lightly dab the color out. If the alcohol is not working, you may use dry cleaning solution as well.