How to Remove Candle Wax from a Piano Top

The soft glowing ambiance of candles in our homes is a cozy, inviting charm that many households enjoy, particularly around the holidays and special occasions. However lovely, candles have the potential to become a bothersome chore in the event wax accidentally spills onto the tablecloth, the carpet, furniture, and other delicate surfaces like a piano.

The first rule of thumb to make fighting stubborn candle wax stains easier and less of a headache, is to first take preventive steps to ensure that you don't have them in the first place. Keep candles away from windows, doorways, and drafts as the sudden rush of moving air or wind can scatter wax. When burning candles, place them on a large enough holder so the holder will catch any wax that might happen to drip over. Also, instead of blowing out candles, which will scatter wax, use a snuffer. A snuffer gently confines the flame as it's being extinguished so there's no sudden moving air to unexpectedly scatter the wax. You can also try more expensive candles like ones that are dripless or ones that are made from beeswax or soy. Generally, cheaper candles have more additives and chemicals in them so wax stains from cheaper candles can be more difficult to remove than other kinds.

If you just can't live without real candles, here are a few tips that might help should the need arise to battle some stubborn wax.

How to remove wax from candle holders or candle plates.

This is the easiest trick to remove wax from a candle holder or plate, and it works especially great for removing leftover wax from small votive candles. Just pop the candle holder into the freezer and allow it to get cold for a few hours. When the dried wax gets really cold, it pops out very easily.

How to remove wax from fabric.

The best way to remove wax from fabric is by carefully melting it out. First, cover both sides of the stain with paper. Some women find this is easier if you use a brown paper bag. Others insist that thin paper like wrapping paper works equally as well as does a kitchen towel or paper towel if you don't have any paper. Using a warm iron, the trick is to melt the wax so that the paper picks it up. Done with care and patience, this trick works extremely well so that in most cases, regular laundering should take care of any residue that is still left behind.

How to remove wax from carpet.

If it's a large amount of wax, first carefully scrape up as much was as possible. Then, follow the same iron and paper technique as explained for getting wax out of fabric.

How to remove wax from furniture or a piano.

Removing wax from furniture and delicate surfaces like a piano can be tricky. You don't want to use your iron here, but you can briefly try using a hair dryer to melt the wax. With care, gently rub up as much wax as possible with a clean cloth or paper table. Avoid using toothpaste as some toothpastes are very abrasive and are more likely to do more damage to your furniture than the wax itself.

If you want to try using furniture polishes or other types of cleaning supplies to try to further get out a greasy mark or stubborn candle wax stain, use caution. Be sure to test these products in an inconspicuous area first. I know some ladies who have had some luck with Mr. Clean Erasers and products like Goo Gone, but personally, I would never use these products on furniture that I was concerned about possibly ruining. It may be better to live with a tiny grease mark than to do more damage to the piece of furniture in the long run.