It’s happened to the best of us. We’re getting ready to head out for a night on the town, and we realize that our shoes are covered in candle wax. We try to brush it off in a hurry, but it only seems to make matters worse. If this has ever happened to you, don’t worry – I will show you how to get candle wax off shoes quickly and easily. Please keep reading for my top tips!
Candle wax on shoes can be tough to remove. Many people have tried to get candle wax off their shoes only to make things worse by using the wrong method. This is because candle wax is different depending on what type of candle it came from. There are three types of candles; taper, pillar, and novelty (or votive). Each has its unique properties.
A Step by Step Guide on How to Get Candle Wax Off Shoes
Step 1: Determine How Much Wax to Remove
To remove the wax, we must first warm it up and ease its removal – this will also help soak up some of the excess wax from your shoes. For a large amount of candle wax, you should try using a hairdryer as the heat it produces will be sufficient for removing more significant amounts or those that have been there for more extended periods.
Once you finish with your hairdryer, use a clean cloth or sponge to wipe off any excess soot and ensure no further residue is left on top.
Step 2: Let the wax dry At First.
If you try to wipe away the wax when it is wet, it will only spread more of the oil and wax around. For this reason, we need to let the wax dry so that we can scrape it off. How quickly this happens will depend on where the candle was and how hot it got: for example, a candle left in an enclosed room that is warm due to central heating will take longer to dry than one exposed to cold air currents.
Step 3: Scarpe Off as Much as You Can
If you plan to use a liquid candle wax remover product, you’ll need to loosen up as much of the shoe wax as possible. How well this works will depend upon what kind of liquid candle wax remover product you use.
For example, household cleaning products are not generally designed to work on hard surfaces such as shoes and may take longer to soften the candle wax that has hardened onto your boots. How much time is required before it’s finished soaking into your shoes will vary by what liquid version you’re using, but it shouldn’t take more than an hour.
Step 4: Steam wax
After letting the liquid cleaner soak into your shoes for an hour or two, you should have loosened up a good deal of the candle wax. How much exactly will vary from person to person depending on how thick and hardened the wax was, but it should be enough that you can get at least 70-80% of it off without too much trouble.
You can then use a cloth to pick off what’s leftover after bathing your shoes in hot water for a minute or so. How long you let them sit in the water is determined by how much more wax there is: you probably won’t need to leave them in more than five minutes if they’ve been sitting out overnight or longer. If it’s been less than an hour or so, you should be fine with leaving it in for just thirty seconds to one minute.
Step 5: Buff off Remaining Residue
After pulling off the wax with a cloth, you should have no trouble getting any remaining residue to come up without too much trouble. This is where using a good quality liquid candle wax remover product will help out: if you plan to get other stains from your shoes by yourself, skip this step and just try to use other methods.
How well the leftover wax comes off will depend again upon what kind of liquid version you’re using – for example, a product made specifically to remove candle wax may be better at breaking it down than something designed to remove oil or grease stains.
Step 6: Clean Your Shoes
Now that you’ve gotten all of the excess wax removed from your soles, it’s time to clean them. How well they come clean will depend upon various factors, including the soles’ material and what kind of cleaner you use. How well your shoes come clean after can determine how much you should invest when buying a liquid candle wax remover product specifically designed for hard surfaces such as kitchen floor tiles or bathroom counters.
For example, if your shoes have a non-porous sole made from rubber or leather, it should be easy to get them looking good as new without too much trouble using a suitable cleaner. However, if they have fabric soles, don’t bother trying to remove the wax yourself unless you know what you’re doing: in most cases, it will make things messier and more complex.
How hard you’ll need to scrub will depend upon how much residue is stuck to the bottom of your shoes, but it’s usually no more than a light brushing. If you’re not confident in your ability to clean them well, take them down to a cobbler for wax removal instead.
Step 7: Let the Shoes Air Dry
Once you have finished cleaning off any remaining residue or buffing them dry, let your shoes air out overnight so that they can dry thoroughly and be ready for wear in the morning! How well this works will vary by what kind of material your shoe is made from – leatherwork best because it takes longer to dry than other materials such as plastic, even when exposed to oxygen.
How much time this step lasts before your shoe dries entirely again depends on how wet they are, but generally, you should not need more than a day’s worth of drying.
How effective this is at removing candle wax from shoes will depend on how long it has been in contact with your shoe. If any residue remains after these steps, you should probably give up and just buy another pair of shoes than continue making a mess. How well this works will entirely depend on what sort of cloth or sponge you use.
Step 8: Check the Stained Area
After your shoes have dried, check for any stained areas and clean them as necessary. How you would do this is quite similar to how we handled the excess wax – start with a hairdryer (or heat gun if available) and then wipe off any remaining residue. If applying heat does not work for you, try using a wet towel as it works well with specific materials that do not respond well to heat.
Make sure, however, that whatever product or method you use has been tested on an inconspicuous part of your shoe first to avoid damaging your shoes and further staining the affected area.
Step 9: Treat Any Dye Stain
If you find that the dye has been removed from your shoe material despite your best efforts in trying to remove the wax, then try applying a drop or two of any oil-based conditioner (such as olive or coconut) for leather shoes.
How well this works depends on how much dye was affected and what type of shoe it is, but it should help to restore the material to its original color so that you can continue wearing it!
How effective this step will depend upon how good your conditioner is and the extent to which the dye has faded, but if done well enough, it should get rid of most if not all traces of candle wax stains. These steps will help in how to get candle wax off shoes.
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Tips
- It is always best to use ice when trying to get candle wax off shoes. The best way to do this is to freeze the shoe overnight, and it will become so brittle that all of the wax can be easily scraped or picked off.
- An alternative option would be using hot water, which will remove all of the dried wax when used with a small bristled brush. This needs to be done after removing as much wax as possible by hand; then, rub some water into the area before brushing in circular motions to remove any remaining particles.
- Remember, these steps take time and may not work to suit everyone’s schedule, but if you want your shoes back in good condition again, you should try one of these methods for getting candle wax off shoes.
Conclusion
You know how frustrating it can be if you are like me and have experienced the heartbreak of walking outside in shoes covered in candle wax. But never fear! There are several ways to get the wax off your shoes to enjoy wearing them again. We’ve listed a few steps for removing candle wax from shoes above, so try out whichever one sounds the easiest (or most fun) for you. We hope you find this article on how to get candle wax off shoes helpful.
