How to remove wax from clothing with an iron and paper

Step by step: how to remove wax from clothing with an iron and paper

Safety first. Use the iron on its lowest setting with the steam off, keep the cord and hot plate away from children, and never leave the iron face down on the fabric. Some synthetic fabrics melt with heat, so test on a hidden spot first.

1. 1

   Let the wax harden

   Leave the wax alone until it is completely solid. Wiping warm wax pushes it deeper into the weave and spreads the stain. For a big drip, put the garment in a bag in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours.

2. 2

   Snap and scrape off the excess

   Bend the fabric so the frozen wax cracks, then lift the pieces off. Scrape the rest with a dull knife or the edge of a card. Do this over a trash can, since flakes scatter.

3. 3

   Set up the paper sandwich

   Lay a few layers of plain white paper towels or a cut-open, unprinted brown paper bag on the ironing board. Put the stain on top and cover it with another layer. Printed paper or bags with a wax coating can transfer ink or more wax.

4. 4

   Press with a low, dry iron

   Set the iron to its lowest heat, usually the synthetic setting, with no steam. Press the top layer gently for a few seconds at a time and keep the iron moving. You will see the wax soak into the paper as dark, greasy spots.

5. 5

   Move to clean paper and repeat

   Shift the paper so a clean area is over the stain and press again. Keep going until no new wax appears on the paper. This usually takes 5 to 10 rounds for a candle drip.

6. 6

   Treat the oily mark and any color

   Rub a stain remover or liquid detergent into the shadow left behind and let it sit for 10 minutes without drying out. If the candle was colored and left a tint, dab it first with rubbing alcohol diluted with 2 parts water, after testing a hidden seam.

7. 7

   Wash and check before drying

   Wash in the warmest water the care label allows. Air dry and check: if a greasy ring remains, repeat the pretreat before the garment goes in the dryer.

Does the iron method really get wax out of clothes?

Yes. Heat melts the wax and absorbent paper wicks it out of the fabric, which is the method the University of Georgia Extension recommends: scrape, then press between white paper towels with a warm iron from the back of the fabric, rotating the towels as they pick up wax, then launder.

Clorox uses a cut-open brown paper bag with no wax coating or writing and the iron’s lowest setting with no steam, because high heat can melt synthetics like nylon, polyester and rayon. Check the bag for dark splotches to see wax coming out, and keep moving to a clean part. Tide adds that you can freeze the garment first and snap off the frozen wax, and warns not to leave the iron in one spot.

How to get wax out of different fabrics

Cotton, denim and linen handle the iron method easily; synthetics, delicates and pile fabrics need less heat or a professional.

How to remove the color a candle leaves behind

Treat it like a dye stain after the wax itself is gone. Colored candles and crayons leave pigment that the iron does not remove. UGA suggests sponging the tint with rubbing alcohol diluted with 2 parts water, rinsing, then washing in hot water with a chlorine bleach if the fabric is safe for it, or an oxygen bleach if not.

Crayon is a colored wax too, and our crayon stain guide covers a whole load of crayon-streaked laundry. For wax on the warmer itself, see how to clean a wax warmer.

Mistakes to avoid

• Wiping or scraping wax while it is still warm and soft.
• Using a high iron setting on polyester or nylon and melting the fabric.
• Using a printed paper bag or newspaper, which can transfer ink onto the garment.
• Pressing over the same patch of paper after it is already full of wax.
• Skipping the pretreat and finding a greasy ring after the wash.
• Putting the garment in the dryer while wax is still in it, which spreads the oily mark.