Candles are a wonderful addition to any home. Especially if they're our cheeky 100% soy wax candles. They can styled almost anywhere and are both decorative and functional. But what do you do if your Mountain Daddy candle accidentally spills all over your wooden floors or tables? How do you get it off?
Don't be concerned! Accidents happen all the time. However, while removing wax appears to be a simple task, the trick is to avoid damaging the wood. Use one of these three wax removal methods Here's how to get candle wax off of wood, whether it's hardwood flooring or a counter.
1: Good old scrapping!
The scraping approach is among the simplest ways to remove candle wax from wood. It's entirely up to you whether you speed up the process with a bag of ice, or let the wax sit and firm up on its own. What you really don't want to do is spread the wax around any further.
The following are the basic steps for removing the wax: When the wax cools, scrape it off with a plastic spatula, spoon, or an old gift card in the path of the wood grain. After that, just use corners of your scrapping tool to get into deeper nooks and crannies to chip away at the wax. Dust the waste into a scrap of paper as you go. After removing it, wipe down the surface with a clean cloth.
Note that this process is intended for smaller spills and should not be used for more severe cases. To avoid scratches on the wood, the scraping method requires patience and a gentle hand.
2: Grab the hair dryer!
The scraping technique is best suited for small spills, but for larger spills, the hair dryer or clothes iron strategy is the best way to remove candle wax from wood. This tested technique is brilliant for extracting wax that has become embedded in the wood grain.
Warm the wax just enough to make it soft and malleable with a hair dryer set on low and placed at least 3 inches away from the surface. When it's soft, begin peeling it up with your fingers and wiping the spot with a dry paper towel or clean cloth to avoid scratching the surface. Continue this procedure until all of the wax has been removed.
Have an iron handy? You'll simalarly follow the same steps, with a slight adjusments. Initially, turn off the steam setting on the iron and press it right on top of the area for three seconds or so, using a dense cloth on the iron side and bundle up heavy-duty paper towels on the wax side to soak up the wax as it melts.
Change the temperature as necessary to allow the paper towels to absorb the wax. Repeat as needed. This is the best method for removing wax from floor grains, sometimes greater than the iron.
3: There's products for this
Another method for removing candle wax from wood is to use a wax removal product designed specifically for the purpose. While it is not as simple as using your own hair dryer, paper towels, and a stale gift card, it is less expensive and does the job.
Goo Gone and Weiman Wax are two well-known products for stripping away minor wax spills. Simply follow the directions on the containers and go for it.
Exclusive Pro-Tips
Once you've selected your course of action, here are a few additional candle wax removal tips to keep in mind:
Make sure to put the finishing touches on your clean up. Give the wood a nice polish!
Wash the surface as quickly as possible. Don't leave let it linger there for weeks. The longer the wax sits, the more damage it may cause to the wood.
Try to stay away from harsh chemicals that could strip or permanently damage your home items.
Was wax spilt on an expensive or rare vintage piece? Leave it to the professionals to repair the item.
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