Removing wax from carpet?

Question

An orange candle spilled on my light burber carpet. I've removed all the wax but now I'm stuck with an orange stain!!! Any suggestions on how I could remove it?

Answer 1

Hi
There is two ways to remove wax from carpet.

1/ Use the edge of a butter knife to carefully scrape off or lift up as much solid wax as you can .Use a dry clean white terrycloth place it over the wax spot then heat it with a iron on low setting because most homes have polyester carpet, and if the iron gets too hot, it'll melt the carpet. Keep checking the spot every ten seconds or so, moving the terrycloth so that a clean spot is on the carpet.

2/ Which is the better way. Use the edge of a butter knife to carefully scrape off or lift up as much solid wax as you can Heat up a full kettle of water and pour it slowly on the carpet at the same time with a wet vac vacuum up the water. Keep on doing this until the wax is removed.

For the orange stain I would recommend using a wet vac and slowly pour hot water (almost to the boiling point) on the spot and vacuum it up at the same time (this will open up the dye ports on the carpet fibre releasing the stain. and remove the residue from the carpet). If the stain is still visible than use a little carpet spotter on it or Dawn dishwashing liquid (2 or 3 drops into one cup of water) and repeat step 1. The stain may come back in a few days so you may have to do this a few times. Please DO NOT put anything on the carpet that was not made for carpet. At this point if the stain is still there please call a carpet cleaner.


From a carpet cleaner of 14 years

Answer 2

Kelly,

After you used the iron like described above, use a degreaser like "'Dissolve-it" to remove the last of the residue. Candle wax is a oily type stain so a degreaser is cruicial.

The big caution is not to use a product so strong it takes color out of the carpet that is supposed to be there. I have never had "Dissolve-it" or "Simple Green" harm anything I've used them on.

Good luck!

Answer 3

heat your iron, get a plain brown paper bag and a damp towel or damp rag. Lay the bag over the wax spill, put the damp towel on the bag; take the hot iron and hold ON the towel for a few seconds to a minute. May need to repeat a couple of times.

Answer 4

Get out your iron and get an old towel you don't use anymore, then sit down the towel over the wax then run the hot iron over the towel and remove the towel..