The Best Way To Get Candle Wax Out Of Carpet

Who doesn't love the smell of a scented candle? They're an affordable way to make your home smell amazing and increase the cozy vibes. Plus, according to WebMD, certain scents can lower your blood pressure and help you relax.

On the flip side, if you aren't careful, candles can quickly turn into a major headache. Of course, it's important to watch your candle so that it doesn't lead to a house fire. But even if you practice fire safety, you'll probably find that candles lead to other nuisances, too. One of our least favorite side effects? Candle wax dripping everywhere — especially in easily damaged materials like carpets or rugs.

While it isn't particularly difficult to remove candle wax from a carpet, the process isn't exactly intuitive, either. That's why it's a good idea to learn what to do in advance — and keep your cool if you do happen to make a mess.

Surprisingly, wax removal gives a new purpose to an often-ignored appliance: The humble iron. According to Bissell Rental, if the spilled wax is still warm, you should cool it down with an ice pack (this will keep you from mushing it into the carpet as you try to remove it.) Then, scrape away as much wax as possible. While you won't be able to get everything (at the very least, the wax will definitely leave a residue,) it's important to remove as many big chunks as you can.

Once you've minimized the damage, cover the stained area with a piece of paper towel or a paper bag, then add a towel or other piece of fabric on top. You'll want to iron the towel on low heat, which will melt the wax and allow it to stick to the paper layer. Depending on the amount of wax left over, you may have to swap out your paper a number of times. Still, if you're patient, this method is sure to work its magic, and you'll be left with a totally wax-free carpet.

Here's the catch, though. While it's easy to get the wax itself out of your carpet at any point — whether it fell on your carpet today or a year ago. If left on cloth-type materials for too long, candles will produce oil-like stains that can be difficult, if not impossible, to remove.

Depending on the spill, you might be left with some stains even if you remove the wax right away. Don't worry — if you act quickly, you can get these out. According to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, you should blot the stain with commercial upholstery cleaner and detergent. Be sure to rinse as much as possible in between — while it can be difficult to get all of a cleaning detergent's residue out of a carpet, mixing multiple detergents is dangerous. Once you can no longer see the stain, rinse the spot, blot with towels to remove any excess water, and allow your carpet to dry.