BCCB-Sparkle

Removing candle wax from carpets is usually a proper pain.

If you are not careful, you can make a right mess.

I have been a carpet cleaner for twenty years and have been amazed at the damage people have done, trying to get wax off fibres. Often, when people have a go their selves, they bring on a lot more issues than they get rid of.People tend to panic and rush straight in without thinking, which is usually a recipe for disaster

They either do not get all the wax out or (more likely) permanently damage the carpet

In my twenty years in the cleaning business, I’ve seen many ruined carpets.

More often than not, during an end of tenancy clean a cleaner will discover the familiar anvil shaped burn on a carpet. This is the tell tale sign of a botched home attempt at candle wax removal.

You must have seen one of these "iron" outline singe marks at sometime or other?

Professionals have a couple of tricks up their sleeves

The most important thing is to not damage the carpet. This tends to make you unpopular!

Here’s a couple that I’ve discovered over the years. I cannot be with you to supervise so if you have any doubts, don’t proceed.

Here are some tools that I use to remove carpet wax from carpets

1/ An iron with adjustable temperature control.

2/ Aluminium baking foil.

3/ A roll of white paper kitchen roll.

4/ Some water.

5/ A wooden spatula (or a very blunt knife).

A drop sheet (to protect the carpet) and something heat proof (to stand the iron on).

Here’s how you do it

1/ Make sure you practise on an old piece of carpet first. In this way you can run the risk of damage on a piece that does not matter (rather than the real thing).

First, work out how much heat to use If you are trying to remove wax from synthetic fibres like nylon or olefin (polypropylene) you have to be super careful. These can melt at relatively low temperatures. If you melt the fibres, you have had it. There is no "back button" here. Once they are damaged, they are damaged.

2/ Melt some wax and drip it on to the test piece Make sure it has set hard and cooled down

Scrape off the excess wax with the wooden spatula (not too hard or you will pull threads out)

3/ Turn the (cool!) iron upside down and place the aluminium foil across the bottom. Curl the edges over so that they grip the iron. Why do we do this?

This foil will stop the wax from melting then spreading all over the base of the iron. Apart from causing a mess, this could be a relationship breaker if you have borrowed the iron from your other half!

Here’s the main secret

4/ Using many squares of paper towels from the roll, fold them together and then make sure you get them wet enough to make sure there are no dry spots. Wrap them in another couple so the whole package is wet but not dripping.

There is method in the madness here. Many people come unstuck at this stage.

This paper towel, once wet has a double function. Firstly, it helps to cool the carpet
beyond where the wax is.

Secondly it concentrates the heat of the iron on to the piece of carpet where the wax is

As the middle bit dries out it absorbs the wax. Overall, the iron is in contact with the carpet for a far shorter time.

The towel has to be positioned directly over the wax. Make sure the wax is smack in the middle

5/ Using the lowest heat setting, place the iron onto the paper towels. Count out loud to 8 and then lift it off.

6/ Now have a look at the towels The center of the towel should be a bit dryer than the outside. It should also be warmer

Do steps 5 & 6 again. If you cannot see or feel the difference, increase the heat (just a little).

Try number 5 again and you should see some wax being absorbed by the towel.

You may find that the towel gets too dry. Simply wet it and start again. Change it once it pulls out too much wax. Repeat 5/.

Do not be in a hurry to wreck the carpet! Increase the heat slightly each time. This is why it it vital to practise on an old piece of carpet first. It is better to damage an off cut than destroy the real thing.

Just keep repeating the process gently Once you've got the right heat setting you'll be most of the way there.

The key here is patience. Going too fast at this stage will probably result in a damaged carpet.

If all of this succeeds, try the same procedure on the actual wax deposit on your carpet With a bit of luck (and a "following wind") you should be able to move the wax completely. You should also receive applause and plaudits from onlookers!

BCCB-Sparkle

Sunday, March 22, 2020

BCCBcarpetcleaning (@BCCBBirmingham )

Thursday, March 5, 2020

BCCBcarpetcleaning (@BCCBBirmingham )

BCCBcarpetcleaning (@BCCBBirmingham )

BCCBcarpetcleaning (@BCCBBirmingham )

BCCBcarpetcleaning (@BCCBBirmingham )

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Carpet Wax On Your Carpet?