How to Clean Spilled Wax

It is candle season, and with candle season, comes melted wax that sometimes ends up where it doesn’t belong!

This just happened to me a couple weeks ago. I had some wonderful essential oil votive candles burning on a saucer and before I knew it, they had melted down to a puddle that over flowed the saucer… then spilled over the side onto the linen runner when I went to move it. Shoot!!

One other time, many years ago, I successfully removed melted wax that spilled. I think I had read how to in the newspaper column ‘Hints from Heloise’. (Is that even still in newspapers?) Anyway, I thought I’d give that method another shot. I am happy to report Heloise’s hint still works!

Here is what I did to remove the wax completely from my linen runner.

First, I folded many layers of paper towels on the ironing board,

being sure the folded towels were larger than the wax stain.

Next, I laid the wax stained linen runner directly on top of the paper towels.

Then I added more layers of paper towel on top of the wax stain.

I used my iron on the hottest setting, with the steam on for this linen runner, but for a more gentle fabric you may need to use a lower setting. Always test first. The paper towel blotter does offer some protection for the fabric.

By the way, if you’re looking for a new iron, I am loving my new Rowenta, here is where you can get one.

Let the iron set and get the wax good and hot. It will melt and get absorbed into the paper towels.

Be sure to continually change the paper towels, both top and bottom layers to keep reabsorbing more wax.

Once all the wax seemed melted out of the runner, and fresh paper towels weren’t absorbing anymore wax, I was left with an oily residue on the linen runner. I don’t know if that was because the candles that melted and spilled had essential oil in them so that is what made the fabric oily, or if this always happens with wax?

If I couldn’t have washed the runner, which I was a little hesitant to do because of all the colorful needlework on it, this slight oil stain wasn’t horrible, certainly better than the wax, but  I decided to go for it and see what happens.

I pulled out my absolutely favorite degreaser, (even better than Dawn dish soap!) Here’s a link to buy this degreaser for your laundry!

I poured a little degreaser on the stain and rubbed it in, then threw the runner in the wash on cold, hoping the dyes in the needlework wouldn’t run and stain the linen runner even worse.

This is the same spot that was previously stained! Totally clean.

And I’m so happy to report the dyes in the yarns didn’t run in the wash either. 🙂

So, back on the table for the Halloween centerpiece:

Here are more Holidays decorating ideas:

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