As the General Manager, I spend most of my time in the office, but this day I was showing some guests through the shop. When asked about the configuration of melters, I was explaining our filtration system and I lifted a filter from the melter, not knowing that it was currently being used. I tipped it forward to show it off and out poured the melted beeswax splattering all over the floor and all over my favorite jeans! We are not talking about a few splashes. There was a lot of beeswax from the thigh right down to the hem. I was so embarrassed, but didn’t want to cry over my jeans in front of everyone.
The first thing I knew was to not try to take off the beeswax when it was warm. It is more likely to be rubbed into the fabric. As soon as I was home, I took off my jeans and put them in the freezer overnight. Thinking about it all night, I decided to toss the jeans in cold water before scraping the beeswax off, as the fabric would be less likely to absorb any wax if it was wet. Working one pant leg at a time, I laid it on a flat surface and scraped off the beeswax with a paring knife. It came off so easy I was smiling. After a regular wash and dry, there was no sign of my silly mistake on my favorite jeans.
If you have spilled some molten wax onto a tablecloth or clothing I suggest you try this method too.
If you have spilled beeswax onto a wall-to-wall carpet (not so easy to throw in the freezer and washing machine) I suggest using your iron and some paper towel or absorbent rag. Place the towel over the wax and run the warm iron over the spot, moving the towel around and changing it as needed, until all the wax is absorbed.
Good Luck!
Leah
