Removing candle wax from clothing can be quite difficult. Candle wax, once it has melted and dried again, can be quite stubborn, and as persistent as a stain. The thing that you have to be careful of is not to damage your clothing; this is more important with delicate materials than denim-like fabrics.
The first thing you must do in removing wax from clothes is to remove any large crusty pieces of wax from the clothes. Gently pick as much of the large pieces of wax off of the clothing; the pieces that you can easily grip and pull. You will probably be left with a hardish stain that is quite unsightly. Even if you wash the fabric in a washing machine, this stain probably will not come out. You will need a strong chemical solution that can dissolve the remaining wax and get it out of the clothes.
Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning chemicals are quite good for removing stubborn stains and a dry cleaner will know exactly what chemicals to use and in what quantities. One option that you have is to take the clothing to the dry cleaner to have the stain removed. This however may cost you more money that you are looking to spend. If you are an avid do-it-yourselfer, you will probably want to find a solution and remove the stain yourself.
Ironing
One way to try to get wax out of clothing is to try to iron it out, but you cannot simply iron the fabric. You need to place some type of absorbent material like an absorbent paper napkin or paper kitchen towel between the iron and your item of clothing so that it will absorb the wax as it is melted by the heat of the iron. As one of the napkins becomes soiled, place a different part of the napkin on the stain until it has all been removed.
Dry cleaning solution tends to do a good job of removing candle wax. Shop around for a dry-cleaning solvent that is not too strong and that is not toxic. You should ask questions of the person behind the counter when you make your purchase. To use dry–cleaning solvents for removing wax, blot very small amounts onto a sponge and try to dissolve the wax but blotting it with the sponge.
Detergent
Another way to remove wax is with everyday neutral detergent. This is detergent that contains no alkalies or bleach. You will need to mix the detergent with lukewarm water and then use a sponge to blot at the wax stain until it begins to come up out of the fabric.
Above are my best solutions for removing dried candle wax from clothing. You may try one technique and have it work a dream for you or you may need to use a combination of several of these suggestions. Whatever you do, be gentle so as to preserve the fabric of the item of clothing that you are trying to rescue. Harsher methods can be used on tougher materials but all in all take a gentle approach to solving the problem of melted candle wax split on your favorite clothes.
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