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Restore your household items to their former glory. These tips will help you with the safe and easy removal of candle wax from the following surfaces:
How to Remove Wax from Candlesticks
Glass candlesticks: placing the candlestick in the fridge for at least 20 minutes will make the wax chip off easily.
Then wash the candlestick in warm water and clean wax stains with dishwashing liquid.
Use a rough sponge or scourer loaded with undiluted dishwashing liquid on any remaining stubborn wax bits.
Metal candle holders: up to an hour in the fridge and the wax will chip off easily.
If you're in a tearing hurry,
2-3 minutes in the freezer should do the trick.
Is your candlestick made of Sterling silver, gold, copper, or brass?
Hot water is an excellent candle wax remover, and won't rust these metal types.
Hold the candlestick in hot water for 1-2 minutes. Wipe the melted wax off with a paper towel. Polish.
Stainless steel doesn't rust easily, under normal conditions.
A short submersion in hot water, with a good drying-off
afterwards, won't do it any harm.
Wrought iron rusts quite easily, so the fridge technique is recommended.
Is the candle holder too big for your fridge?
Stick these large wrought iron pieces into the deep freeze, (drying them off well afterwards).
Or use the ice-cube-in-plastic-bag method, described under the wood section.
Do not pour melted-wax-and-water mixtures down the kitchen sink or drain! The wax sets, forming a solid mass which blocks pipes.
Leave the wax in the water until cool. Lift the wax layer off and discard. You can then safely pour the left-over water away.
How to Clean a Carpet Stained with Candle Wax
You'll need:
Ice cubes
Paper towels
An iron
Powdered starch, cornflour or talcum powder
Dry cleaning fluid
Remove as much of the excess wax as possible. Make it easier for yourself by first
chilling the area. Place ice-cubes in a plastic bag. Leave it on the
spot with the candlewax for a few minutes. Scrape off the wax bits.
Place paper towels onto the wax residue. Heat your iron up to a moderately
hot temperature. Iron over the paper towels. You might have to repeat this with
mutiple paper towels.
Coloured candle drips leave a stain. Mix a paste of talcum powder, cornflour or powdered starch and dry cleaning fluid.
Work this into the pile. A thick paste of borax and water gives the same result. Vacuum your carpet when it dries and it should be as good as new!
Removing Melted Wax from Fabric
You'll need:
Paper towels
An iron
Dry cleaning fluid
Whether you're cleaning spilt candle wax from linen tablecloths, cotton clothing or denim jeans, you will follow the same basic procedure.
If your wax spill is on a couch (or suchlike),
with no wall socket nearby, warm the iron up first and move it to the required location.
In this case, you can also warm it up on your stove-top.
You need a hot iron. Lukewarm won't do. (Don't be nervous! I use the same method. The paper towel won't catch fire. Just remember to move the iron around and not to hold it in one spot.)
Cover the spilled wax with paper towels. For clothes, a tablecloth, etc.,
sandwich the affected area between paper towels.
Iron over the paper towels.
As the wax melts, the paper towels will soak up and absorb the wax.
Do this repeatedly until the area comes clean. This method removes the wax, but leaves you with an unsightly fatty stain.
Use dry cleaning fluid to get rid of it. Wash your fabric item normally.
How to Remove Candle Wax from Hair
If you've ever overenthusiastically blown out a candle, you know how easily wax splashes onto hair.
You don't want your crowning glory wrecked or have to snip it off!
You'll need:
Paper towels
A hair dryer
This is not an easy task, but can be done. Is someone helping you? Get them to sandwich the piece of waxed hair between 2 paper towels.
Use the hair dryer on a moderate to hot setting. Move it around over the waxed hair.
As the wax liquifies the paper towels absorb it.
Working alone? Blowdry the piece of waxed hair vigorously until the wax is liquid.
Quickly wipe the hair with the paper towel.
Usually your hair will have to be blowdried and wiped repeatedly but it will come clean eventually without damaging your hair too much.
For very long hair with wax splashed onto the ends (not likely, I know!), dip your hair into a bowl of hot water.
The melted wax can then be wiped off quite easily.
How to Remove Wax from a Stove Top
A thick, warm, not-yet-set layer of wax should lift off easily with a knife or spatula.
A layer of wax containing stearin should chip off easily once it's cold and set.
If all else fails, use the ice-cube-in-plastic-bag method, described under the wood section.
Clean the last remaining stubborn bits of wax off with undiluted dishwashing liquid (or your usual kitchen cleaner).
Pour the liquid onto a soft cloth, and use your fingertip
to firmly rub the wax off.
How to Remove Candle Wax from Wood
You'll need:
Ice cubes
A blunt knife
Make the wax brittle by chilling it. Wrap an icecube tray in plastic (or a few loose ice cubes for awkward or rounded shapes).
Place this onto the wax.
Leave for a few minutes.
Cover the point of a blunt knife with a soft cloth or an
old pair of pantyhose. Scrape the wax bits off carefully. Use a damp cloth and a tiny bit of soap to rub the marks.
Wipe with a clean cloth.
Polish your wooden item or piece of furniture the way you usually do.
Reference materials.
The tips for cleaning wax off carpets and wood came from the following source: Take a Hint. A household encyclopedia, by Jean Cooper, published in 1979.
I found an original copy in my local library. Unfortunately, currently unavailable.
Candlemaking: Creative Designs and Techniques by David Constable. Also contains various wax removal tips.
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