Success Story: The Candle Wax Spill

This is not Karl and Sandy’s candle wax stain, but Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service removes candle wax stains like this one with a high rate of success.

After spilling candle wax on their new carpet, Karl and Sandy didn’t think anything could be done, so Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service didn’t get a chance to treat the stain until long after it had set–four months later!

Karl and Sandy of Mooresville, IN had replaced their carpet about a year earlier. One night, Sandy had lit a dark green “pine forest” scented candle and set it on a side table. On the same table lay the charging cable to Karl’s phone. “It wasn’t my brightest moment,” Karl admitted, “I should have followed the wire and unplugged it from the wall properly, but instead, I just grabbed the wire and yanked. The wire tipped over the candle and it fell onto the rug.” Fortunately, the flame went out, but the resulting spill left a six-by-six inch spot of dark green candle wax on their new tan carpet.

Though Karl and Sandy had been customers of Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service since 2014, they assumed that nothing c0uld be done. “The spot was hidden, so we felt no sense of urgency,” Sandy recalled, “but we kept working on it, on and off, between December and April, with0ut much success.”

By the time Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service arrived for Karl and Sandy’s regularly scheduled cleaning, the stain had been set for months. “We did the wallk-thr0ugh,” said Sandy, “and because they had moved the furniture, it had exposed the stain. I didn’t think there was anything they could do, but Charles said they would be happy to treat it for us.”

Charles Gray, pre-treating the carpet.

Charles Gray explained, “for candle wax stains, we take a damp white cloth and lay it over the wax. Then we heat the wax with a steam iron. As it melts, it transfers into the cloth.” The trick, Charles said, is to keep moving the cloth to use the clean areas. “Depending on the size of the stain, it may take several cloths.” After removing the wax, the stain could be treated with their steam-cleaning extraction. “Removing the wax is the easy part; it’s the stain that’s tricky, depending on what type of dye the candle-maker uses. We have several spot-treatment options we can use on stains like this to blend the color back to its original look.”

There are several online sites with suggestions on how to pre-treat candle wax, including this page on the Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service  site, but “you have to be really careful with heat, because people can accidentally burn their carpet.” For this reason, Charles suggests that calling a professional might be the first, best step to removing a candle wax stain.

Sandy was amazed at the results. “Not only did they get up all of the wax, but they also removed the stain; it looked as if it had never happened. And even though they took the time to remove the stain, they didn’t charge extra for it.”

“Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service is very detailed-oriented,” said Sandy. “Not only did they take care of that spot, but on the same visit, they cleaned one of our couches. We’re always highly satisfied with their service, but they went above and beyond with that visit.”

When it comes to treating tough stains, Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service cannot guarantee results, but they have had a high rate of success, as Karl and Sandy can testify. Want to schedule a cleaning? Call Gray’s Carpet Cleaning Service at 317-834-4693.