Candles are a wonderful thing. You get a little ambient light, a peaceful atmosphere, and with some candles you even get a lovely scent to fill the room. The caveat, of course, is cleanup. Every now and again you’ll get wax-drips where you weren’t expecting them and you’ve got to clean them up.
So, does vinegar dissolve candle wax? Vinegar will definitely dissolve candle wax as long as you mix the vinegar and water at a half-half ratio. Today we’ll talk about using vinegar for dissolving wax and we’ll also cover some different surfaces, such as glass and carpet, and in the end, you’ll have some nice wax removal techniques at your disposal.
Just be sure to follow the steps which we have outlined carefully and you’ll soon be removing that stray wax like a pro. Let’s talk about vinegar, candles, and wax removal!
Does Vinegar Really Remove Candle Wax?
Yes, vinegar is quite effective when it comes to removing candle wax. It’s so effective, in fact, that you want to make sure that you are not using the cleanup method which we are about to detail with waxed furniture. The vinegar will eat up that furniture coating, along with the candlewax, and you’ll be stuck having to re-apply the coat.
So, if you want to remove some wax with vinegar and the furniture isn’t also waxed, then simply use the following steps:
- With a hair dryer, apply heated air to the wax that you wish to clean so that it is softened.
- In a glass, mix vinegar and water at a half-half ratio.
- Remove as much of the wax as you can with a paper towel and for the remainder, apply your mixed solution liberally to the paper towels to soak them and use these to remove the rest. The vinegar solution should sufficiently weaken the warm wax so that you may remove all of it.
- Repeat as necessary until the wax is fully removed.
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Does Vinegar Remove Wax From Glass?
Vinegar can dissolve wax inside a glass, but it’s actually easier to scrape out what you can and then to fetch a blow dryer, which you’ll want to set on medium heat. Next, power on the dryer and carefully apply the heat so that the wax will soften up. As it does, clean it with a handy washcloth or some rags that you have handy.
Note: Be sure to only use medium heat. Anything higher heats up the glass too much and then it becomes unsafe, as it is prone to shattering and could cut you. So only use medium heat when you try this fix.
Once you’ve gotten most of the wax out of the glass then you can deal with the remaining residue by simply washing it out thoroughly with a little hot, soapy water, like you would normally when cleaning your glass.
What Else Will Dissolve Candle Wax?
Candle wax is easier to remove when you think about it from a chemical perspective. Essentially, you are dealing with a stain which is oil-based, and thus there are a number of solvents which are designed to dissolve oils which you may use.
Examples include:
- Vinegar (of course)
- Acetone
- Isopropyl alcohol
These are just a few examples that give you a starting point, but anything that dissolves oil is going to be effective for removing candle wax. That said, you do have to be careful, as some solvents can damage things like fabrics or treated surfaces, so you need to select your solvents carefully with this in mind.
What Is the Easiest Way to Remove Candle Wax?
Possibly the easiest way to remove candle wax from fabric is a little trick that you can do with one or more ice packs. Take a freshly frozen pack or a couple of packs, depending on the size of your wax puddle, and place them directly on top of the wax so that we can freeze it.
Give it 10 or 15 minutes, depending on the size of the mass, and after this you can simply shatter the frozen wax and remove the pieces by hand! It’s quick, easy, and doesn’t require any chemicals, with the possible exception of some small wax-bits that you can easily remove afterwards with a small splash of rubbing alcohol.
How Do You Get Melted Wax Out of a Glass Candle Holder?
Melted wax in a candleholder can be a little tricky to remove – if you don’t know the shortcuts. While vinegar will certainly dissolve it up, there is a much easier method that you can use and all you’ll need is a butter knife and your freezer.
Place the candle holder inside your freezer and let it stay in there for a few hours, so that the wax inside the holder becomes frozen and best of all, quite brittle. At this point, you can take the candleholder out and the wax will usually pop right out when you pry it with the butter knife.
If you have any residuals to deal with, wait until the glass reaches room temperature and then wash it thoroughly with a cloth and some hot, soapy water.
How Do You Get Candle Wax Out of a Glass Jar?
When it comes to getting candle wax out of a glass jar, vinegar isn’t really the optimal solution. A little white vinegar is excellent for removing the label, but as far as getting the wax out you have a couple of option that are certainly more efficient and quite easily done.
The freezing method which we described previously is one way to go, but we have another good one that you can use which works a treat!
To use the ‘boiling method’, get a pot and simply measure out an amount of water that will be high enough to partially submerge your jars, but not enough to get inside them. Bring the pot full of water to a light simmer on your stove and then add your jars into the pot. Turn off your heat and let the jars sit.
Within a few minutes, your wax should be liquid again.
At this point, you can pour it off into another container if you wish to keep the wax or you may simply dispose of it properly. The residual wax at the bottom is where our vinegar is going to come in.
Add some white vinegar into your jars and let them soak for about 40 minutes and you should be able to clean what’s left with some soap and hot water.
Can I Use Vinegar to Get Candle Wax Out of Carpet?
Vinegar is a little acidic so it’s not a great fit for most carpets. Instead, a nifty little removal tip is to take a cotton cloth which dampen slightly, then fold in half, and place over the wax spot. Next, get your clothes iron and set it on high and iron the cloth for about 10 seconds.
The wax should stick to the towel and come right out of your carpet. If your towel dries up before all of the wax is gone, simply dampen it again and repeat the process.
Final Thoughts
Vinegar will definitely dissolve was and leaving a little vinegar in a glass or candle holder will certainly break up the wax to make it more manageable in about 40 minutes. This is, however, not the only solution which you have at your disposal.
As you can see, careful application of heat or freezing the wax can work just as well, or even better, and gives you a number of options you can choose from when you are dealing with pesky wax residue. Just use your best judgement based on the size of the task at hand and you should be good.
Just remember if you use heat or cold and glass is involved, be sure that you let the glass cool down or warm up before you do any extreme temperature changes – if you don’t, your glass may shatter. That said, if you follow today’s tips to the letter, you’ll soon have all of the wax off of the surfaces you are trying to clean with relative ease!