Hi All- When I went into my weekend listing after guests left there were many votive candle jars in the trash. It wasn’t till I started to clean the floor I realized there were MANY places throughout the place with wax drips on the fresh vinyl floor I had painstakingly waxed with multiple coats of acrylic liquid wax after stripping. What can I use after a putty knife to dissolve the paraffin that won’t dissolve my acrylic floor wax? PS: I can’t imagine what they were doing to spill so much wax: these were jars with lids!
Vinyl floors should not be waxed so strip it all off and leave it that way.
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It depends on what type of vinyl flooring it is. In my previous house in Canada, I tiled the kitchen and bathroom floors with 1 ft. sq. Armstrong industrial vinyl tiles. They look like the old lino tiles, but they are now made of vinyl. These are tiles that need to be glued down, they aren’t self-stick.
They most definitely require sealing and there is a special wax that is used for it- you can’t just use regular floor wax you buy in a grocery store- it was a specialty product.
I’ve only had candle wax on a leather sofa and that was pretty easy to remove with a wad of kitchen paper placed over it and then a low temperature iron to gently warm the wax so it can be easily scraped and wiped off. Could be worth a try?
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You could try heating with a hair dryer to heat it up and melt away. But seeing as the floor covering is acryllic wax it will likely remove some as well, they are both wax. If it was me i would remove it all re sand it with sandpaper then reapply the floor wax finish.
No more candles!
Sand a vinyl floor? That sounds like a great way to permanently destroy the finish.
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I’ve used Construction paper the same way. It’s thicker & it’s texture gives wax something to stick to
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They accuse others of not reading but they can’t be bothered to do so themselves.
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It’s Mannington industrial 1ft square tiles. Vinyl, I think… They are glue down as mentioned. You mop on an acrylic wax and it dries to a nice shine. I’ve been thinking of chemical removal like mineral spirits, but maybe the iron and paper method. Anyone else have suggestions?
Call a flooring store that carries Mannington and ask them.
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The other issue is if I should communicate with the guest who did this and ask how it happened. I already gave 5 stars to this guy before I saw the floor like this. These candles come in jars and I can’t for the life of me figure out how so much wax got spilled… Also, can I change my feedback as a host? He has given no feedback yet. This is also a first.
Thanks, Rebecca, I’ll do that.
If your house rules don’t prohibit open flames, I suggest you add that for the future. We don’t permit any open flames in our Airbnb rooms.
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Guess I should do that. I hate to horn in on people so much. I noticed another guest left a candle behind, so I guess it’s a thing for some folks to bring candles…
Honestly, I wouldn’t. It’s time-consuming for you and has no benefit. I’d be inclined to let it go and move on to making sure that your next guests have a fabulous time.
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Mineral sprits doesn’t remove candle wax.
What would be the point of asking him how it happened? He spilled candle wax, it’s a done deal.
You have 14 days to leave a review. I don’t know why hosts rush to leave a review before they’ve thoroughly inspected the pkace.
I personally would use a hair dryer to liquify the wax and paper towels to soak it up. I don’t know if that would also remove the acrylic wax, but if it does, then simply re-apply the acrylic wax in those spots.
Actually, it does, and it works quite well. However, I would definitely recommend removing as much of the candle wax as possible with a low heat before trying any chemical solution.
You have 48 hours to modify your review of the guest if the guest does not submit a review of you and if it hasn’t been more than 14 days since the guest checked out.
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Why would you have left a positive review without checking your listing? If within 48 hour window edit and Mark them down.
Let the guest know unfortunately your floor was damaged due to them using multiple candles which dripped on the floors and you will be getting a quote to get them professionally cleaned as it can’t be removed.
Freeze the spots with an ice cube then gently scratch off with your nails. Don’t use a metal utensil because it will ruin your floor. Then use a small amount of rubbing alcohol to rub out the remaining wax. I just had to do this at my place. Renters dripped wax all over my counters and dining table.
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