So we’ve all been there - enjoying a beautiful fragrance by candlelight, or filling our room with the aroma of one of our flameless Scent Plus Melts, when disaster strikes. A spillage that splashes wax on one of our favourite items of clothing! Whether you’re trying to clean out a holder of an old wax form, or you’re simply the victim of an ill-timed bump to the coffee table, there’s sometimes no avoiding it.
Thankfully we’re not just experts in making wax, we’ve also got the tricks you need to avoid spills, and to fix them when they happen.
Let’s start with some tricks to getting old wax out of holders, jars and ScentGlow Warmers without the hassle of getting it near your fabrics.
For jars and holders, don’t just pour it out or chip it out with a utensil. Instead, pour a kettle of hot water into the container and let the wax melt. Then, when the water has cooled and the wax has set, it will be sitting on top of the water. It should be easy to simply pour out. If the set wax has molded to the sides of the jar, above the water, simply run a sharp knife around the edge before pouring out.
For flameless wax, like our wax melts, a clever trick involves a simple ribbon or string. While the wax is still fully liquefied, place the ribbon gently into the wax (don’t forget to turn it off so the wax is simply warm to touch, not hot). Then, let the wax set. Once cold, pull both sides of the ribbon and let the wax pop right out, no mess.
But the worst has happened, and wax is already on your clothing, so how do you get it out of treasured items while maintaining the look? We’ve got you covered, from head to toe.
First, resist the temptation to go at wax while it’s still hot. This risks spreading it around or working it further into the fibres of the fabric, so let it cool and set before you take action. Next, scrape off any excess gently...and we mean gently! Use the back of a butter knife to scrape away from you and carefully brush away any scraps into a waste bin. Third, you need to reheat and remove! Place 2 paper towels under the affected fabric, and two on top. Run a warm iron vigorously across the towels for just long enough to melt the wax and have it absorb into the paper. If the paper becomes saturated, place new towels and repeat.
After the wax has been removed, there may be some colouration. Don’t worry! You can treat this with your usual stain removers, place the clothing in the wash as normal, and you’ll find it comes out clean.
If your affected clothing is dry clean only, or made from specialist fabrics like silk, we recommend trusting the experts. Take it to your local cleaner before doing any of these steps, and let them set you right.