How to remove candle wax from your wooden table
Keep your table in the best possible condition with these tips
A nice drink or dinner with friends or family; nothing quite as cosy! However, stains are easily made on evenings like these. A bowl of potato chips falling over isn’t that big of a deal, but what do you do if someone knocks over a candle on your (brand new) dining table?
Don’t worry, it’s no reason to spoil your evening over, as we have the solution for you! Read this blog carefully and discover how to “attack” the candle wax and make it disappear like snow in the sun. Spoiler: you’ll even find two different tricks in this blog!
The don'ts
A candle or two easily results in a cosy atmosphere. However, long candles in particular aren’t too stable and one falling over can be disastrous. Immediately when the candle hits the table or receives as much as a good knock, some candle wax will come in contact with your tabletop. It’s important to not panic when this happens; don’t immediately start scraping with a knife to remove the candle wax asap! This will not only fail to remove the candle wax completely, there’s a good chance you’ll damage your tabletop as well! And that’s the last thing we want.
How do stains arise in the first place?
In order to properly remove the stain, it’s good to know how candle wax exactly works. Candle wax liquefies when heated, which is why you always see a piddle around the fuse, just beneath the flame. As soon as the heating stops, the candle wax solidifies again, which is precisely what happens when the candle wax hits your tabletop. It cools down immediately and takes on a different colour. This leads the fat to immediately adhere to your table. To remove the stain, we're going to reverse the process. The intention is for the candle wax to become liquid again, but first…
Remove the largest amount
Candle wax has a thick structure. This means that most of the stain doesn’t even touch your tabletop. You can remove this top layer quite easily, either with your fingers, a spoon, or another small utensil. Be sure to not use a sharp object though, as that can only lead to scratches.
Option 1: use a hair dryer
So, we want the candle wax to reheat so it becomes liquid and we can wipe the stain away. One option you have is to use a hair dryer. Don’t immediately go at it by using the highest position but tackle it professionally. You can remove the stain with kitchen paper as soon as the candle wax reaches higher temperatures again.
Option 2: use an iron
Um… the iron? Well, why not! The steam is perfect to liquify the candle wax. It’s not a matter of “simply” ironing the stain away, though. You should use kitchen paper as an intermediate layer, so you ensure that the iron doesn’t touch the candle wax. The kitchen paper will then absorb the candle wax. We advise you to change the kitchen paper a few times for the best result. Use the iron on the lowest setting. If this doesn't work, you can turn it up a notch.
Maintenance
To keep your table in tip-top condition, good maintenance is very important and not only after a stain has formed. Yes, at Table du Sud you’ll find beautiful dining tables, but we also do everything we can to help you with maintenance. For example, we have specific maintenance products in store for each material that will help you achieve the best results. Use it to your advantage!
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