What do you do when your favorite shirt gets covered in candle wax? You might feel like it’s ruined, right? But don’t worry! There are many different ways to remove the wax from clothing. This article will walk you through how to clean and remove candle wax from clothes.
How to remove candle wax from clothes (video)
For dinner parties or kid’s birthday parties, people often use candles. Just as with our tips on how to get wax out of your carpet, candles can accidentally drip onto other things. If you take precautions and a candle gets transferred to your favorite shirt or pants, it will be hard to get the wax off.
1 – Allow the wax to dry.
Don’t try to clean the stain before it is dry. If you try to remove hot wax before it has had the chance to set, the stain will spread.
Also, removing hot wax can be dangerous. It makes people more likely to get burned. Before you take any action to remove wax from your clothes, make sure that it has cooled down.
2 — Scrape off what you can
Once the wax has dried completely, scrape off as much of it as you can. You’ll be able to remove the thicker, top layer of the wax, but not the section that has sunk into the fabric itself.
Be careful you are using the right scaping method. Sharp knives work well with less delicate fabrics, but they can damage other types of fabric. For instance, use a spoon to scrape away and remove wax from silk clothing.
3 – Re-Melting the Wax
When it comes to candle wax on clothes, many people forget this next move. This might seem to contradict the first step, but it is important to heat up the wax again. Take a dishcloth or a towel and put it under the stain. Then put two paper towels over the top of the dishcloth.
Put the iron on a low heat level and then iron the area. The wax will melt again and come away from the fabric. It will soak into the paper towel instead. If the paper towel is getting wet with wax, move it to a new spot or replace it with a new sheet.
If you have some blotting paper, it will work just as well as paper towels. Iron carefully or it will burn the clothes.
4 – Leave it to soak
At this point, all of the wax should be removed from your clothing or tablecloth. But if the wax was colored, it will most likely leave a stain.
If color remains on the fabric, it means there has been a transfer of dye that needs to be removed. Mix a solution of oxygen bleach (brands include OxiClean, Nellie’s All-Natural Oxygen Brightener, and OXO Brite) and cool water, following the directions on the package.
Soak all of your clothing or table linens. Allow to soak for at least several hours or overnight, then launder as directed.
5 – Wash it
Finally, give the clothing or tablecloth a wash in the usual way. You can either wash it in your machine or by hand. Use a good detergent like Omo to make sure you get all the stains out. The wax spillage should now be gone!
Wax applied, wax removed
Watching hot wax from a candle spill onto a table or your favorite garment can be a truly depressing scene, but the removal methods we’ve outlined here should keep your fabrics looking new. Start by scraping and move on with the heat if the stain persists.
If all else fails, try the listed alternative methods. And if you happen to find wax on your carpet, it’s best to use a hairdryer to heat the stain and then wipe the wax off with a paper towel.
Conclusion
You need to be careful about the material of the clothes you are dealing with. For example, use gentler methods for more delicate fabrics, like silk or wool. Use a zinger on robust materials, like denim. You can do it!
Sources:
www.persil.com
www.whowhatwear.co.uk
Carole Brooks has been making candles for many years. She loves to create candles of all different types and for all different purposes. Here she shares her experience and knowledge. Carole is a graduate of Texas A&M University.
