Hardwood floors are literally a work of art. The divine beauty of wooden floorboard is too hard to resist, making it still the topmost flooring option for many even in today’s age.
We all love a hardwood floor with a splendid finish, but we definitely don’t love it when little droplets of candle wax get in the scenario. That’s certainly not it! However, given the nature of wax, it’s certainly not that easy to wipe the stain off like a regular liquid spill, now is it? You also have to consider a whole bunch of stuff before trying to get the wax off the floor; you don’t want to damage that hardwood floor of yours while at it.
Now, there are two ways you can proceed to remove that wax off the floor. Either you can melt the wax, or freeze it.
Removal by Melting
For this, you’ll need the following stuff:
- A dry clean rug or towel: The rug or towel will be needed for soaking melted wax.
- Hairdryer or iron: The dryer or iron is for heating up the wax.
- Scraper or plastic spatula: Plastic is better all the way given. We’re dealing with hardwood floors here, but a metal spatula can be used as well.
- Furniture Wax: For a final buff.
The Removal Process:
Scraping the Wax
Take the spatula/scraper and start gradually scraping the wax off the floor. Dig more and more to get the most out of the surface. However, don’t go too aggressive on the scraping, especially while using a metal scrapper; this might damage the floor.
Melting the Remain
Place the rug/towel over the remaining wax on the floor. The cloth has to be tidy so that nothing mixes with the candle melting, or just lead to more stains. Turn the hair dryer/iron on for heating up the wax.
With Dryer: Blow the dryer close to the cloth. Blow it all over the place, so that not a bit of stain gets left out.
With Iron: Yes, the ironing is intended for melting candle, but make the cloth your main object of interest while at it. You have to be very careful, as keeping the iron at one place for way too long will result in burn marks on the wood surface; keep the iron moving all over the rug/towel until the remains are completely melted.
Wiping It Off
Once the remaining wax is melted, the cloth will soak it all in. Wipe off the whole remaining and remove the cloth that instant.
Smoothening Out the Remaining
After wiping the melted wax off the floor, polish the whole surface using furniture wax to smoothen out the remaining bits stuck to the floor.
Removal by Freezing
For this, you’ll need the following stuff:
- Ice straight out of freezer: For chilling the wax stain. You can substitute that with a bag of frozen peas.
- Plastic Scraper or Spatula: Yes, it has to be all plastic. You can substitute the scraper/spatula with a credit card, or some other similar card as well.
- Furniture Wax: To even out the remaining.
The Removal Process:
Freezing the Wax
Place the ice or bag of frozen peas over the wax buildup. Wait for several minutes until the wax is rock hard. The ice might melt in minutes; in this case, keep them coming until the wax is all chilled. It will take like eight to ten minutes; wait for about thirteen-fourteen minutes for the best result.
Scraping It Off
Take the spatula/scraper/card and start scraping from under. Since the wax is chilled, it won’t take much time to separate the layer. However, remember not to go aggressively hard on the scraping for the sake of the floor.
Buffing the Surface
Use furniture wax to even out the remaining wax with the floor board. The buffing will also work as a sleek finish for the floor.
Things to Keep in Mind
Whether you’re freezing the wax or melting it, that’s up to you. However, there are several things that mustn’t be ignored while dealing with the wax:
Don’t use Knife or Metal Wool
Metal is often the primary option to many when it comes to removing wax, but definitely not the best thing to use on a hardwood floor. Avoid using metal wool or knife at all costs; these are going to scratch the floor no matter how carefully you proceed.
Chemical Remover is Not for All Hardwood Finish
You might be wondering why we’re resorting for DIY removal instead of some store-bought chemical agent that could easily get rid of the wax with an instant wipe. The thing is, those store-bought cleaners might be good, but they’re too good for the wax buildup on a hardwood floor.
Depending on the compound in the cleaner and the floor’s finish, there’s a good chance that the agent will wipe off the finish as well in the process; especially if the floor is sealed with a polyurethane finish. So, it’s better to stick with the DIY process of chilling and melting.
And with the correct application of the methods mentioned above and a tad bit of caution, you’ll be able to restore the floor’s previous wax-free glory in no time.