How to Remove Wax from Clothes

If you need to remove wax from your clothes, scraping or removing it doesn’t seem to work very well. However, there are some fairly simple methods you can use to remove wax – such as candle wax – from clothes (and other fabrics).

Table of Contents

Scrape off excess wax

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Let the wax dry. Whichever method you use to remove wax from your clothes, you’ll get better results if you remove the wax when it’s dry. This may be counter to the desire for immediate stain removal, but you should not remove the wax while it is still hot.

If you rub the wax while it’s hot, you can spread it to other parts of your clothing and make the situation worse. ^{[1] X Research Source} So don’t rush to flush with water in the sink while the wax is still hot or scrape it off with your hands. ^{[2] X Research Source}
You can let the wax dry naturally. Or you can put ice cubes on your clothes to dry them faster or put them in the freezer.

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Shave as much wax as possible. When the wax is dry, you need to scrape off the loose wax before using the heat. You can use a dull knife to do this.

Shave in a direction away from your body so you don’t injure yourself. The reason you need to use a dull knife is because sharp knives can easily tear clothes.
If your clothes are made of thin materials, such as silk, use a spoon and scrape off the wax gently. Avoid scraping hard on the clothes, or you may damage them. You can also try using the edge of a credit card instead of a dull knife. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Remove wax with an iron

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Use an iron to melt the wax. You can remove wax – like candle wax – from clothes with an iron. Set the iron on low heat. You should iron over the wax after you have scraped it off with a blunt knife or spoon. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Then, place the tissue over the clothes. You can use paper bags instead of tissues. You need to change the paper continuously as the wax comes off. You can place a thin cloth between the iron and the paper towel, pressing it against the waxed area of the garment.
Place the warm iron on the paper or clothes. This will transfer the wax from the garment to the tissue or paper bag. Iron should not be set to steam mode, otherwise it will not work. This is quite effective with large wax stains. Be careful not to burn the clothes.
Place blotting paper instead of paper towels on fabrics such as cotton or wool. Otherwise, small pieces of paper may stick to the clothes.

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Apply stain remover before washing. After you’ve tried the ironing method, applying a stain remover to the garment before washing will remove any remaining wax or stains from the garment.

You should wash your clothes in the hottest water possible. Use bleach on white clothes. Otherwise, you can use bleach for colored clothes. This is extremely important if colored wax gets stuck on white or light colored clothing.
Do not put clothes in the dryer until you are sure the stain is gone. Otherwise, the heat may cause the stain to adhere more firmly.
Also, hand wash if you have to deal with delicates or dry clean them. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Use other ways to remove wax

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Use a hair dryer. If you don’t have or don’t want to use an iron, you can find another way to melt the wax and remove it.

Place the paper towel on both sides, dry the stain with a hair dryer for 5 seconds and remove it with the paper towel. This method is quite effective for items that are easily damaged by the heat of the iron.
You may need to use a stain remover and wash the garment if the stain persists.

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Put the clothes in boiling water. Soak the garment in a large kettle of boiling water to remove the wax. The trick is to add baking soda to the boiling water.

Get a large pot of water. Boil. Add 25-30 grams of baking soda. Dip waxed clothes in boiling water with a stick or stick. After 1 minute, the wax will fall into the water. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Dip the garment in the water several times. It only takes a few minutes for the wax to soften and fall into the pot. Leaving the fabric in boiling water for too long can damage the fabric by stripping the dye away.
For soft clothes like cotton, you can place a towel over the waxed area and iron it over the towel. The wax will come off the clothes and seep into the towel. This will avoid damaging the clothes with boiling water.

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Use vegetable oil or carpet cleaner. If the stains are small, you can use vegetable oil to remove them. Apply plenty of vegetable oil to the wax. Additionally, you should scrape off most of the wax, apply a carpet cleaner, scrub the wax with a toothbrush, and wash the clothes in the washing machine.

Use a paper towel to wipe off excess wax. Wash clothes.
Avoid using stronger solutions such as paint thinners or kerosene. However, you can try applying a small amount of rubbing alcohol to the stain along with vegetable oil. ^{[7] X Research Sources}^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Put the clothes in the freezer. You just need to wait until the cold makes the wax crispy. You can then separate most of the wax.

You only need to keep the clothes in the freezer for about 1 hour for this process to take place. ^{[9] X Research Source}
There may still be some wax left over. If so, place the remaining wax in the large bowl and secure it to the cup with an elastic band. Then, pour boiling water over the wax. This will melt the wax. Wash clothes as usual.
If you want to harden the wax in another way, try using a wart spray to harden it quickly and safely.

Advice

If you don’t have an iron, just use a straightener!
You can use the same methods to remove wax from other fabrics, like tablecloths.
The plastic bread clip can be effectively used in place of a knife when the scraping is not too heavy.
Be careful when using the iron on furniture. If you don’t try before you do, you could end up with an iron hole in your clothes.
Ironing is also effective in removing acetone (nail polish remover) from unpolished woodwork. (Although a soft cloth may be more effective).
Be careful with candles. They can cause a fire.
Always check the instruction label on the garment before you handle any product. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Warning

Do not use this method on clothes that need to be dry cleaned; Usually you cannot safely wet these clothes.
Be careful when using boiling water. Use rubber gloves to put clothes in the washing machine.

Things you need

Clothes
Water
Heat source (iron, boiling water, or hair dryer)
You can use baking soda or vegetable oil
Tissue, tissue, or paper bag

Steps