My daughter spilled candle wax on the carpet in her room. How do I remove it?
You will need the following household items: a plastic bag with ice in it, a white cotton terry towel and a steam iron. First set the bag of ice over the wax and let it sit for 15 minutes. This will make it brittle. Remove the ice bag and break away as much wax from the carpet as you can. Next set the iron on the steam setting and allow it to heat up.
When ready wet the towel thoroughly with water and lightly wring it out. Lay the wet towel over the wax then apply the iron onto the wet towel. I suggest using a corner so as to know where the wax is under the towel. As the wax melts it will absorb into the towel. Do not allow the iron to touch the carpet itself.
Check your progress every 20 seconds. Do not leave the iron on the same spot any longer; to avoid melting the carpet. As the process works rotate the towel to a new (wet) corner and continue until all has been removed. It is vital that the towel always be wet.
Check your work (cool carpet only) with your fingers to ensure all wax has been removed. Some candles contain a lot of color pigment so it is entirely possible to have a dye stain even though the wax has been removed. Try misting the dyed area with enough household peroxide to get it wet. Allow the peroxide to work overnight…bear in mind that you may require professional help if the peroxide fails.
Inserting a new piece of carpet is a common repair for situations like this.
Warning: some carpets made from polyester or olefin, melt at lower temperatures; so if you feel that the carpet is getting too hot simply allow it to cool off before restarting the process. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE PERFORMING THIS PROCEDURE…DO NOT ATTEMPT IT!