How to Remove Spilled Wax From Microfiber Fabric

Microfiber fabric makes an extra-plush sofa covering and a lightweight, comfortable bedspread, but the super-fine strands -- which are a hundredth the diameter of a human hair -- are also super-absorbent. If you spill wax on your microfiber sofa or bedspread, it will probably take a combination of strategies to get all of it out.

Absorb and Scrape

if the wax is still hot, you may be able to absorb some of it with a paper towel, but it's virtually impossible to get it all out this way, so you'll also have to scrape.

1. Lay a paper towel or absorbent rag on the hot wax and let the wax wick into it or dab gently. Avoid wiping -- that only spreads the wax and makes matters worse.

2. Scrape the hardened wax gently with a dull knife. Covering the wax with a plastic bag full of ice cubes makes it more brittle and easier to scrape off.

3. Vacuum the affected are to remove tiny particles of wax that have gotten lodged inside the pile. It may take several cycles of freezing, scraping and vacuuming to get all the hardened wax out.

Remove the Stain

The Clothes Iron Method

Cover the affected part of the fabric with a brown paper bag, and set a a clothes iron on the bag for a minute. When setting the temperature of the iron, it's best to err on the side of caution and start with very low heat, because microfiber is a type of plastic that melts under high heat. Once the wax melts, the paper absorbs it and turns dark. You may have to repeat this procedure more than once.

The Alcohol Method

Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. Spray the affected area and rub vigorously with a white sponge or scrub brush. Be sure neither the sponge or scrub brush are dyed -- the dye may transfer to the fabric. Let the fabric air dry and repeat, if necessary.

The dyes from colored wax can be difficult to remove. You may have some success by reheating the fabric to melt the remaining wax and absorbing it with paper. As an alternative, you can try to rub it out with alcohol.