Candle wax is a tough but very common problem. You will need paper towels and an electric iron. Very absorbent paper towels are recommended for the best results. Use white towels only as dyes may bleed onto the carpet when exposed to the heat of the iron.
Before beginning the procedure, use a brush or your hands to pick away at any of the excess wax that you can get out of the carpet fiber. Be gentle and be careful not to unravel the pile when brushing.
Step by Step
Step 1: Plug the iron in and turn it on to the lowest setting possible.
Step 2: After the iron heats up, take a paper towel and place it over the wax. Gently apply the warm iron to the paper towel. The wax should begin to liquefy and the paper towel will absorb it. Do not set the temperature of the iron any higher than the warm setting, or you may harm synthetic fibers. For berber or some sculptured carpets, you may have to press down harder with the iron. Be especially careful with the berbers and do not pull on any fibers or loops. Pulling on those loops can cause a “run” much like the runs in panty hose and can ruin the rug, as the run will travel across the length of the carpet.
Step 3: Continue working the iron and paper towel until all of the wax is absorbed. You may need to turn the paper towel several times as the area where the wax is being absorbed becomes saturated. If it is a large spill you may need more than one paper towel. The watch word here is patience, as working this process can take time.
To remove stains left from colored wax, try gently dabbing the stain with a rag dampened with rubbing alcohol.
If you have tried all the above steps and you still have some wax in your carpet you may wish to call a professional carpet cleaning company.