Trying to remove the wax, as well as the resulting stain, can make you want to stop burning candles altogether. But, if you know how to remove candle wax from clothing and other fabric, you will feel much better.

You do not have to throw your clothes in the trash just because you got some melted candle wax on them. Getting the candle wax out is easy and you only need a few items to get the job done. You will need:

• A butter knife
• An iron
• Paper towels and a cloth towel
• Stain remover
• Ice cubes

These four household items will quickly, easily and effectively remove every trace of the candle wax from your garments and other fabric. When you are removing the wax, do not get the iron too hot, this will burn the fabric and it will make the stain much harder to remove. The ice cubes are optional; they are to make the wax hard if it is not already.

There are several different kinds of wax used for making candles:

• Paraffin which is made from petroleum based wax is the most commonly used.
• Soy is a relatively new product used for candle making.
• Beeswax is taken from beehives. It is softer and melts easier than paraffin.

These are the most common types of candles and the wax used for each one can be easily removed. When you remove the wax, work fast and steadily with a medium warm iron so that you do not scorch your clothing in the process.

This fast and easy method of removing candle wax will work just as effectively on your tablecloth, napkins, area rugs or any other washable fabric. Before you begin, read the care label of the fabric. http://www.mycraftbook.com/Candle_Wax.asp

If you have spilled a large amount of wax on the fabric, you will need to take a butter knife and scrape it until the excess wax is completely removed. Do not use a knife that is very sharp, you may cut or poke a hole in the fabric. After you have removed the wax with the knife, shake the wax chips off and inspect the area to see if you can remove any more. The more you remove this way, the easier it will be to melt the remainder and absorb it into the towels.

The scraping will be a lot easier and more effective if the wax is already hardened. If it is still warm or too soft, scraping it will just move the wax onto another part of the fabric and make a bigger stain. This is where the ice cubes come in. If the wax is not hardened, rub it with the ice until it is totally hard and breakable.

When you remove as much wax as you can with the butter knife, you can safely remove the remaining candle wax with your iron. To complete the process, you now have to melt the rest of the wax out of the fabric. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/candlewax

Now that you have scraped all of the excess wax off of the fabric, you have to remove the remaining wax and the resulting stain. To make the rest of the removal easier, make sure you have scraped away as much as you can with the butter knife. If you do not have a butter knife, a credit or debit card will work just as well without the possibility of cutting or tearing the fabric.

When you get ready to remove the embedded wax, place a cloth towel or several paper towels down and put the stained fabric on top of the towels. Put more paper towels on the stained area of the fabric. When your iron is medium warm, start ironing on top of the towel until the wax is melted. Make sure the towels are covering the entire stain in order to absorb the wax. You will need to keep checking to make sure the wax is not being redeposited onto the fabric.

After you have removed as much wax as you can, turn the fabric over and continue until you are sure all of the wax is removed. For large wax stains, you will have to regularly change the paper towel often so that a clean area is used to absorb the candle wax. http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf36368759.tip.html

Now that the wax is completely gone from the fabric, you will probably be left with a stain from the coloring and other additives present in the wax. This part of the problem is relatively easy to take care of if you use an appropriate stain remover. An oxygen based stain remover will work well with most fabrics, check to see if your garment is washable before you immerse it in water. If the fabric is not washable you can to take it to the dry cleaner to get the stain completely removed.

Spray some of the stain remover onto the stain and rub it in with a sponge. Let the stained fabric sit for a few minutes then check to see if the stain is gone. If it is still present, soak for five more minutes. After soaking, put the fabric or garment in the washer and wash as usual, using cold water. Hot water may cause the stain to set in. After the wash cycle is complete, do an inspection to see if there is any evidence of the candle wax stain. Do not put the clothing in the dryer before you do the inspection. If all of the wax was not removed, the heat from the dryer will melt it all over the fabric.

If you do see remnants of the stain, repeat the steps above until all of the wax and stain is removed. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/candlewax