How to remove wax from your linen tablecloth
A friend recently asked me for advice on how to get candle wax out of her linen tablecloth. I realised it's a problem a lot of us find ourselves with!
Follow the simple steps below to remove wax from your tablecloth.
If you get wax on to your tablecloth or other linen or cotton items - do not try to scrape it whilst the wax is unset. You will increase the surface area of the stain.
You can consider taking your tablecloth to a dry cleaners. If you point out the stain, they should be able to advise whether they will be able to remove the wax entirely.
If you prefer a DIY option, you can do the following. You want to get the wax as cold as possible so that you can scrape it off. For this, get an ice cube and place it on to the wax.
Once the wax is rock hard, scrape it with a blunt object such as a credit card or blunt knife (note the blunt object to avoid damaging the linen). This will get the majority of the wax off. If any stain remains, you will need to sandwich the stain - old fabric or paper towel works great. For example, place a piece of paper towel on your ironing board. Layer the tablecloth with the stain on to the paper towel, with another piece of paper towel on top again. Ensure that the wax stain is facing down to avoid pulling the wax further in to the fabric.
Apply heat - such as with a hair dryer or iron. The remaining wax will melt and be drawn in to the "sandwich" material, such as a paper towel.