Get Wax Off a Tablecloth

There is no doubt that candles add a lot to a centerpiece, but sometimes they drip wax and make a mess on your tablecloth. Although your first thought may be to throw the tablecloth away, removing the wax is not as challenging as it may seem.

Steps

  1. Freeze the dripped wax. The easiest way to do this is fold the tablecloth with the wax on the outside top layer and put the entire cloth in the freezer. Or, you can fill a bag with ice and place the ice pack on top of the wax while the cloth is still laid out on the table.
  2. Use a dull knife, such as a butter knife, or your fingernail to carefully scrape the frozen wax off the tablecloth. If the tablecloth is made of lace use extra care not to tear the lace material while scraping the wax.
  3. Remove the wax with heat.
    • Place paper towels or pieces of brown paper bag on both sides of the stained area. If you use a paper bag, be sure to choose one that does not have any writing on it.
    • Set your iron to warm or medium and iron over the paper. Do not use steam while ironing. The heat from the iron will cause the remaining wax to melt off of the tablecloth and soak into the paper.
    • Repeat the ironing process if necessary using fresh paper towels or brown paper bags. Keep changing the paper and repeating the ironing until all wax is removed.
    • Launder the tablecloth as usual once all the wax is gone.

Tips

  • Avoid getting hot wax on your tablecloth in the future by placing a large, flat mirror under your candles. The mirror reflects the flame on the candles, creating a pretty effect, and catches any dripping wax. A dull-bladed knife, followed with a wipe using window cleaner that contains ammonia, easily removes wax drips from the mirror.
  • Sometimes after removing the wax with a warm iron there may still be a residual stain on the tablecloth. If you still see a stain after removing the wax, use a stain removal product, such as Shout, on the area before laundering.

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Sources and Citations

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