The short answer
Let it set hard, chip off what lifts away, then lay brown paper over the rest and press with a warm iron until the paper absorbs it.
- Let it go completely hard. If you are impatient, a bag of frozen peas on top will do it in ten minutes.
- Chip off the raised wax with the edge of a spoon or a blunt knife.
- Lay brown paper or a paper bag over what is left. Not newspaper, whose ink will transfer.
- Press with a warm iron, moving it slowly. The wax melts into the paper. Move to a clean bit of paper and repeat until nothing more transfers.
- Treat any colour left behind with a little methylated spirit on a cloth, tested on a hidden patch first.
What will ruin it
Use a warm iron, not a hot one, and never put the iron on the carpet. Most carpets and nearly all cheap ones are synthetic, and synthetic fibres melt at temperatures an iron reaches easily. A melted patch is permanent and looks worse than the wax did.
Why it works
Wax turns liquid at a far lower temperature than any fibre melts, and paper wicks liquid by capillary action. You are giving the wax somewhere easier to go than the carpet.
Household chemicals can be dangerous in combination. Never mix them, keep the room ventilated, and test anything on a hidden patch first. Full disclaimer.
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