If you have ever had to clean candle wax off of couch cushions, then you are likely well skilled in the art of chipping. Or at least you should be. According to cleaning experts, you should never attempt to wipe hot wax off of fabrics, be it leather, silk or cotton. Rather, you should allow the wax to harden, and then carefully chip it off before treating any stain that remains. Depending on the size and shape of your cushion you might consider placing it in the freezer to speed up the hardening time.
If the cushion is large or it cannot be removed from your couch, then place some ice cubes on it. If the freezing method doesn’t get all of the wax off, place a clean cloth over the affected area and use a warm iron to make the wax malleable. Sometimes when you get the wax to a slightly gummy stage you can peel it off in big chunks.
The downside to heating up wax spills is that doing so often results in stains. If you encounter a stain after you have removed the bulk of the wax, apply a few drops of baby shampoo to it and wipe clean. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may have to take the cushion to a dry cleaner.
If your couch cushions come with a removable cover, then take it off and treat the wax stain on a flat surface. Chip off as much of the wax as possible, then place the cover between two pieces of brown paper (like brown paper bags). Next, use an iron set on warm and gently pass it over the stain. You may need to swap out the paper bags as you remove the wax, but with a little patience you should be able to get it all off. Finally, if a stain remains, run the cover in the washing machine on the highest temperature recommended for the fabric.