How to remove candle wax from carpet?

Question

Somehow molten candle wax got dropped in my carpet and its really hard now. How can i remove it without destroying my carpet?

Answer 1

The first thing you need to do is remove as much of the hardened wax as you can. A butter or putty knife works well for this but you can use anything with a dull blade. Scrape up what you can and vacuum the debris. Next place a clean cloth, paper bag or paper towel over the wax. Run a warm iron over the cloth until the wax melts. A hot hair dryer can also be used. Once the wax is melted, it should adhere to the cloth. Lift the cloth and the wax should lift with it.

It should be noted that if the wax is colored, it may stain your carpet. Anytime you apply heat to a stain, it causes the stain to lock into the fibers leaving you with a permanent reminder of your clumsiness. It's for this reason you should use a warm iron only. You also don't want to use newspaper or any kind of paper with words or pictures on it unless you want the image to be transferred to your carpet.

Answer 2

Well I am not totally sure but perhaps if you heat water until it is scalding hot and pour it on the spot then dab at it with a towel. Do this a couple of times until the wax is gone. I don't know if it will work for sure but at least it wont ruin that spot on the carpet so much by cutting and scraping at it. If you are not worried about the carpet so much then cut it but it sounds like that you are worried about it or you wouldn't try and clean it at all. I would try the scalding hot water. Cant hurt it. I think it will work though. Then after you do that try a carpet cleaner that you can spray on and vacuum up. Might draw out any wax that is left over. Don't boil the water though, I don't know if it will melt the synthetic fibers in the carpet or not if it is boiling water. Good luck hope it works.

Answer 3

Use the edge of a butter knife to carefully scrape off or lift up as much solid wax as you can. Fill a zipper-type plastic bag with ice cubes and place the bag over any remaining wax. The cold will make the wax more brittle, enabling you to scrape off additional wax with the butter knife. Repeat this procedure as necessary to remove as much wax as possible. Be careful to not disturb the original condition of the fibers.

To remove any remaining wax, finish up using a warm iron. I highly recommend that you set the iron on a low heat and test the procedure first in a closet or other inconspicuous place. A synthetic carpet can melt if the iron is too hot.

Place a brown paper bag, several sheets of clean white paper, a white rag, or a white towel over the wax spill and iron over them using the warm iron. Keep moving the iron so you don’t get an iron-shaped burn mark in your carpeting, and move the absorbent paper or cloth so the wax melts onto a clean spot. When you see little spots that look like grease or water, you know the wax is lifting up out of your carpet.

Replace the absorbent paper or cloth as needed. You may have to repeat this process several times (using clean absorbent papers or cloths each time) to remove all of the wax from the carpet fibers. Work carefully; you don’t want to burn yourself or iron off the paper or cloth and melt the carpeting. Do not rush through this; it can be time-consuming, so be patient—it will remove the wax.

If small grease-like stains remain, sprinkle them with baking soda and let it sit overnight before vacuuming.


a product called un-du Candle Wax Remover. Forget about scratching or scraping, cutting tangled carpet fibers, ironing, and crying over ruined table linens or clothing. With a few drops of un-du Candle Wax Remover, lifting off wax has never been so easy! The liquid softens the wax so you can break the candle wax up and remove it using the attached tool—no need for razor blades, knives, or scissors. Removing wax from a solid surface is a snap; on fabric you will need to soften the wax a bit to remove it.

Un-du helps to soak any areas where wax is embedded in the fabric and then to rub the fabric together to remove the wax. Don't worry about un-du staining the fabric—any traces of un-du will dissipate overnight. Once most of the wax has been removed from the carpet, soak a white rag and rub un-du into the nap and the surrounding area to remove any remaining wax. It is possible that the dye from a colored candle could stain fabric and/or carpet. If so, use a spot remover to remove any candle dye. It would be a good idea to test un-du in an inconspicuous area first to ensure there is no fading or discoloring of your fabric and/or carpet.

Answer 4

Place 3 or 4 layers of paper towel on the wax, and press it with a clothes iron on a lowish setting. The iron will melt the wax & the towels will absorb it.

Answer 5

Lay paper towels on top of it and then using a hot iron heat the wax thru the towels as the wax melts blot it with the towels till clean

Answer 6

Keebler's answer has worked for more than once!!!! I have used the iron and paper towel on white carpet more than once and it does work!!!

Answer 7

place a brown paper bag over it and iron it. works every time.

Answer 8

Annie answered it well. You can also find similar things in the link below: