I Tried This Pro Method to Remove Melted Candle Wax from My Table Runner

I love candles for the gentle glow and warmth they bring to a room. Normally, I prefer candles in a jar or canister to prevent dripping wax, but I recently decided to light green taper candles in a centerpiece for our table. As I watched drops of wax pool onto the white cloth table runner during Sunday dinner, I regretted that decision.

Honestly, I wasn’t so in love with that runner that I would have been sorry to toss it. But I am trying to cut down on waste these days. That’s when I remembered seeing an article on Apartment Therapy about how to get wax out of clothes. I’m always up for a cleaning hack, so I tried it. Spoiler alert: My table runner is looking (almost) good as new.

How to Remove Candle Wax from Clothes and Linens

In the future, I will always keep a tray or dish under taper candles to protect table linens. But now I know that all is not lost when wax drips all over. Here’s what I did:

The Freezer Method

First, I put the runner in the freezer for several hours. The idea here is that the wax will cool and harden, and then you can just peel it off or use the edge of a butter knife or credit card to coax it. I know the freezer method works well to cleanly pop out the remnants of a candle from a container or votive holder, so I had high hopes that this would work in much the same way.

My hopes were dashed. Although the wax had cooled off and hardened, there wasn’t enough to peel off on its own. In fact, I saw now that the wax went through the crosshatch of the cloth runner. No wonder my butter knife did little to budge it.

Does it work? Only if there’s a thick layer of wax.

The Iron Method

Next, I tried the opposite temperature and heated up the iron. I placed the stained side of the table runner face down on a paper towel and took a few passes with the iron on low heat. After about 10 seconds of work, I lifted up the cloth to check my progress.

I was shocked. Almost all of the green dye came off the cloth and was now on the paper towel. I felt the cloth — still a layer of wax. So I tried it again with a clean paper towel and was happy that more of the wax came off.

I shouldn’t have been that surprised; after all, reheating wax makes it more malleable. But I really thought the stain would just spread out, not transfer like I was ironing a decal on a shirt. If I were patient or had a better ironing technique — I prefer a steamer — I think I would have gotten all the wax out this way. But there was a layer of sticky residue that would require laundering anyway, so I decided to shut the iron and head to the laundry room.

Does it work? Yes, incredibly well.

The Laundry Method

You can’t simply toss a wax-coated garment into the wash without pretreatment because the wax could transfer to other clothing and make a bigger mess. I was confident that my bottle of Shout would do the trick.

It actually took me a moment to find the spots where the wax fell; I had to feel for the hardened wax with my hands. I applied some Shout, tossed the cloth in with some towels and garments that I didn’t mind risking, and ran a wash cycle.

A bit later, I pulled what seemed like a brand-new table runner out of the wash. I searched for the stain and found an ever-so-faint spot of green that blended into the floral pattern. There was only a slight smudge of wax left, but nothing that would stop me from using this table runner again.

I draped the runner to dry because I didn’t want the heat from the dryer to set what little was left of the stain. I figured I would try another shot of Shout or even another round of ironing to remove it more fully if I had the time, but I was happy enough with the results to call this experiment complete. 

Does it work? Yes, but only if you remove most of the wax by another method first.

I’ll likely refrain from using tapered candles in my house in the future. But if I do risk it and forget to put a tray beneath one, I’m confident in my ability to remove melted wax from fabric.

Further Reading

I Just Discovered the Smartest Way to Store Paper Towels in Your Kitchen (It’s a Game-Changer!)

We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Pottery Barn — Here Are the Best for Every Type of Need

See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room