Candle Wax on Your Carpet? Here’s How to Get it Up
Remove candle wax from carpets, including stains, with these easy steps using common household ingredients.
Ever been enjoying the warm glow of flickering candles when someone knocks them over? It’s hard to chill when you’re worried about candle wax on your carpet and that stain setting in.
Well, hang tight, because it’s happened to me so many times that I have the whole candle wax removal routine down pat. We’ll get your carpet looking new in no time—including the stain!
Step 1: Take immediate action.
If you see a candle drip wax on your carpet, take prompt action to keep the stain from setting. Whatever you do, don’t rub or wipe it.
Paraffin wax, commonly used in candles, has a different melting point than beeswax, which is why removal techniques can vary.
Step 2: Grab some foil and ice.
Next, put some aluminum foil over the mess and cover it with ice for 5 minutes. The ice will chill the wax spill and make it stick to the foil.
Peel the foil back slowly to remove most of the wax from your carpet in one move. Discard the foil, but don’t crumple it or you’ll shed bits of wax back onto your rug.
Step 3: Now, a spoon.
Use a spoon or the edge of a butter knife to gently scrape up the hardened wax. Be gentle, you don’t want to tear carpet fibers, just get excess wax out. Once you’ve scraped away as much as you can, vacuum up the loosened bits.
Step 4: Apply heat.
Turn your clothes iron to low heat, no steam, or use a blow-dryer set to medium. Lay a clean white towel over the remaining wax. Or, you can use a brown bag for this, but paper towels will spread the stain as they absorb it.
Press the iron over the towel or bag, or run the blowdryer from about 2 inches above the wax. Keep things in constant motion to re-melt the wax. Change towels or paper often, so you’re soaking up the wax all the time
Note: For beeswax, you may need a slightly higher heat setting because of the higher melting point.
Step 5: Repeat.
Every few minutes, set the iron or hair-dryer aside and repeat the foil and ice step. Once you’ve lifted away the hardened wax, put a fresh towel down and resume ironing to re-melt more wax. Continue until you’ve got up all the bits.
Step 6: Candle wax stain removal.
Use rubbing alcohol and a white cloth to dab at the candle wax stains on your carpet. Be careful not to rub so you don’t spread the stain. Or, if you’d rather, use some carpet cleaner and follow the label directions.
Step 7: Check your work.
Once you’ve removed all the candle wax from your carpet and treated the stain, let the area dry. Then, vacuum it thoroughly to fluff up the carpet fibers. Check again after vacuuming and repeat if there’s any stain left.
Candles have been used for illumination and rituals for over 5,000 years. Today, they’re more often used for their scent and ambiance, but the risk of drips on carpets remains a modern concern.
Preventing Candle Wax Spills
To keep candles from spilling wax on your carpets in the future, put them on trays or use drip-catchers. And don’t leave your lit candles around pets or kids—they’re clumsy..
When to Call a Professional
As always, if it’s delicate or antique, call a professional. Or, if you haven’t been able to remove the wax from your carpet after several tries, a carpet cleaning company may have better luck.
Thanks loads for the detailed workflow for removing candle wax from carpet. It is in my office carpet and is driving me insane. I knew I needed an iron but now I have a fool proof method to get the wax out and leave no stain. BRAVO!
Glad to have helped!