I removed dry candle wax from carpet using heat and vinegar – results

Carpets are easy to keep clean with regular vacuuming but they are a little more tricky to restore when it comes to stains. While the Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover is my go-to product for liquid spillages, it didn’t work so well on dry candle wax. Instead, I tested out two natural remedies to remove the set stain to see which one fared better.

Candle wax is so difficult to remove from carpets because it sets so quickly after cooling down. 

And when a plug-in wax melt in my home spilt onto the beige fibres of the floor, I watched it instantly dry up into a solid film over the carpet. 

Baking soda is one of the first ingredients that come to mind when thinking about how to banish household stains naturally, but Dean Davies, a professional cleaning expert for Fantastic Services recommended something else instead.

With more than 10 years of experience in the cleaning industry, including carpet and upholstery cleaning, Dean suggested harnessing the power of acidic white vinegar or melting the wax down with a hot iron instead.

How to remove candle wax stains with heat

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Dean said: “This method includes the use of an iron, towel, dull knife, spoon, towel and vacuum cleaner. First, scrape the wax with a dull knife. Then, use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of loose particles.

“The Next step is to lay a wet towel on the excess wax stain. Preheat the iron to low or medium heat and press it to the towel for five to 10 seconds – this should transfer the wax onto the towel.

“You can repeat this process until you eliminate the wax. Finally, you can apply a carpet detergent and vacuum once again to restore the initial texture of the fabric.”

Doing just that, I put the method to the test. And the results were very impressive.

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At first, I was concerned about scraping the carpet fibres with a blunt knife, but it did work to loosen the surface wax.

After vacuuming up the residue, the stain was still very clear – in fact, it actually looked worse. I placed the hot iron on a very small area of the wax to ensure it wouldn’t damage the carpet, and after a few seconds, the stain instantly disappeared. 

The hard film that was previously bonded to the fibres was nowhere to be seen and there were no melted remnants left on the carpet either.

For instant results, this method is definitely worthwhile and requires no expensive cleaning tools at all. In fact, it’s entirely free if you already have an iron and cloth at home.

How to clean candle wax stains with vinegar

On a second wax stain, I tested the longer vinegar method. Dean said: “Vinegar works like rubbing alcohol and can break up some parts of the wax.

“So, you can combine equal parts of vinegar and water. Mix them in a spraying bottle and spritz on the affected area.

“Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes, and after the stain is removed, use dish soap and water to remove any vinegar leftover.”

While I followed the steps in order, the results were far less noticeable than when I used the iron.

Firstly, I was put off by the strong smell of vinegar which even in small amounts was noticeable in the room.

The second issue I discovered with this cleaning method was the time required for the vinegar to work. While waiting 20 minutes is ideal if there are jobs to be done elsewhere in the house, I wouldn’t recommend it if stain removal is your sole focus.

And even after waiting until the timer was up, I found the wax incredibly hard to scrub away using the cloth and dish soap.

After a minute of scrubbing, I had made a small dent in removing the wax, but this may be because it had set for a few days before cleaning. On fresh stains, however, this method may be more effective.

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