How to wash wax from clothes 🥝 how to clean a jacket from paraffin

We decided to have a romantic dinner by candlelight, but they decorated not only your meal - did the wax drops somehow appear on the clothes? This is not a reason to panic and throw out elegant clothes - our specialists will tell you in detail in this article about how to remove wax from clothes.

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How to remove wax from clothes?

You will need these substances:

• water;
• ice;
• petrol;
• acetone;
• denatured alcohol;
• turpentine;
• dishwashing liquid;
• borax (sodium tetraborate);
• salt;
• lemon acid;
• ammonia;
• washing powder.

Use improvised items such as:

• a plastic spatula or knife;
• paper napkins;
• a towel, a sheet of linen or cotton;
• soft napkin made of flannel;
• rag;
• kitchen sponge;
• suede brush;
• a bowl or basin;
• pan;
• ironing board.

Do not forget about the necessary household appliances - these are:

• refrigerator (freezer compartment);
• iron;
• Washer.

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How to clean wax from clothes?

If you immediately noticed a stain - try to remove the wax while it is still hot. Blot it lightly with a paper towel, do not press it into the fabric and do not rub. After that, you still have to remove the stain, because the oily substance is instantly absorbed into the clothes, but you can at least reduce the amount of pollution. In case you discovered it some time after the festive feast, you will need a little perseverance and patience to remove the wax or remove the paraffin from the clothes.

There are 5 main stages of removing stains from wax (paraffin, stearin):

1. Cooling, in which the substance becomes brittle.
2. Removing drops of wax from the surface.
3. Ironing at high temperature.
4. The use of special tools that dissolve fat.
5. Mandatory hand or machine wash.

We offer you a detailed scheme of actions.

Stage 1

1. Take dirty clothes.
2. Place in a plastic bag.
3. Put in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
4. If the thing is voluminous - attach ice wrapped in cellophane to the stain or some frozen product in a bag.
5. Remove and check if the wax has hardened.

Stage 2

1. Take a plastic spatula.
2. Carefully scrape the wax off the surface of the fabric.
3. Carefully remove all crumbs.
4. Check: only a light oily stain soaked into the fabric should remain on things.

Important! Instead of a spatula, you can try to remove the stain with the blunt side of the kitchen knife. Be very careful not to tear or tighten, especially if the material is knitwear.

Stage 3

1. Preheat the iron to 80-90 degrees.
2. Place a linen towel on the ironing board.
3. Top in 2 layers, cover it with paper towels.
4. Put on them a piece of clothing with a stain.
5. Cover with paper towels.
6. Cover with a clean cloth.
7. Iron with the iron so that part of the stain from the fabric is transferred to the paper.
8. Replace wipes with clean ones.
9. Repeat until there are no greasy marks on the paper.

Important! Please note that for synthetic products, the temperature should be much lower than indicated. The described method cannot be used on velvet or plush fabrics - this can damage their structure. It is also not recommended to heat colored wax stains with an iron.

Stage 4

1. Moisten the sponge in a solvent (acetone, gasoline, denatured alcohol, turpentine).
2. Gently apply to stain.
3. Leave on for 20 minutes.
4. Brush the stain.
5. Repeat as necessary.

Important! Harsh solvents cannot be used to clean delicate silk and wool fabrics or synthetics. For them, use a milder option - a dishwashing detergent that needs to be applied to the stain for 10-12 hours.

Stage 5

1. Soak things for 30 minutes in warm water with added detergent.
2. Drain and rinse the cloth well to wash away any remaining solvent.
3. Wash clothes manually or in a washing machine.

It is not necessary to apply all 5 of the above steps. They are designed to remove the most difficult spots. You can choose those that correspond to a specific situation. For example, if after ironing the stain completely disappeared, it makes no sense to use solvents. It’s better to wash the item immediately.

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How to remove colored wax from clothes?

Stains of this kind should not be ironed with an iron, since under the influence of high temperature the wax can become even more fixed on the fabric and change its color.

In this case, proceed as follows:

1. Soak the fabric in the cold.
2. Remove wax from the surface of the fabric.
3. Treat the stain with brown (sodium tetraborate).
4. To remove stains, mix citric acid with sodium chloride.
5. Apply the mixture to the stain.
6. Wash clothes.

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How to remove wax from the skin?

Soiled leather clothes are very easy to wax. The jacket or coat should be kept in the cold for some time until the wax solidifies completely, after which the stain is bent in half. At the bend, the wax should crack and you can use your hands to remove particles of it from the skin.

In almost the same way they clean fur things. In winter, a fur coat or hat is taken out for several hours in the cold. However, the frozen wax is not broken, but carefully pulled with fingers from individual villi, moving from the base to the tips and trying not to damage them.

It’s easy to cope with pollution on things from suede. To decide how to remove wax from your skin, check out 2 cleaning methods:

Solution 1

1. Pick up a pot of water.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Hold the stain over the steam for a few minutes.
4. Clean the problem area with a special brush for suede items.

Decision 2

1. Take 1 liter of water.
2. Add 0.5 tsp. ammonia.
3. Shuffle.
4. Dampen a soft flannel cloth in the solution.
5. Gently wipe the stain.
6. Repeat several times if necessary.

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Useful Tips

• Remember that the materials from which the candles are made have a dense, greasy texture that does not dissolve in water, so you just won’t be able to wipe the paraffin from the fabric. Other methods of exposure are needed.
• Do not try to wipe the stain as soon as it appears - the wax is absorbed quickly enough. Intensive friction will increase the area of ​​contamination and make it harder to cope. The maximum that you can do is to blot another hot wax or paraffin with a paper towel.
• Before using the solvent to clean the stain, check it on a small piece of cloth. If there are no stains, and the original color is preserved, you can use the selected tool.
• When working with solvents, observe the following precautions: protect your hands and respiratory tract from exposure to chemicals.

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Now you know almost everything about how to remove wax from clothes. We will be glad if our tips help you keep your favorite thing for years to come.