Q: I often entertain family and friends at home and usually have someone around for dinner at the weekends. I always like to light a few candles in my dining room to create a warm atmosphere and make the room look more inviting but I have now noticed that a few drops of coloured candle wax have spilt onto my carpet. How can I remove the wax without it leaving a mark?

A: Carpet and upholstery cleaning experts ServiceMaster Clean advise that the fibres of your carpet can soak up many spillages, making stains a little trickier to remove. ServiceMaster Clean suggest that you may be able to remove the wax with blotting paper, an iron and a few easy steps, to leave your carpet wax free! This method needs a little care and a gentle touch as some carpet fibres have a very low melting point and caution should be applied.

• Before using this method, pre-test in an inconspicuous place, to be sure that you do not damage the carpet.
• Place the blotting paper on the wax so that it lays flat.
• Set the iron to a moderate setting and allow to warm up.
• Once warm, lightly rest the point of the iron on top of the blotting paper, supporting its weight so that it is over the wax spot and move the iron back and forth. The iron should never come into direct contact with the carpet, only the blotting paper. As the wax warms up it will begin to absorb into the blotting paper.
• When a dark spot appears on the paper, move a dry section of the paper over the wax and continue to move the iron over the area. When no further wax absorbs into the paper, you should have removed all it.
• To finish, put a little white spirit onto a clean cloth and gently dab (don’t rub!) where the wax was to remove the final traces of it.
• If a colour stain from the wax remains it really is time to call in the professionals!

To remove candle wax from unfinished wood, apply a plastic bag filled with ice to the spot until the wax is brittle enough to crumble off. If some candle wax still remains, you can use the method described above for carpets, making sure that you take extra care. Never use this method on French polished furniture.

If all else fails, call in the experts. ServiceMaster Clean can provide one off specialist cleans or regular cleans with prices tailored to your carpet or upholstery. For more information about ServiceMaster Clean log onto www.servicemasterclean.co.uk or telephone 0800 021 3073.