Get Wax out of Fabrics and Carpet
It is very simple to get hardened wax out of your rug, clothes, or blankets.
Contents
Steps
- Obtain an iron and a brown grocery bag.
- Place the item on an ironing board (if dealing with a carpet, work directly on top of it. Also, heed warning listed below).
- Place one layer of the paper bag over the wax spot.
- With your iron on medium-high, iron over the paper bag in the area where the wax is. As the wax warms up it will either stick to or be absorbed by the grocery bag.
- Lift the paper bag and lay a clean section of it over any remaining wax and repeat the process.
- Be diligent. Work at it until all the wax is gone. You may need more than one paper bag, depending on the size of the hardened wax.
- Use a lower setting on the iron for delicate materials.
- Remove wax while hot. Quickly, while the wax is still liquid, remove any that is still stuck to the material or carpet.
- Wash the carpet with some soapy water or stain remover if the wax has left a stain.
Tips
- Use a fine-toothed comb to pick out any small pieces of loose wax from a thick-fibered carpet.
- Also try using paper towels instead of paper bags.
- For clothes; treat as above then spray with Sticky Spot and Stain remover on the residual wax, then hot wash.
- Add water to help remove the wax.
Warnings
- Don't set the iron too high: the paper bag could catch on fire.
- When working with carpet (or any delicate material), start with a low or medium iron setting. Increase the temperature as needed. Carpets and other materials can be made of a variety of fibers, some of which can melt under extreme heat.
- Make sure that the paper bag is at least twice as large as the sole plate of your iron. Ironing off the paper could scorch, or melt, the material underneath.
- A damp cloth may get the wax stuck on it if you are not careful.