How To Remove Candle Wax From Wood [5 Easy Ways]

In this guide we will see together how to remove candle wax from wood and wooden furniture, without damaging the wood. Not only that, we will also reveal many secrets and show you top 5 easy ways you can do this.

How to Remove Candle Wax from Wood Step by Step

1. First let the candle wax cool down completely. It must be completely dry in order to remove it from wood.
2. Use a plastic card to roughly scrape the pieces of candle wax off the wood. Do not use an important card , such as your current debit or credit card, as this could damage the chip or magnetic strip. 
3. Remove the scraped off pieces of wax.
4. Then place a piece of kitchen roll on the stubborn remaining stains.
5. Heat the wax with a hair dryer until it liquefies and is absorbed by the kitchen roll.
6. You may have to repeat this process. It is important that you absorb the wax without leaving any residue.

Scroll down to see 5 amazing methods you can use to remove candle wax from wood!

What will dissolve candle wax from wood?

Here is the list of products that allow you to quickly and effectively remove candle wax stains from wood:

• Lukewarm water;
• Methylated spirits
• Clay stone;
• Turpentine
• Linseed oil
• Ammonia
• White vinegar
• Baby talc
• Acetone
• Soap
• Powder shampoo for rugs and carpets
• Sandpaper
• Can of teak oil
• Extra green olive oil
• Iron
• Hairdryer

But you don’t need all this products, we will present you the top 5 ways you can remove candle wax from wood!

Type of wooden furniture	Methods of removing candle wax from wood
A sofa or an armchair	Using Plastic Scraper
Stained cabinet	Denatured alcohol
Furniture covered with imitation leather	Lukewarm Water
Waxed wood	Using Iron + Turpentine
Laminate floor	Using Vinegar
Varnished wood	Using Plastic Scraper
Painted wood	Using Hair Dryer
Teak Wood	Using Hair Dryer + Turpentine
Raw or open-pored wood	Using Cold Bags
Stained Wood	Olive oil
Wooden Table	Using Hair Dryer + Olive Oil

5 Ways How to Remove Candle Wax From Wood

Use one of the methods below to remove candle wax from the wood:

1. Remove candle wax from wood using iron

The easiest and safest method to remove the wax from the wood is to use an iron. To do this, you need an old towel or blotting paper in addition to the iron.

Here is how to remove candle wax from wood using an iron:

1. First take the iron and let it heat up. 
2. Place a small towel over the poured wax and place the hot iron on the step for about 30 seconds.
3. Do not press too long on one point to avoid damaging the wood. 
4. Repeat until you see all the wax on the towel.
5. Once all the wax is immersed on the cloth, the procedure is finished
6. With a paper towel remove the residues

To completely remove the candle wax from the wood, it may be necessary to repeat the process several times. In this way, candle wax stains can be removed from both untreated and varnished wood.

Tip: Remove candle wax on rough wooden surfaces

Not all wooden surfaces are level and smooth, so on rougher surfaces the wax sometimes penetrates deeper into the pores. 

There it is more difficult to soak up the wax with a kitchen towel. Instead, you can use potato flour. 

Scatter this on the surface and then proceed as described above. The lower-lying wax is now absorbed by the potato flour. The residues can later be removed with a vacuum cleaner.

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2. Remove candle wax from the wood with the hairdryer

Candle wax can also be removed from wood with a hairdryer. All you have to do is gently heat it. Never stay in one spot for too long. Once the candle wax has liquefied, soak it up with kitchen towels or blotting paper.

Here is how to remove candle wax using a hairdryer:

1. Take a hair dryer and set it to a warm temperature, but not too high;
2. Place an absorbent paper or paper towel over the wax stain;
3. Turn on the hair dryer and direct the heat to the stained area;
4. The wax softens and is absorbed by the blotting paper;
5. Turn off the hair dryer and remove the paper;
6. Wipe the stained area well;
7. Use furniture wax spray and a sponge to clean the surface.

Usually, after this operation, ugly halos remain, which you will have to treat again with the hot air of the hairdryer: in this case, avoid using abrasive sponges or products that are too aggressive otherwise you seriously risk damaging the surface irreparably. 

3. Remove candle wax from wood with plastic cards

Depending on the coating on the wood, the wax may only be on the surface. 

In this case, you can try to harden it with ice cubes in a plastic bag and then scrape it off with a plastic card (driver’s license, credit card, squeegee) or a plastic scraper. 

If the wax stains cannot be completely removed from the wood in this way, use the trick mentioned above with the iron.

4. Remove candle wax from wood with hot water

If you don’t have an iron or hairdryer at home, you can use hot water to remove the wax from the wood. 

To do this, put an old towel on the wax stains and pour hot water over it. The wax stains should then be easy to remove.

Attention : Untreated wood can cause water damage. Even with painted surfaces, you should never use too much water and always vacuum it up immediately. 

When in doubt, it is better to resort to one of the methods mentioned above that don’t require water.

Want to remove paint from wood? This article I wrote will help you complete with the best tips and tricks!

5. Remove wax stains from wood with a sponge and vinegar

On sturdier wood, the wax stains may be removed with a soft sponge and a little vinegar-water mix. 

Dip the sponge in the water and wring it out until it is only slightly wet. 

Then place above the candle wax stains and pull the sponge across the wood in a straight motion. 

If there is some wax caught in the sponge, continue until the stain has disappeared. The floor should not get too wet.

You can also use the cold method:

1. Let the wax harden to make it easier to remove.
2. Fill a plastic bag with ice cubes and place it on top of the wax to freeze it. Be careful not to let the bag leak, as it could leave residue on the wood.
3. Remove the wax with a spoon or a blunt knife. You will have to be very patient, since you must do it very carefully so as not to hurt the wood. 
4. Remove the wax little by little, trying to touch your wooden furniture as little as possible.
5. Clean the surface as you normally would.

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How can you remove candle wax from wood without damaging the wood?

The first thing you should do is let the candle wax cool down until it hardens. Now you can increase the rough proportions. 

Under no circumstances should you use a sharp or hard object, otherwise unsightly scratches will appear on the wooden surface. 

Often the coarse wax can be loosened with your fingers or you can use a solid piece of wood. The fine wax residues are removed differently depending on the wood surface:

For smooth wood surfaces:

1. Take a soft cloth and soak it in olive oil. 
2. Then rub it over wax until it is no longer visible. 
3. You can then embalm the area or the entire wooden surface with the olive oil rag. 

This treatment is a boon for the natural wood, because it creates a protective film that refreshes the wood.

With uneven wood surfaces:

Since the wax has also settled in the notches and depths on uneven surfaces, you must first heat the wax with a hairdryer.

 If it starts to flow, you should take a paper towel or paper towel to pick up the leftovers from the surface. The stains that are created are fat which is left behind. 

This can be solved with a simple and harmless home remedy: vinegar. 

Mix lukewarm water with a few spritzes of vinegar and wipe the affected area as you go. At the end you can also treat the wooden surface with olive oil.

Here is how to remove a candle stain from wood depending on the type of the wood.

On white wood

•  Rub candle wax stain with sandpaper.
•  Then rub with a brush soaked in turpentine and linseed oil.

This guide will help you remove linseed oil like a professional. Check it out!

On waxed wood

To remove a trace of candle wax from a waxed wood table:

•  Remove surface wax using the green side of a sponge.
•  Rub the remaining trace with a cloth soaked in turpentine with linseed oil.
•  Wax if necessary.

On painted wood

To remove a trace of candle wax from painted wood:

•  Apply steel wool to the stain and rub.
•  Pour some turpentine , followed by a little linseed oil on a cloth.
•  Polish the remaining trace with a rag.

On teak wood

To clean a trace of candle wax from teak wood:

•  Gently rub the teak with a steel wool pad.
•  Rub the wax with a cloth impregnated with turpentine and teak oil.

If you follow these instructions, candle wax residues on your wooden surface no longer stand a chance! 

How do you remove wax residue from wooden furniture?

To remove candle wax from wood furniture , you must first reduce the thickness of the wax layer. To do this, use a knife or the handle of a metal spoon. The second step is to remove the wax on the support where it has flowed.

To remove candle wax from a wooden surface, you can:

• remove excess wax;
• mix turpentine and linseed oil, then apply to the wax;
• rub with a cloth or brush depending on the nature of the wood;
• dry everything, then clean with the usual product for wood maintenance.

Scrub with a brush if it is natural, unpainted and unvarnished wood. Rub with a cloth impregnated with product if it is waxed wood. Remove the wax by rubbing with a rag on painted wood.

A few tips for effective wax removal

• Do not use an iron to remove colored wax stains; this will only fix the dye. In this case, white spirit should be used.
• Do not use metal spatulas, which can damage or scratch hard wood surfaces..
• If you are using an iron to clean wax stains, always set the temperature to minimum or medium.

You have learned how to clean the wax yourself at home. If you need to clean expensive surfaces and delicate materials, you should contact a specialist!

How do you prevent candle wax stain getting to wood?

• If your candles burn unevenly they will drip more wax, so try to keep your candle holders away from drafts that can cause this.
• Do not move your candles if the wax is still liquid or hot.
• Poor quality wax drips more, so invest in candles with good quality wax.
• Use a candle snuffer, as blowing out the candle flame could accidentally spill hot wax.

Conclusion:

Removing candle wax from wood is easy and requires no professional accessories. If you ever drop wax on the wooden floor, remove it as soon as possible. Otherwise the surface can be damaged, especially with parquet floors.

The best way to remove wax from wood is to use one of the methods presented above that fits your style.