Sweet smell of success

Do not worry about candle wax stains every again with these handy tips.

No home is complete without a smattering of scented candles. Unfortunately, this does mean that you’ll probably have to deal with the odd wax stain.

Anybody that’s had to remove wax will know that it’s a pain – and that patience is key. Heat and cold are your two best lines of defence. If you are trying to remove wax from wooden surfaces, do not try to chip away at it as you may cause lasting damage to that favourite piece of furniture. Instead, use a hairdryer to soften the wax and then gently wipe it away with a cloth.

If you get wax on your carpet or a wall, turn to your iron for help. Cover the wax with a paper bag or paper towel and then run your iron over it, on a low setting. The paper should absorb the wax.

For fabrics, you should take a double-pronged approach. Start by putting the item in the freezer for half an hour or so. Then scrape as much of the cold wax off as possible using a credit card. Any residual wax can be removed using the iron method described above, but you may need to wash any stubborn oil stains with some laundry powder.

Lastly, if you get wax on your computer or TV screen, run an ice cube over the stain to harden the wax and then try to ease it off in one piece.