How to Remove Wax from Carpet

A purple candle, roll of paper towels, and an iron on beige-patterned carpet
Fact: Wax is no ordinary carpet mess. Wax melted and hardened in the fibers is impervious to soap and water, sprays and the most heroic elbow grease. But there is an easy fix that totally removes wax from the carpet: Use your iron to re-melt the wax into paper towels. Heated iron + paper towels = voila!

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Set your iron to a low setting. After all, you don’t want to melt your synthetic carpet or burn your wool or cotton carpet — you just need enough heat to melt the wax.

Step 2: Place a paper towel on the wax you would like to remove.

Step 3: Press the iron against the paper towel, pressing gently to transfer the heat from the iron to the wax, through the towel. The paper towel will start to absorb the melting wax.

Step 4: Repeat with additional paper towels as needed until the spill is gone and your carpet looks like new.

Note: If the initial attempt doesn’t effectively melt the wax, simply turn up the iron’s heat setting slightly, and try again. On the other hand, if you notice a burning smell, remove the iron immediately and reduce the setting. Simply try again after the iron cools down a bit.

Wax on, wax off. It’s that simple.

No matter the kind of carpet you have, regular cleanings will lengthen its life. As home cleaning professionals, we vacuum carpets with some of the best vacuum cleaners on the market. Further, exclusive dry extraction carpet cleaning methods are available from certain Molly Maid locations. contact your local Molly Maid or call to ask about carpet care and home cleaning services that meet your schedule, budget and cleaning needs.