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How to Remove Wax from Yarn

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I spent five whole hours crocheting this baby blanket for a friend of mine. I folded it nicely and laid it out perfectly to take a photo. When I went to finish the edging of the blanket I about had a heart attack.

I had DIPPED the edge of the blanket in Scentsy wax!!

Oh… I was SO MAD at myself when I noticed what I did. Just about made me sick to my stomach – thankfully it was a clear wax, not green or red. But still. It was hard as a rock and I was mad.

scentsywax

After some extensive Googling, I found that there’s not really a whole lot of advice on the internet for removing wax from yarn. I figured I can’t screw it up any more than I already have, right?! 😐 ugh

I’ve heard the newspaper and a clothes iron trick, but I didn’t want any of the ink from the newspaper to transfer – if it would, and I wasn’t about to try it – so I decided to boil it instead. Yep, I poured boiling water right on it.

Came RIGHT out – if just a tad stiff after cooling and drying.

nowax

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What I did:

I boiled the water, and had a helper hold the blanket over the sink. Pouring slowly, I made sure to focus on the wax-filled portion of the blanket. I didn’t have enough water at first, so I went and boiled another pot. Repeated the process, let the blanket cool, then washed the next morning.

The part of the blanket that had the wax soaked in was a little stiff to the touch after washing – but MILES better than before! It was completely stiff and unusable – completely unmanageable before pouring the boiling water over it. I couldn’t have finished the edging if I had tried!

Things I would have done differently:

I would have boiled more water – a FULL pot – so that I didn’t have to do it twice. Although that really wasn’t that big of a deal.

I would NOT have had a helper hold it over the sink. I would have cleaned the sink thoroughly and laid the blanket straight in the sink instead. Having my helper hold the blanket stretched the stitching out a bit and it is still not 100% back to normal.

I’m assuming this stretching was a result of both the tight hold he had on the blanket as I was pouring, and the boiling water as it poured through the stretched fabric of the blanket.

Overall I am happy with the result! I feel comfortable giving it to my girlfriend, instead of chucking it in the trash.

If you’re wondering about the edging I used, you can see my tutorial for the reverse shell stitch right over here.

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11 Comments

  1. This reminded me of an incident concerning a red candle and white shag carpet! I used an iron and paper towels and a lot of prayers. Finished up with a blow dryer and a hairbrush to fluff the fibers. It worked but it took all night. I guess it wasn't noticeable because I never heard a complaint from the owner of the cabin.
  2. I saw this blanket and thought it looked like the perfect gift for a friend of mine. I was wondering if you would mind sharing what type of yarn and hook you used. Thank you!
    1. Hello! This was made with Caron Simply Soft in White and Pink. Just a simple Corner to Corner but I love the look so much!
  3. I have never tried using boiling water but I have used the iron trick successfully. I did not use newspaper, but rather a clean whire wash cloth. I simply put the wash cloth over the waxy area, put the iron on high and ironed over the waxy spot. Each time the cloth absorbed some of the wax, I switched to a new, clean, dry section of the cloth until it was all gone.
  4. I hear that you can freeze bubble gum and then smash it to get it out of clothing. Maybe freezing it would have helped too.
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  6. Hi! Using boiling water to get out the wax is a great idea, but don't do it over your sink drains! As soon as the wax gets to a cooler section of your house pipes, it hardens again. It might form tiny balls or granuals and keep moving all the way to the sewer, or it might form 1 big glob and plug up your sink pipe. Eeeeek! Instead, take it outside and smooth it out over some thick grass, or a patch of clean driveway stone and pour the boiling water over it. Paper towels are good for absorbing and wiping up too. If you have a screen you can put across a couple saw horses or cement blocks, that would work great to hold your work, and pour the water through. Carol
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