How To Get Candle Wax Out Of A Fleece Blanket

By Chris Deziel Jan 29, 2010 4:11 am EST

Things Needed

Ice cubes
Plastic bag
Comb
Dull knife
Brown paper bags
Hair dryer
Paper towels
Rubbing alcohol

Tip

Soap and water may not remove all the color that came from the candle. If it doesn't, resist the temptation to use a stronger solvent, such as alcohol or dry cleaning fluid. Synthetic fibers are plastic, and solvents will melt them.

Warning

Candle wax is hot enough to melt fleece fabric. If that has happened, you have no other option than to learn to live with the damage.

Tom Tomson/Demand Media

Despite your best efforts to avoid them, candle wax spills are common, and when the wax lands on a fleece blanket, the prognosis seems dire. The fact is, however, that removing wax from fleece items isn't difficult if you use two simple tricks. The first is to freeze the wax to break off the biggest parts, and the second is to use heat to melt it and transfer it to absorbent paper. You can heat a natural fleece blanket with an iron, but that would melt synthetic fleece. A hair dryer safely supplies all the heat you need.

Step 1

Lay the blanket on a table and spread it out so the affected area is flat. Pull off as much wax as you can by hand.

Step 2

Put two or three ice cubes in a plastic bag. Set the bag on the wax and leave it for 5 minutes. Remove the bag and scrape off the wax with a dull knife, and then comb the fleece with a comb to remove more hardened pieces of wax.

Step 3

Lift the blanket and lay a brown paper bag on the table. Spread the blanket so the affected area is over the bag. Use a bag with no writing to ensure that no ink can transfer to the blanket when you supply heat.

Step 4

Use a hair dryer to melt the wax that remains. Set the hair dryer to medium heat and point it in the direction of the wax. Keep it moving and don't allow it to rest in one place, or the fleece may melt. The wax will eventually liquify; when it does, put another paper bag over it and press down. The bags above and below the blanket will absorb the melted wax. Repeat this procedure until you can't see any more wax on the blanket or on either of the bags.

Step 5

Remove the bags and let the fleece cool off. Moisten a paper towel with dish soap and water, and dab any dye stains that remain. Don't rub, or you may spread the dye deeper into the pile.

Step 6