Candles can be a lovely accent and add warmth to any space in your home. They can also wreak havoc on your table, wood floors, or furniture if you ever happen to knock one over. Unlike other materials, which can be cleaned up quickly and easily, the question of how to remove wax from wood is a bit more complex.
Fortunately, it can be done. Today, well cover a few different methods that you can try to remove wax from wood furniture and flooring in the event of an accident.
What Youll Need
Thankfully, you wont need much more than a bit of patience and a few readily available household items to get the job done in this case. You will need different materials for different methods. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need all of them. Heres the overall list:
- Plastic scraper (a credit card will work in a pinch)
- Hair dryer
- Clothes iron (youll need one if the surface the wax is on is unfinished, like outdoor furniture, for example)
- Mop and bucket
- Mineral spirits
- Furniture polish or Goo Gone
- Extra-fine steel wool
Method I: Best For Wood Floors And Tables
This removes wax from wood using mineral spirits and steel wool.
Start by cleaning the area with soap and water. If you need to remove wax from wood floors, use a mop with a bucket. If you are working on a small area like a table or chair, a rag and soap is sufficient. After you have cleaned the surface, allow it to dry.
Next, take a clean rag to the spot and apply mineral spirits. Youll want to apply some serious elbow grease as you scrub the spot to lift as much of it from the wood as possible. Repeat this process for however long it takes to remove the wax.
If theres still wax residue left when youre finished scrubbing, use fine steel wool to scrub the spot further until all the wax residue has been removed.
Method II: Alternative For Wood Floors And Tables
This method is easy to use and requires very few tools. It’s especially effective in removing wax from wood floors and furniture.
First, head to the freezer and grab yourself an ice cube. Rub the ice cube over all of the wax. This will harden the wax and make it easier to remove more wax in the next step.
Next, use your credit card or plastic scraper to scrape off any wax. To avoid scratching the finish surface, you will want to scrape the wax at about a 10-15 degree angle. Once youve removed as much wax as possible, you can use your vacuum to suck it up or sweep it up with a dustpan.
Now, spray the affected area with either furniture polish, or Goo Gone, and let it sit for several minutes on top of the wax residue. To remove any remaining wax, scrub the area with a clean cloth.
Apply the furniture polish again if there is still wax residue after you’re done.
Method III: Perfect For Unfinished Wood & Outdoor Furniture
If you spilled wax on bare wood, the process to remove the wax is considerably different than the last two methods weve covered. Huffpost suggests some unconventional methods to remove the wax. They work great.
First, grab an ice cube from the freezer as we covered in the second method. To make the wax more harden, rub the ice on top of the wax stain. This will make it easier for you to scrape.
Use your credit card or plastic scraper to remove as much wax as possible. Be careful not to damage the wood below. Remove the hardened wax from the area with your vacuum or a dustpan.
Next, grab some paper (any type will work, even paper towels), and your clothes iron. Turn on the iron to the lowest setting, and heat it up.
After the iron has reached a high temperature, place a piece paper on top of the wax stain and then run the iron over it. This will melt the wax on your furniture and transfer it to the paper. This process can be repeated as many times necessary to get rid of all the wax.
Depending on the type of wax that was spilled on the table, there may be an oil stain left behind after all the wax has been removed. You may be able, depending on the type of wax that was spilled on the table, to remove the oil stain with salt or baking soda.
You may consider buying a spotlifter to remove stubborn oil stains.
Last Word
When it comes to how to remove wax from wood, there are a few different ways you can get the job done. You can quickly restore the natural beauty of your floors and furniture with patience and a little bit of creativity.
