How to Remove Candle Wax Stains

The holiday season is upon us! The weather is getting colder, cookies are being baked, and candles are being lit. So many of us will be decorating our homes with wonderfully smelling candles! But what happens when the wax drips on to your tablecloth or table runner? Don’t worry! The first step is to freeze the stain. This will allow it to be easier to remove the wax as it will have dried. If the tablecloth or item is too large to put in your freezer, try placing an ice cube on the wax. If you put a few in a plastic bag and hold on top of the stain, you can minimize the mess of the ice melting everywhere. For items that are much smaller, feel free to fold them up so that the wax stain is on top and place the entire item in the freezer for an hour or so.

Take a plastic card or the back of a butter knife and gently scrape the wax off of the item. This is easiest when the cloth is pulled taut. But be careful to not rip or cut a hole in the fabric. Then lay the item on an ironing board with a paper towel under the stain and above the stain. Place an old towel on top so that when you iron, the wax does not stick to your iron. Using a hot iron, carefully iron over the stained area. Do not rest the iron on the stain as this might burn the towels sitting on top of the stain. Check the paper towels to see if they are absorbing the wax and replace them as necessary. This process will help to remove the hard wax stain. Once you have removed all of the wax, there may be a faint stain from the color of the wax. Using your favorite stain remover (mine is Zout Liquid Spray!), spray the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then launder as usual. Check to make sure the stain has been completely removed before placing the item in the dryer. Repeat the process with the stain remover if the stain is still present.

Happy Holidays to all of you – and happy stain fighting!

For more ideas on fighting holiday dinner stains, check out our articles on Red Wine and Ice Cream