How to Remove Candle Wax From a Wood Deck

Bad Things About Composite Decking
Written By
CL
Cathy Lanski
Published: Apr 18, 2010
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

Chances are that you will not notice the spill until daylight, and by then the wax will have soaked into the wood. A few household items and a little effort can return your deck to pristine condition.

  1. Scrape excess wax from the wood with the back of a spoon, ice scraper, putty knife or similar object that will remove the wax without scraping the wood.

  2. If wax has soaked into the grain of the wood or into the seams in the decking, use an iron to melt and remove the remaining wax.

  3. Lay a sheet of plain brown paper such as a paper grocery bag over the area. Set the iron to low (no steam) and place over the bag on the waxy area.

  4. Let the iron remain on the area for 10 to 15 seconds. Do not rub.

  5. Lift the paper. Waxy residue should have lifted from the decking onto the paper.

  6. If there is still candle wax on the wood deck, repeat the previous step using a clean section of the brown paper.

  7. Melt away any remaining wax with a blow dryer and blot it up with a soft, clean cloth.

Things You Will Need

  • Scraping implement such as a spoon, ice scraper or spatula
  • Clothes iron
  • Brown paper bag
  • Blow dryer
  • Clean, soft cloth
  • Mineral spirits or paint thinner

Photo Credits

Deck de madeira image by CarlosNeto from Fotolia.com

Deck de madeira image by CarlosNeto from Fotolia.com

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