A Detailed Guide on How to Get Wax Out of Carpet?

Candles are well known for the cozy ambiance they can create. However, the intimate feeling it induces can quickly change into despair if the wax from a candle drips all over your costly imported rug. Accidents can happen anytime, especially with melting wax. However, you can always use regular household items to clean your carpets and save them from getting permanently stained. You can restore your wax-stained carpets only if you know how to get wax out of a carpet.

How to get wax out of carpet?

Getting rid of wax from your carpets can be a challenging task but not an impossible one. Surprisingly, it is not necessary to use expensive products and solutions to clean your carpet. There are two primary methods on how to get dried wax out of carpet.

1. By freezing the wax
2. By heating the wax

How to get wax out of carpet by freezing

This is one of the easiest methods of removing wax from your carpet fibers. As the name indicates, it includes freezing the wax, and solidifying it, which makes it easier to remove. The process takes about 1 to 2 hours, most of which will be spent on freezing the wax itself.

1. The first step is to apply an ice pack directly to the wax. A bag of frozen peas will do, too, if you do not have an ice pack handy. However, you must refrain from using ice cubes directly, as they will melt and make the wax and your carpet wet. There are certain exceptions to this step, like candle wax is usually hard and does not require freezing. Hair removal waxes, on the other hand, need to be frozen solid.
2. The second step is to scrape the solidified wax using a dull knife (a butter knife works best). Scraping can remove a significant portion of the wax. Still, it can leave residual wax, which can be incredibly difficult to remove. This will be addressed in the next step.
3. Any residual wax removal requires the use of a solvent. A carpet cleaning solution works best. Spraying the solution judiciously on the area, followed by a rinse with cool water, can help remove any lingering wax. Immediate blotting of the area with a clean cloth is necessary. Not all waxes are created equal. This means if the wax is colored, it can leave a stain on your carpet, which requires additional steps. Using rubbing alcohol to gently dab the colored stain can easily remove the color without damaging the fibers of your carpet.
4. The final step is to restore the carpet fibers. Wax can usually cover the carpet fibers and cause them to appear flat or become stiff. Brushing the fibers gently with a toothbrush in one direction can help restore the softness of the carpet. Alternatively, a vacuum with a brush attachment works just as well. Just remember to brush in the same direction, or it can cause fraying.

 

Removing Carpet Wax by heating

Contrary to the first method, heating things up can be a quicker way to remove wax from a carpet. This does not involve the time it takes waiting for the wax to freeze, which can save you about an hour of your precious time. This entire process of how to get candle wax out of carpet can be successfully executed in a meager 20 – 30 minutes.

1. Start by covering the area where the wax has dripped on your carpet with a damp cloth. You can also use a paper bag, in which case you will need to have a dry towel placed next to it. An iron can be used to heat up the paper bag, and it can be moved as it gradually absorbs the melting wax. The dry towel is placed there to keep the melting wax from spreading into other parts of your carpet.
2. The second step is to set the iron to a warm setting; not too hot, not too cold. The steam setting of your iron needs to be turned off as it can result in making the wax wet and spreading the mess to other regions. The paper bag or cloth needs to be carefully ironed using small circular motions. After a few swirls, you can check if the paper bag is covered with wax. Once it is complecalltoy covered, you can move that part over the towel and use a different section. This process needs to be repeated until the entire wax is gone. However, you must ensure that you do not use the iron continuously for more than 30 seconds at one go. You must regularly check the paper or cloth for any traces of wax.
3. Colored wax usually leaves a stain. The best way to remove this colored stain is by dabbing the region with a cloth soaked in a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol. If it does not work as expected, you can use a cloth to cover the stain and iron the cloth using the steam setting. The combination of heat and steam can easily lift any stains from the carpet to the cloth.
4. The final step toward restoring your carpet is to use a carpet cleaner or a solvent to clean any lingering stains from the fibers. The cleaning solution must be blotted out using a clean cloth, or it can be ironed out with the steam setting on your iron. Vacuuming can also help restore the fibers and make your carpet feel warm and fuzzy, like new.

 

Some Additional tips on how to get wax out of the carpet.

• A hairdryer can also be used instead of an iron to remove the wax from your carpet. You can set the dryer on the warmest setting and gradually heat up the wax. You must ensure to always keep a safe distance between the dryer and the carpet, as any direct heat can damage your carpet fibers. You also need to blot the melted wax to lift it off the carpet at regular intervals.

• Carpets can cover a wide area, and using an iron or a hairdryer might not always be possible if the stain is far away from an outlet. This is where a hot pot comes in. You can heat up a pot on the stove and use it as an alternative to ironing. However, it is not the most time-efficient way to get wax out of a carpet.

• In case the wax leaves a colored residue that cannot be removed by regular carpet cleaners, then you can always use a few drops of ammonia to remove the stain. However, ammonia can be toxic, and you must always keep the room well ventilated and use protective gear while handling ammonia to be safe.

• If you do not have access to an ice pack, you can use dry ice to freeze the wax on your carpets. Since dry ice is usually much colder than regular ice, it can be used to freeze the wax quicker and without getting the carpet wet. However, you must always wear leather gloves while handling dry ice as it can easily deal damage to human skin.

• Acting fast when wax drips on a carpet is the best thing to do. If you do not let the wax settle into the fibers, you can potentially avoid any chances of leaving a stain.

• Suppose the carpet still emanates the scent of wax after it has been removed. In that case, you can use essential oil and baking soda to cover the carpet and vacuum it thoroughly to eliminate any lingering smell.

• Although vinegar is widely used to clean stains from all surfaces, including carpets, it does not budge wax stains. However, if you are done scraping off the excess wax, spraying a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water can be a natural replacement for your regular carpet cleaner.

Final Words

Getting candle wax on your carpet does not mean the end of a carpet’s life. Instead, there are various steps you can take to restore the carpet by removing the wax carefully oy you can choose the professional cleaning service. Using our detailed guide on how to get wax out of carpet, you can effectively breathe renewed life into any wax-stained carpets.