Exercise 13: Removing wax from carpet

Removing Wax from Carpet

You can start by trying to scrape out
as much wax as possible with a dull
knife (such as a butter knife or a
putty knife).

But before you scrape, it is best to
chill the spilled wax with an ice bag
(or a bag of frozen vegetables).

The next step is to cover the remaining
wax residue with 2 or 3 paper towels.

Set an electric iron to its lowest
temperature.

Then it is possible to take the warm iron
and move it over the paper towels that
cover the wax, to absorb some melted wax
with each pass.

When they become saturated with wax,
change the paper towels and then repeat
until the paper towels absorb no more wax.

Scrub the waxed carpet area with a rag
dampened in mineral spirits.

Then scrub the carpet area again with
mild detergent after you dry it with
more paper towels.

Rinsing with clean water will be
necessary too.

And you will also have to dry the carpet
with a hair dryer or fan, fluffing
the carpet as needed.

One possible problem during this whole
cleaning process is that different carpet
fibers melt at different temperatures.
An inconspicuous place should be tested
by moving the warm iron over paper towels
to make sure that the carpet will not melt.

A second possible problem is that you
might put too much mineral spirits on the
rag.  Do not soak the rag; just moisten it.