Candle related accidents are rare if you're an experienced candle collector but accidents do sometimes happen. They can usually be avoided by not moving a burning candle, but you might still find a little wax split when transporting a candle if you aren't careful.
One reason that scented candles are great for the home is that accidents are easily fixed with cold air or heat, so don't panic! Here's an easy user guide to remove wax from your carpet.
What You’ll Need
- A household iron
- Packing paper
- An old tea towel or rag
How to Get Dried Candle Wax Out of Carpet
- Make sure your wax has completely dried.
- Set your iron to a medium setting with no steam.
- Cover the spill with a long piece of kraft paper. Try to find a piece that's about five times the length of the stain because you'll be pulling it long-ways.
- Take your paper and place it on top of the stain. Using your paper as a buffer, gently press the iron on top of the stain. Hold it for a second or two to make sure the wax melts.
- Set the hand towel adjacent to the paper, so that when you slide the paper in a left to right motion, the wax ends up on the towel and not the carpet.
- Keeping the iron in the same spot, over the spill, drag the piece of paper from left to right onto the towel. This should pick up all the wax from the fibers of the carpet and leave it on the towel rather than another part of the carpet.
Preventing Candle Accidents
Prevention is always better than a cure, so here's how you can prevent candle accidents in your home.
- When your candle is still lit, or when the wax hasn't fully set, don't move it. Don't transfer a burning candle.
- As tempting as it may be, fight the urge to throw away liquid wax before it has completely cooled. If you need to reuse your jar and remove any wax, check out my candle care guide here.
- Kids and pets seem to be oddly drawn to candles, but it isn't safe to have a burning candle around them. Place your candles safely out of reach, like a high (but open!) shelf or mantel.
- If you use the room for your workout or if your kids play there, choose a different place to burn your candle.
With these tips and suggestions, you’ll be able to burn your favourite scented candles safely without worrying about spills or accidents.
For more candle care tips, check out my handy guide.
Happy burning!
Photos by Ali Choubin on Unsplash