We woke up one morning (new years day) and found a charred area on our living room counter. The relevance is coming soon.
It was a custom to add "atmosphere" to the room by lighting a "million" candles all over the house. It seems that my wife and sister in law didn't think that having as fireproof base under the candles was a consideration.
When I read all these "fixes" for spilled wax, I wonder why these people got away with out burning down their houses. You see, I'm on this web site because we have had yet "another" incident where there was no protective base under the candle.
Put fabric in freezer till it hardens. Remove it and rub together the waxed part till it flakes off. Place the stained area in sink directly under really hot tap water for a minute. Turn off the water and scrub one side with small scrub brush. Flip it and run really hot tap water again. Turn it off and scrub again. repeat entill its off. Wear gloves!
Lay a paper grocery shopping bag on top of the candle wax portion of the tablecloth. Place a hot iron on top of that and you will see the candle wax melting into the grocery bag. Remove your iron and reposition and lay it back down. Continue until all of your wax has been sucked up into the grocery bag. This tip works well on carpets as well. Even dripped wax on walls can be removed this way. good luck. :)
Editor's Note: Make sure that the temperature of the iron is not too hot for what is below the wax. Wax melts at a very low temperature.
If the oil from candle stains your tablecloth, try using a cleaner such as Greased Lightning (available at Dollar General). Test an inconspicuous spot first. It saved my Christmas tablecloth. Good luck.
Try freezing it until the wax hardens, then peel it off. Or put several thicknesses of paper towel over the wax and iron with a hot iron. As wax soaks in remove the bottom sheets and add new to the top. Do this until the wax is removed. if it leaves a stain, which sometimes happens with colored wax, you may need to use a spot remover that is safe for the fabric of the tablecloth.
I would suggest not using the freezing method. Although it is proven to work, it can also make the wax even harder to remove. Use the hot ironing method; it's much easier, and also much more effective.
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Request: Removing Candle Wax from a Tablecloth
Archived on 12/27/2006
How can I remove candle wax out of a tablecloth? I did not realize the candle holder had a crack in it and it leaked on my new tablecloth.
Thanks for the help!
Toehead from Loranger, LA
Answers:
RE: Removing Candle Wax from a Tablecloth
Take brown paper bags from the grocery store; place the bags on each side of wax stain. Press the top bag with a warm iron, without using the steam, until the wax melts into the bags and away from your tablecloth. (06/18/2004)
By Anita
RE: Removing Candle Wax from a Tablecloth
Put an ice pack on it to freeze it. Remove as much of the frozen wax as possible. Any remaining wax can be removed by pressing the tablecloth lightly between 2 pieces of pressing paper or paper bag using a warm iron. (06/18/2004)
I would suggest not using the freezing method. Although it is proven to work, it can also make the wax even harder to remove. Use the hot ironing method; it's much easier, and also much more effective. (12/26/2005)
By Mary Kate.
RE: Removing Candle Wax from a Tablecloth
I have heard that putting a wax dripped object in the freezer will permit the wax to be flicked off. It's worth a try. It won't harm the item. (12/19/2006)
My candles melted through the candleholders and messed up my tablecloth. It has been washed but the stains are still there. Thank you for any help.
thriftyqueen
Answers:
RE: Removing Candle Wax from a Tablecloth
Try placing a brown paper bag (a section with no ink on it) or some pieces of paper towels over the stain and then iron over it with an iron set to the approprate setting for the fabric. This should work even though the cloth has been washed!
Good Luck to You!
Rebekah (09/15/2005)