Getting wax off hardwood?

[ThankQ]

So I have a candle in a glass thing that burned all the way down, but the wax was stuck to the candle holder. So ize puts it on me little candle warmer thing, and the cat jumped up and knocked it over, spilling a few oz. of melted wax on the floor, the hardwood floor, in January, so it hardened by the time ize was backs from the kitchen with a little towel.

So, anyone have any idea how to get a several splotches of wax off a hardwood floor? Is there an easy way or is it just lots of carefully scraping wax w/out hurting the floor?

 

[Mr. B]

How about a plastic/nylon pot scraper?

 

[Kestra]

Careful scraping, maybe a hairdryer to soften the wax. That's what I would do anyway.

 

[RoJoHen]

My guess would be lots of careful scraping.

 

[ThankQ]

How about a plastic/nylon pot scraper?

I have a plastic spatula, and that little scrapey thing that came w/the George Foreman grill....

That might actually be the best I have.

 

[Trekker4747]

Getting wax off hardwood?

Put it in cid....

Nah, I think I'll postpone.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

Careful scraping, maybe a hairdryer to soften the wax. That's what I would do anyway.

Same here.

 

[Holdfast]

I'd first go the opposite way to the hairdryer approach.

I'd try first to lever it off in one piece with a flat blade held as level with floor as possible. A flat screwdriver, or chisel, or even a regular kitchen knife might work. If it isn't budging, I'd try cooling it further with ice, hoping that made it more easy to remove (kind of like how chewing gum is easier to remove if you stick the cloth it's stuck on into the freezer first).

If that didn't work, try the hairdryer approach, but beware that it may simply absorb into the floor, esp. if it's unvarnished.

 

[Kestra]

Ah yes, I didn't think about it being unvarnished. I've had this issue before and chiseling it off in large chunks never really seemed to work out in reality. Maybe others have better technique!

 

[Holdfast]

I've spilled a few drops on a varnished wood floor, but those came up super-easy with a regular knife, so I've never needed to really try harder. The OP's situation sounds like a lot more wax, and perhaps a less smooth floor?

Wax on a carpeted floor is much worse though. In fact, it's a total bitch to remove. Unless you want to get the scissors out, the only way I found was to use tissue paper and an iron on its coolest setting pressed above the tissue paper (I don't have a hairdryer, or I would have tried that). That removed the wax, which got absorbed into the tissue, but I let part of the iron touch the carpet around it, that wasn't protected by the tissue paper. Unfortunately, the carpet in that part of the house isn't wool, so there's a small slightly melted patch there. Fortunately it's out of plain sight.

 

[Kestra]

Wax on a carpeted floor is much worse though. In fact, it's a total bitch to remove.

With carpet, what I've done is first freeze it to get off as much as I can that way. I've used ice cubes to do that, and you can actually get a fair deal of it off. Then I soften the rest in a method similar to you. Except I of course use my hairdryer, not the iron. If you think melting your carpet with the iron is bad, I can someday show you the triangle shaped hole in our window blinds ...

 

[Holdfast]

If you think melting your carpet with the iron is bad, I can someday show you the triangle shaped hole in our window blinds ...

... what were you trying to do?

 

[Kestra]

I was a newlywed having dinner guests over for the first time, trying to juggle watching the stove and ironing at the same time. And I didn't realize that the ironing board my husband had wasn't as stable as it looked.

There was really no good way for me to tell him about it, or hide it.

 

[scotpens]

I get off waxing my hardwood pretty regularly, if you know what I mean, wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

 

[ThankQ]

Yeah, I figured out how to clean up that mess years ago.

 

[Jadzia]

I don't think it's possible to get it all out. If it's varnished you have fewer options, but if it's unvarnished, this is what I would do:

I'd scrape as much off as possible, down level with the wood. I'd use a glass scraper, which is basically a stanley knife blade mounded sideways on a handle.

Secondly I'd place absorbent kitchen paper over it, and run over it with heated iron. Most of the remainder will melt and soak into the paper. I'd do this until I couldn't soak any more up.

Third I'd consider heating it with a hot air gun. The remaining wax will slowly boil away into fumes with the heat, but it's boiling point is close to the temperature where wood surface will char from the heat. There's a fire risk to consider and be prepared for too. So I'd be very cautious here.

Fourth. Consider resanding the wood surface if it's not acceptable.


When I was a teenager I tried making candles one time. I thought it had set, and opened the mould, but the centre was mostly liquid wax. The wax ended up pouring down my arm and cascading onto my bedroom carpet. It's not often I swear and panic, but that day I did. We ended up having to replace the carpet. My lesson was learned for one week. I'm usually very careful. I hardly ever spoil things.