If you’ve accidentally spilled hot candle wax onto your carpet, then our five-step process will help you easily and effectively remove it without damaging your fibers. Simply freeze the stain with ice, scrape away wax with a butter knife, iron out any leftover wax, clean away residue with household cleaners, and vacuum. It’s so quick and efficient! We even throw in a little bonus for you.

Most of us love candlelight. It provides a certain warm ambience that can highlight a meal or make a setting feel romantic. It’s also diverse enough to spruce up a birthday cake and keep things visible during a power outage. But when wax spills onto your carpet, you’re not so sure you love it then.

Wax alone isn’t as difficult to remove as you might think. In fact, most people are surprised that cleaning products don’t come into play until much later in the steps. The residue, however, can be a problem that requires several varied approaches.

Continue reading our five steps below to easily remove spilled wax from your carpet.

1. Freeze It

Most cleaning experts will tell you that whenever a spill happens, it’s important to get to it as quickly as possible to have the best chance at saving your carpet. That isn’t the case with wax. In fact, when wax spills onto your carpet, you want to let the wax dry, first. It may sound counterintuitive, but messing with melting wax on your carpet can cause it to spread more or even sink deeper into the fibers. Speed up the drying process by placing a bag of ice or ice pack on top of the wax to solidify it so that it lifts from the carpet fibers. Make sure you wrap the bag or pack in a towel before placing it down to prevent the carpet from getting wet.

2. Scrape It Off

When the wax has hardened, use a butter knife to scrape off as much of the wax as possible. The best method is to lightly scrape away the top layer, then work your way from the bottom of each fiber and pull up with the knife, scraping the wax toward you. Be careful not to drag the knife along the surface to avoid pressing the wax further into the carpet. The goal is to remove all the wax using only these first two steps. If you’re successful, then you can skip the next step.

3. Iron

Sometimes, even after you’ve removed clumps of wax, a thin layer of clear or colored residue can remain, sank deep into the fibers. If that’s the case, it’s time to heat with an iron to remove the rest. Place a paper towel or terrycloth towel on top of the stain and turn your iron onto a low setting. Be careful not to turn it on too high or let the iron touch your carpet. This could burn and ruin it! Slowly rub the iron over the towel so that the wax is absorbed. Keep repositioning the towel and iron until it’s all removed.

4. Clean Your Carpet

After you’ve iced, scraped, and ironed, sometimes wax residue and dye stains remain. There are a multitude of ways you can safely clean your carpet to remove these. Add a few drops of dish soap to a clean white cloth then add a bit of warm water. Starting on the outside of the stain, dab it and lightly rub the stain toward the center to avoid further spreading. The soap should help loosen the final bits of wax clinging onto the fibers. You can also use rubbing alcohol to clean up the stain. A little bit shouldn’t affect your carpet’s color or quality. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth and gently dab the area with the towel. The alcohol will break up the smaller pieces of wax attached to the carpet fibers. Once the area is clean, use dish soap and water to remove any remaining alcohol. Last, vinegar is great for removing wax in a pinch. Simply combine equal parts white or apple cider vinegar and water then pour into a spray bottle. Spray the stained area with the solution and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This should also help break up the wax. Once the stain is gone, use dish soap and water to remove any remaining vinegar solution.

5. Vacuum

Once your carpet is dry, you can restore its texture by vacuuming over it using the upholstery brush attachment. Your carpet will be free of wax stains, dyes, and looking like nothing had ever spilled on it when you finish using these five steps.

6. Bonus Tip!

If these DIY steps aren’t working for you, or you have a particularly large wax spill that cleaning might be out of your depth, then you can hire your local professional carpet cleaning company to help. Founded in 2006, Safe-Dry Carpet Cleaning is a professional company that utilizes a cutting-edge, all-natural dry cleaning process to clean your carpets. They can eliminate all stains, including wax, from almost all types of fabrics. If your wax spill seems daunting, let the professionals of Safe-Dry deliver 5-star, same-day service to you. Your satisfaction guaranteed!