Removing Wax From Fabrics
People in the Middle ages must have had this problem a lot, and even though today candles aren’t all that popular, they are still used in some situations. Nothing ruins a romantic dinner like having wax from the candles drooping all over your clothes (that, or saying the wrong name at the wrong time). But the problem with wax is that it won’t just ruin your dinner, but also the day after because I will actually have to clean it. It’s not that big a deal, though. Cleaning wax from your clothes or any fabric, really, is one of the easiest things you can remove. It’s much easier than dealing with ketchup or blood (I’m told). And even though it’s an unpleasant occasion, it’s going to be a breeze to deal with. So save your prayers for something more important.
Don’t Panic!
Do you know the feeling when you forget the oil on the stove and it bursts into flames, and then you see the small flame, panic and try to put it out with water, causing the flames to rise immeasurably? Yeah, those are the kind of decisions you make when you panic. So try to stay calm. Don’t do anything. The more you try to mitigate the effects right now, the worse you will make the situation. It’s like running down the stairs during an earthquake – I know you think it’s better to leave the building faster, but first of all, stairs are not safe; and second of all, when you’re running, you might trip and fall, thus causing an even bigger problem for yourself. Bottom line – don’t panic!
The worst thing you can do is try to treat the stain right away. I know you’ve heard that the sooner you start working on a stain, the easier it will be to remove, but in the case of wax, it’s sort of the other way around. So just wait for it to really dry out. In fact, you can even speed up the process by placing a metal tray full of ice on it, though this is optional.
Remove the Wax
Remove as much of the wax with a dull blade as you possibly can. A butter knife should do a good job. Be careful while you’re removing the wax as you don’t want to damage the fabric. Just carefully scrape the wax with the knife while trying not to damage the fabric. Nice and easy.
Here you have two paths ahead of you – one is long and tough, and the other one is pretty much a short straight line. The short path is the one you can take if the wax was colorless. This means that by scraping most of it off, you’ve almost completed the process and all you have to do is apply some detergent, then brush it off with a dry brush and throw it in the washing machine. But if that’s not the case… If you’ve decided to go for the red candles because, honestly, why not… Then you have to take an iron and some paper towels…
Iron and Paper Towels
Sounds like the title of a cheap e-book (dips on the idea), but it’s what you need. Switch the iron on the lowest temperature setting. Place an old rag or something under the fabric you want to clean, and two paper towels on it. With the iron, melt the wax as it gets soaked into the paper towels. You need to change the towels several times during the process so you don’t spread the whole thing. Do that a few time, soak it in a stain remover and throw it in the washing machine. If you’re lucky, there will be no stain left.
Author Bio: Jessica is a manager of London tenancy cleaning for many years. She works with special cleaning products and has a lot of knowledge and fresh ideas for removing wax.