Candle Wax on My Carpet! HELP!!

Updated on June 16, 2008
A.L. asks from North Las Vegas, NV
52 answers

HELP!! My daughter lit a large candle in her room yesterday, forgot about it, and left for a sleepover. This morning she came home to find her candle completely burned out, wax literally cascading over the side of the dresser, and a HUGE puddle of wax on the carpet.

We were able to get all of the wax off of the furniture with no damage. However, the puddle on the carpet is still there.

It is now dried up and crusty. How do we get this up - without causing damage to the carpet?

Thanks for your help,
A. (and Rachel - A.'s daughter)

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So What Happened?

OK - I have gotten so many responses that it is surprising! You all are amazing!

I used pretty much all of the advice that was shared. Here is what I did:

First, I filled a ziplock baggie with ice and put it directly on the crusty "puddle" of wax to freeze it.

Next, I used a butter knife to scrape up as much of the wax I could get up - that was almost 90% of it. After that, I used the vacuum to suck up the small bits of wax that was loosed up by my scraping.

Finally, I used VIVA paper towels and my iron. I started it out with the lowest setting, and I kept thinking, "Yeah, right, this is so NOT gonna work!" But my daughter kept telling me, "Mom, you have to turn up the heat on the iron." Meanwhile, I just kept thinking that if I turned up the heat that I would melt a hole in the carpet. I kept turning it up one notch at a time and kept ironing over the spot. It started to actually melt the wax and absorb into the paper towel when I got up to the "wool setting" on my iron. I used four paper towels to get it all up.

There is a small, oily spot left on the carpet now. I plan to do the iron and paper towel method one more time tomorrow. If that doesn't pull all of it up, then I will use a commercial wax remover on it.

Thanks again for all your help,
A.

Featured Answers

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L.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've warmed an iron to just warm, put a paper towel over the "waxed" section of carpet, and then slid the iron over the paper towel(s) until the paper towel(s) had absorbed all the wax.

Sincerely,
Lynne E

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S.M.

answers from San Diego on

This happened to me. I used the iron and lots of paper towels. Set the iron on low to medium heat. Place a paper towel on the carpet and iron over it. Move the paper toweling as the wax melts on it. It will take a while because you will have to go over it several times but you should be able to get it all up. I did when it happened to me.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have not done it, but a friend has.. put a towel on top of the wax and then iron it.. the heat of the iron will remelt the wax and it will stick to the towel..

More Answers

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P.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Paper towels work with the iron method as well. It takes some time, but it does work :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

Put a towel down on the floor over the wax and iron it. The wax will melt and stick to the towel.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.D.

answers from Reno on

Let me say first, I'm glad that your house didn't burn down. :)
I would try putting a paper bag on the spot and ironing the paper bag. I've heard that it works on clothes, so it might work on carpet. Good luck! :)

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K.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

If you want to remove wax from carpet, there are easy ways to go about it, and the process doesn't take as long as it may seem. 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.

If you're left with a stain once the wax is removed, you'll have to contend with that as well. Hopefully, it won't be difficult to remove. A carpet spot cleaner is your best bet; just follow the instructions on the back of the label. If none of this is handy, you can try one of several cleaning agents

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Y.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have used a product called "De-Solv-It" that is an orange oil based product. It comes in various forms and I have used the spray version only although I think there is also a wax removal kit that seems ideally suited for your situation. I think I got the spray from Wal-Mart but I'm not sure. I know that is organic, bio-degradable and has no harsh chemicals and is safe to use around kids and pets. You can google "de-solv-it" to find out more information about retailers in your area. I hope this info helps...good luck!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello A.,

you will need a brown grocery bag and warm iron. Cut the bag down the side and cut the bottom off so it is one layer. Lay the bag over the wax and iron on top of the bag. This will melt the wax onto the bag. Depending on how much wax is on the carpet you may need to use another bag. Just make sure you keep moving the bag to a clean area of the bag as you iron. (you will be able to see the melted wax absorbed on the bag) Also, if the warm iron is not working just keep adjusting the temp until it does. This was a little trick I learned years ago and works great!

Good Luck,
S.

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K.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Being a candle afficionado, it happens to me all the time. Candle wax is very easy to remove from carpet.

Just get an iron, turn it to a higher setting and after it heats up, lay a paper towel over the wax and run the iron on top of the paper towel. The wax will melt into the paper towel and viola! no more wax on the carpet. It may take a few paper towels to get it up but this method works GREAT!

K.
Real Faces
Skincare for Life
www.myspace.com/realfaces

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

Here are two suggestions that I've read about but haven't actually tried:

#1: Put an ice pack on top of the waxy area and wait for the wax to harden. It'll be easy to pick the wax off the carpet fibers.

#2: Put a paper towel over the waxy area and then run a hot iron over it. The theory is that the hot iron is supposed to melt the wax and the paper towel will absorb it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Scrape off as much of the wax that you can with. Then place some paper (like an opened brown grocery bag) over the remaining wax on the carpet and use a warm iron and go over the paper bag. The heat will re-melt the wax, but it will be absorbed by the paper bag.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

A.,
Take a brown paper bag, set it over the wax and then use a warm iron over it. the bag will absorb the wax. It may take several bags from the sounds of it, but don't give up. I work in a wholesale showroom and because of the lights, candles melt all the time and then spill on the carpet. This trick works every time.
Good luck,
J.

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S.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hey, sister Mary Kay gal! Go us! My suggestion for wax removal: take some wax paper, a paper bag, and an iron. Place the wax paper on the wax on the floor; put the brown paper bag over top of that, then set the iron to medium/high. Rub iron over all of the above until wax comes up. Gradually increase heat levels as needed. If it's a deep color and leaves a stain behind, try a carpet cleaner like Rhino or that new Rug Stick they've been advertising on TV. Hope that helps!
Who's unit are you in? Or are you a director? Who's your senior? I attend meetings on Monday night at the Radisson in Newport--NSD Cristiann Millard heads those up. My director is in Colorado--Susan Carlson. Let's hook up and share selling ideas! Almost done with Court of Sales and need an extra push to get done!

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P.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

put a towel down over the candle and use an iron and it should come up good luck

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.G.

answers from Las Vegas on

take a old towel or rag something you don't mind throwing away. lay it in a single layer and using a hot iron the wax will transfer to the rag repeat with clean areas of rag as needed

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

There is a product called Wax Remove. It's used by candle makers to clean wax residue.
Check Michael's or General Wax and Candle. http://www.generalwax.com

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M.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

put a towel, rag on it with a warm iron. It should work. Martha Stuart trick!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try boiling water and follow up with rubbing alcohol.
Rubbing alcohol is great for carpet cleaning because it isn't sticky and therefore doesn't attract dirt later.
Remember candles melt.
B.
____@____.com

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've used the old dishtowel and warm iron method many times. Works like a charm.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know first hand that the hot iron and a clean rag (that you dont want anymore) works beautifully! Good Luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

V.A.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Hi A.,

Using a warm iron (not hot), lay a paper towel on the wax and iron. The wax will adhere to the towel. The iron just needs to be warm enough to melt the wax without melting the carpet so start cool and work your way up.

V.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.T.

answers from Las Vegas on

OK...try this: You need an iron and a couple sheets of old newspaper.
Heat your iron up. Once it's warmed up, you should find a few sheets of old newspaper and place them on the spot with the stain. Place a few sheets around the stain too which will prevent you from burning other materials around you. All you have to do is iron the sheets of paper. This method of cleaning can sound strange, but as you do this you will start to notice that the stain will be disappearing. The wax will start absorbing into the sheets of paper which is a good sign. This will look like little spots of water or grease. Once you've seen these little spots of grease, you know the wax is coming out of your carpet. HTH :)

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J.F.

answers from San Diego on

You are so lucky your house didn't burn down!! When I was younger my friends and I spilled candle wax on my friend's carpet at a slumber party. We were freaked out because usually her mom wouldn't even let us play in the living room because she is meticulous about her carpet. Needless to say we tried everything! The best thing that worked was to take a washcloth or towel and place it over the spilled wax. Then use an iron over the washcloth. It should help melt the wax and make it stick to the washcloth. Do this several times. May not solve the staining problem! Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from San Diego on

Hi A. A white teri cloth and a warm iron, put th teri cloth over the wax and iron it the was with transfer to the teri cloth, make sure the iron is not to hot, just warm enough to melt the wax. J.

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N.C.

answers from Honolulu on

I heard that if you get wax paper and put it on the area then try ironing the it off. That should work. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Same as below- but I always use a brown paper bag- then put a hot iron on it.. The wax will absorb into the bag.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try ironing the carpet over parchment paper or maybe white paper.
Dorothy

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D.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try getting a cloth, placing it on the carpet and using an iron to remelt the wax and absorb it into the towel. This will take awhile, but it works.

Good luck,
D.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.L.

answers from San Diego on

Not to worry. Get a brown paper bag and put it over the wax then put a towel over the bag. Get your iron hot and iron over the towel. The wax will transfer to the brown bag. :-)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Las Vegas on

I used to sell Party Lite candles and we were taught to use a paper bag and an iron to get wax off carpet. I once spilled it on someone's new carpet. You put the paperbag over the wax and then heat it up with the iron. The wax will melt and soak into the bag. Be careful to test a small part before proceeding. It works. I had spilled red wax on the carpet and it came out.

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P.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

A.,
We had candle wax on our carpet too.
I've used newspaper as well as papertowels. The best method (and Martha Stewart recommended)is hot iron with a towel. This worked great for us. Just use an old towel.
Good luck!
P.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Been there! Done that!! Take BROWN paper sacks and tear them into a single layer. Place them over the wax and then take your iron on a low setting and iron over the wax. The heat will heat up the wax and the brown paper sack will absorb the melted wax. Keep ironing until the wax is all gone! It really works!!
Good Luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know of two things you can try. One - use ice cubes to freeze the wax and try to lift it off. Two - put a paper towel over the wax and use an iron to heat it. It should be absorbed into the paper towel. Both of these methods should work.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.F.

answers from San Diego on

paper towel and an iron. you'll have to use a lot of paper towels.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.C.

answers from Las Vegas on

Bed bath and beyond sells candle wax remover. Works well....I have used it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from San Diego on

I am a grandma now, and I learned this trick a long time ago.
It works great, takes a little time, but well worth it. Heat up your clothes iron (if you still own one) My how times have changed. Lay a piece of paper towel ( large enough to accomadate the entire size of the iron so as not to come in contact with the carpet as it might stick to the carpet. Then iron over the spilled wax through the paper towel. lifts the wax right off the carpet. Keep ironing till it is all gone.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.R.

answers from Las Vegas on

scratch as much wax up as you can with your fingers or a scrapper. Get a cloth you don't mind ruining, and place it over the was spot. Get a HOT iron and iron the wax onto the cloth. It will get up about 90% of the wax. Keep repeating until the wax is gone.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.P.

answers from Las Vegas on

Take paper and an iron - brown bag, or printer paper - put the paper on the wax, then iron - it will soak up like oil. You may need several pieces of paper. Try to pick up the big chunks first. Good luck, always works for me!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

All of the advise is great and will work, my suggestion is not to burn those type of candles. If you burn proper candles in proper containers even if you leave them burning for hours they will not get all over your carpet or other items. If you have not tried them already in the future I would suggest you allow your daughter to use PartyLite candles only.

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N.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My moms advice when i had the same problem was a hot iron and brown paper bag (with out printing on it) place the bag between the iron and carpet it will soak up the wax make sure you change the spot you iron on the bag as you go!

Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Okay, this has worked for me.......Put a a small towel or cotton cloth on the dried up candle and iron it out......the heat from the iron will melt it on the cloth,it does work!If it will get it all out, it just depends, i hope this helps!!!P.S, i used this to get a canlde spill off my carpet before our house was inspected !

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I agree w/ the advice to iron over a towel or brown paper bag. In addition Restoration Hardware (and other stores I'm sure) sell a product that specifically removes wax from carpeting. I've used it and it works great.

All that aside, I'm really glad your house didn't burn down. If it were me I'd ban candle usage from the kids. It's serious business and you could be dealing with much more than some damaged carpet.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.S.

answers from San Diego on

Take a hand towel that you are willing to throw away and place it over the wax...put your iron on low and place it over the towel

the heat will melt the wax and the towel will absorb it

hth
-L.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

Z.M.

answers from San Diego on

Put a thick brown paper bag over the top and iron it up with a hot iron. The heat from the iron will melt the wax and it will stick to the brown paper bag. You will need to keep changing the spot on the bag that is absorbing the wax. Works great. This happened to me all the time in college :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.V.

answers from Las Vegas on

Hi A. ! Wondering if you go the candle wax out of your carpet ? If not, email me separately "____@____.com", I have a cleaning product SOL-U-MEL that could help you.

Sounds like you are near Nellis AFB, I am not so far, and could let you try the bottle I have.

Hope all is well !

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.K.

answers from San Diego on

Goo Gone has worked miracles for me, just try not to let it drip into the carpet because it'll dissolve the glue from the carpeting.
Good luck
ps Thank goodness the candle didn't set anything on fire!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

I got this from Good Housekeeping's Heloise's Column. I haven't tried it yet.

Carpet
1. If the wax is still soft, freeze it by applying an ice cube wrapped in a small plastic bag, and then scrape off the excess wax.
2. Sponge with a dry-cleaning solvent.
3. Cover the stain with a clean white cloth and press, using the tip of a warm iron to transfer the wax to the cloth. Repeat, using a clean portion of the cloth until all the wax is transferred from the carpet to the cloth.
4. If a color stain remains, sponge the stain again with a dry-cleaning solvent.
5. Blot dry.

Good luck

S. O.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

Y.K.

answers from San Diego on

Put a paper bag over it and iron it (the paper bag) Wax will melt onto the bag.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.D.

answers from Las Vegas on

The easiest way to remove candle wax is to first get as much of the harden wax off. I use a butter knife. Then I use my iron with alot of paper towels. Put a bunch of paper towels over the wax then iron it. You'll have to keep repeating till you get all the wax up. Keep changing the paper towels. I've tried using spray stuff that's suppose to remove wax with not much luck. So I use the paper towel trick and iron and that works great for me. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Use a brown paper bag and Iron. Put the paper bag over the wax and use the iron on the bag, this will lift up the wax. Good Luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Melt wax on carpet w/ hair dryer, soak up w/ paper towel. REPEAT. The Color from wax may stain.

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