Nothing says ambience more than the glow of candlelight in a room decorated beautifully with art and rugs. Yet, when the room is flooded with natural light or the glow of electric lamps, you may find that those beautiful candles created a not so beautiful mess on your furnishings and those rugs.
It is then that you might wonder just how to remove candle wax from a rug without harming the rug itself.
Realistically, there are two methods. We are going to look at both, and they include the DIY or do-it-yourself approach or simply phoning an expert to come and handle the issue properly. Now, you might have read that and thought, “Does that mean that I can’t do it properly myself?” We are not saying you cannot or should not try to remove candle wax from a rug on your own, but it is always best to call in professionals when you are talking about costly silk, Persian, Oriental or other fine rugs. You will see why when you read the DIY approach.
The DIY Method
To remove candle wax from a fine rug can be nerve-wracking because it involves scraping the wax loose with a butter knife, vacuuming up loose bits and then using a heat exchange to lift the remaining wax. This is done by putting a damp towel (folded in half) on the wax. You then press it with a hot iron for ten seconds. The heat melts and pulls the wax into the towel. You must repeat until the wax is gone.
You can then use a carpet cleaner to try to remove any color left from the wax.
The Professional Approach
Now that you have read how the DIY method works, you can see why it is best to remove candle wax from a rug using experts instead of your own effort. There are too many points in the process when the rug could be damaged.
Assessing the Flaws in DIY Wax Removal
Just think, if your rug has even a bit of pile, the knife can easy tear or fray some of the threads. The heat and water can also pull some of the color from the threads and leave enough moisture behind to cause damages. The cleanser may be abrasive and discolor or bleach the carpet, causing further problems. And if you do not eliminate enough of the cleanser and moisture, you can see threads begin to degrade or rot.
This is why our suggested method for removing candle wax from a rug begins and ends with professionals. They can use tools and techniques that eliminate the wax while preserving the stability of the materials. If the wax spill has caused permanent damage, the experts can also address the problem immediately and prevent any holes or discolorations from worsening.
It is best to use candles with great caution at all times, but particularly if they are anywhere near your finest rugs.