How to clean candle wax off upholstery and carpet - 3 easy steps to deal with festive tablescape disasters

Candles are one of our favourite indulgences at this time of year, whether it's to give your home a festive scent or add a flicker of light to your Christmas table - that is until you tip the candle over and hot wax seeps into your table cloth, carpet or upholstery.

It’s always handy to have a few stain removal tips up your sleeve, especially when it comes to candles - if you’re anything like me, you’ll have stacks of the best-scented candles waiting to be burned.

Dealing with set wax isn’t exactly a relaxing experience - kind of the opposite of what a scented candle intends to do. And when candle wax sets into your upholstery it can be very difficult to lift. Luckily, experts have revealed the best ways to remove candle wax from your upholstery, or any other fabric, so you can carry on relaxing.

What you need

• Butter knife
• Ice cubes
• Towel
• Iron

1. Let the wax dry

While it may be tempting to immediately start blotting after a candle wax spillage, try to resist temptation and let the wax cool completely first.

You can either wait for the wax to cool or: ‘fill a plastic bag with ice, and place it over the area to allow it to harden the wax,’ says How Clean is Your House? host Aggie MacKenzie, who has teamed up with Flooring Hut. If you don’t have ice, frozen peas will do the trick, too!

2. Scrape off as much wax as you can

‘Once the wax has solidified (you’ll know it’s solid when the colour becomes lighter), scrape off as much of the hardened wax as you can,’ says James Higgins, eCommerce Manager at Online Carpets.

‘You can do this using something like a butter knife or bank card. If using a butter knife and you have a Berber loop carpet, just be careful not to cause any hooks or pulls with the ribbed part of the knife.

‘Once you’ve scraped off as much wax as you can, bin the larger chunks before vacuuming up the remaining smaller bits.’

Liam Cleverdon, Flooring Expert at Flooring King recommends using a plastic scraper and: ‘avoid any sharp instruments like knives to avoid further damage,’ he says.

3. Get rid of the residue

For this step, you’ll need your iron and a slightly damp towel to heat the wax and absorb it into the towel.

‘Steam the spot through the damp fabric towel for around 10 to 15 seconds. The wax will begin to lift through and transfer onto your towels,’ says James.

‘You may need to do this several times. Just be careful not to have the iron up too hot or keep it on the spot for too long, as this could potentially damage the upholstery or carpet - especially if it’s a synthetic material.

‘If you’re trying to remove wax from a more sensitive fabric, such as a velvet couch, and you’re not confident about using your iron on it, then you can also use a hair dryer.'

Liam also recommends blotting the upholstery with warm water and vinegar to help lift the stain. Afterwards, James recommends cleaning the carpet or upholstery with a gentle soap and warm water. If any of the stains remain, repeat the three steps.

Next time you spill wax on the carpet, do not panic- just take a deep breath and follow these three easy steps.