How to Remove Wax from Concrete

When wax comes in contact with concrete, it sticks fast. Removing it will depend on what you've got available but don't worry, remove it you will!

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Steaming

An ordinary steam iron works well for small wax spills (for example, liquid car wax).[1]

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    Rent a commercial steamer. Such appliances are usually available at large hardware/home improvement stores and some supermarkets.
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    Steam the spot until the wax starts to melt.
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    Keep steaming until most to all of the wax has melted. Wipe it with an absorbent material. Repeat until all the wax is removed.
    • Repeat as required.
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    Return the commercial steamer.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Ironing

This is suitable for a small area.

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    Layer several pieces of kitchen paper towel or brown paper, or a terry towel rag over the wax stain. Prepare a bottle of mineral spirits and a bucket of dish detergent and warm water, at the ready.[2]
    • The towel rag will absorb more wax than the paper, but use what you have available.
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    Heat the iron on a hot setting.
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    Iron over the paper. The wax will melt underneath.[3]
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    Remove the heat and the paper layers. Quickly mop up the melted wax using paper towel or rags and the mineral spirits.
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    Remove the mineral spirits with the detergent and warm water. Mop it all up and allow to dry.[4]
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    Repeat if needed.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Hair dryer

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    Prepare the cleansers. Have a bottle of mineral spirits and a bucket of warm water with detergent at the ready.
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    Use a putty knife or similar scraper to remove as much wax as possible. Discard this into the bin.
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    Place a terry towel rag over the top of the wax. This will absorb a lot of what melts, reducing how much mopping up you'll need to do. This step is optional but advisable; if you don't have this towel, you can still heat the wax directly.
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    Set the hair dryer to its hottest temperature. Hold over the wax to melt it. Go over it as much as is needed to melt the most wax.[5]
    • You'll need to lift up the terry toweling rag to check you're getting it all.
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    Wipe up the melted wax with the mineral spirits and a rag or kitchen paper towel. Clean away the mineral spirits with the detergent and warm water. Allow to air dry.[6]
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    Repeat if needed.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2F0h4Kcvxk
  2. ↑ http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc187.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.ajer.org/papers/Vol-7-issue-12/M0712101104.pdf
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljr1b29pBx0
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7DFevbGgKA
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChIhKIGaYeE

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 131,735 times.
159 votes - 81%
Co-authors: 10
Updated: September 16, 2021
Views: 131,735
Categories: Stain Removal
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