From lighting the menorah to Santa Lucia crowns, candles are a fun and festive part of the holiday season.  Trying to get candle wax out of a beloved tablecloth, upholstery, or your carpet is less fun.  We’ll show you the best ways to remove candle wax from carpet and upholstery so you can get back to holiday dinner parties, family celebrations, or simply relaxing by the fire. Here is how to get candle wax out of carpet and upholstery:

Removing Candle Wax from Carpet

1. Start the removal process as soon as possible. The longer any the wax sits on the carpet, the more difficult it will be to remove.  However, you must allow the wax to harden before removing or you will just spread it around and rub it in.
2. First, we’ll use ice to harden the wax.  Fill a plastic bag with ice cubes and lay the ice bag directly on the wax stain.Leave the bag for about 5 minutes or until the wax has hardened and frozen.
3. Remove the ice bag and use a dull butter knife to scrape the wax off the carpet. Get as much off as you can. 
4. Place a brown paper bag on top the wax spot
5. Heat an iron to warm and slowly press the iron on the brown paper bag.  The paper will begin to absorb the wax and lift it out of your carpet.Repeat this process with a clean section of the bag or a new bag until all the wax has lifted away.
6. If it was a colored candle and there is a color stain, dampen a clean white cloth with rubbing alcohol and gently begin dab the stain until it lifts.  Do not rub. 
7. Finally, use a home carpet cleaning solution, to clean the area and remove any wax residue.

Removing Candle Wax from Upholstery

1. The process for removing wax from upholstery is similar.Use an ice bag to harden the spilled wax.
2. Flake the wax off of the upholstery with a dull knife such as a butter knife.
3. Place a paper bag or some white paper towels on the wax stain
4. Gently iron the stain with a warm iron, changing the paper when the wax transfers to the paper.
5. Blot the area with rubbing alcohol to remove any remaining residue.

If you carpet or upholstery is still stained after trying these techniques, don’t despair.  A professional cleaner like COIT can usually get even the toughest stains out.  Need more holiday stain help?  We can help you get holiday stains out of a tablecloth or show you the best ways to cleanup after the Christmas tree.  Need more help?  Check out the COIT Stain Guide for tips on removing everything from makeup to bubblegum.

Call the PROs at COIT for a professional clean!