Wax on, Wax off
I’ve actually never seen The Karate Kid, but I’m with-it enough to know that’s where the line “wax on, wax off” comes from. But because our house seems to be the place for unusual accidents these days (you do remember Frankie’s interior decorating, right?), “wax on, wax off” has a whole different meaning for us.
Wax on refers to the mess made when our entry way candles were left unattended for too long…
…which leads to this…
…and this…
…that’s when my father-in-law shakes his head and reminds me that candles are dangerous. (Thanks for the tip, Red.)
It’s also when I decide I should probably do some research to figure out the best way to remove wax from furniture and fabric. Or, as Chris likes to say, “it’s a blog-able moment.”
So, how do you remove candle wax from tablecloths, walls and furniture? Here are some helpful hints:
- For fabric, apply an ice pack to make the wax more scrape-able. After a moment or two of icing, use a credit card or butter knife to scrape as much as you can. If necessary, place the fabric between two clean paper bags and gently iron the area (on medium-high level) until the wax transfers from the fabric to the paper bag. Throw the items in the washer as soon as you can after that, especially if it was colored wax!
- For wooden furniture, use that ice pack again to harden the wax. Then gently scrape off as much as you can with a credit card. If any residue remains, use a clean cloth to rub the rest away.
Lucky for me, the wax seemed to harden a lot, so I was able to skip the ice and head straight for the scraping. I thawed out a credit card and went to work.
I couldn’t believe how much wax flaked onto the floor and onto my pants!
I had so much success with the scraping, that I didn’t need to try the ironing or polishing methods at all. So, I will have to test those for you another time!
In the meantime, please tell me if you’ve had any candle disasters. Any close-calls with candles? I know I shouldn’t make light of the situation because many people lose their homes each year to unattended candles, but won’t you laugh along with me on this blunder?
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who hasn’t done this before? When we first moved in 18 months ago I did this on our brand new furniture and carefully scraped it off with my fingernails – I wish I knew about the credit card trick then!
Erin Reply:
February 17th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for making me feel like I’m not alone! I had never heard of the credit card trick before, but it worked like a charm!
xo,
- e
Oh how I laughed – sorry Erin – when I read this. Around 16 years ago when I had my own little flat and was single, my friend who had relocated to USA came back to visit and stayed with me for a few nights whilst en route to visiting family. I had candles lit around the living room and before heading to bed, leaned over to blow them out. Unfortunately the candle wax blew back into my hair and my friend Lynda’s hair and there it stuck. We knew it was best just to leave it to harden properly and then tug it out next morning. We had also had quite a few glasses of wine so we thought it was hilarious. I knew already about the ice trick but not the credit card. Thanks for the post.
Oh Erin! What a bummer. So glad you were able to fix it!
And, speaking from experience, the paper bag trick totally works…
Oh my goodness! That’s crazy! We have tons of candles, but really only use the canister candles. I don’t like to use the tapers or the pillars, mostly because I’m cheap and don’t want to buy new ones. I’m ridiculous.
Glad it worked for you.
Hah! That was quite a mess but I’m glad the tips worked and everything’s cleaned up! I don’t light candles often enough…when I do, they’re usually in glass votive holders because otherwise the kitty would end up with a singed tail.