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.
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.
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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.
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.
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!
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!
Thank you for the response! I hope mine will turn out as well as yours.
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.
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.
I tried that, to no avail. It’s too entwined in the yarn.
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
Great idea