How to Get Candle Smoke Off Walls

Candles add a touch of warmth, light and aroma to a room. But if you push them too close to a wall, you’ll have smoke stains.

You may be tempted to paint over the offending mess to keep the aesthetics of your room intact. But just painting over the smoke patch won’t work. The paint will mix with the smokey residue, and you’ll end up with black streaks over your wall.

Follow the step-by-step guide below to remove candle smoke from walls.

Tip: Clean the candle smoke off the walls as quickly as possible. Don’t allow the mess to build, or it’ll become trickier to remove.

 

How to Remove Candle Smoke from Walls

Tip: Always do a patch test with your chosen cleaning solution. Some products may damage your wall or the covering it has on it (for example, paint or wallpaper).

Step 1: Suit up

When handling smoke stains, you must ensure you’re well-protected. Fumes can play havoc with your respiratory system, making your nose run and eyes itchy. So, don your protective gear and get ready to clean.

You will need:

• Eyewear
• Gloves
• A mask
• An apron

This may seem over-the-top, but by suiting up early on, you save yourself a load of grief, and you don’t ruin your clothes either!

 

Step 2: Vacuum

Grab your vacuum cleaner (ideally one with a HEPA filter fitted) and pop the upholstery attachment on the end of the pole.

Then stand back from the wall and hold the hoover’s upholstery attachment about an inch away from the smokey wall.

Fire up the hoover and suck up as much black grime as you can from the surface.

 

Step 3: Dry clean

With your dry cleaning sponge in tow, start wiping the wall down. Something like the Unger SP060 Smoke and Soot Sponge would work well. Wipe in a downward motion, and don’t scrub the wall.

As you wipe the smokey blemish off the wall, the sponge will absorb the black grime and get dirtier.

It’s imperative that you turn the sponge around when it gets dirty so you don’t reapply the gunk to the wall. It is worth replacing the sponge when it’s filthy.

You shouldn’t use any water to clean the wall at this point. Liquid of any form will smear the black mark around the wall, making it even more oily and troublesome to remove. This is a dry cleaning step, so make sure the sponge remains dry throughout!

As an alternative to the above, you could use a magic eraser. However, this route tends to get mixed results. To try it out, rub the eraser on the black mark, and it should rub off.

 

Step 4: Wet clean

After dry cleaning the wall, you can remove the remaining blemishes with:

• Lukewarm soapy water
• A degreaser
• Trisodium phosphate (in extreme cases)

Note: You should use one cleaner at a time! Don’t use all three at once.

If using lukewarm soapy water, simply mix a few blobs of washing up liquid and water in a bowl, dip a neutral-coloured cloth into the mixture, wring it out and carefully clean the wall (wipe in a downward motion). Clean and rinse the cloth throughout this time so you don’t reapply the dirt.

A degreaser, like Spear and Jackson’s Sugar Soap, will ensure that any oiliness that may be found in the stain is removed from the surface. To use a degreaser, dilute it in water, then clean the surface using the solution. When you’re done, rinse the surface clean using a fresh, damp, neutral-coloured cloth.

Trisodium phosphate is the strongest cleaner on this list and should be used as a last resort. To use this cleaner effectively, you must read the instructions on the packaging to ensure you use the correct dose of solution and apply it to the surface effectively.

Note: Don’t saturate your wall in water. If you over-wet your wall, you risk ruining it, especially if it’s covered in wallpaper. You must only use damp cloths!

 

Step 5: Rinse

The next step is to rinse any remaining cleaning solution off the wall. Simply clean the area with a damp cloth.

 

Step 6: The drying phase

When the wall is clean and free from product, you can leave it to air dry naturally.

To speed up the drying process, you can open a window and place some fans in the room.

 

Step 7: Hoover again

When the wall is completely dry, you can check it over. If you need to retreat it, now is the time to do this.

If not, vacuum the area once again. But this time, check the area around where the candle was kept and hoover your furniture, skirting boards, carpets and other soft furnishings to ensure they’re smoke-stain free. The fine dust has a funny way of landing on various surfaces and tarnishing them!

Tip: No scrubbing! A harsh scrubbing action will result in you damaging the wall – painted or papered. This damage will lead to unnecessary repair work! Stick to soft, downward cleaning swipes. 

 

 

How Do You Get Candle Smoke Off Painted Walls?

To remove candle smoke from painted walls, follow the steps above. In short, you will need to hoover the surface, dry clean it, and then wet clean it.

When wet cleaning, use washing up liquid and lukewarm water. This method typically gets the best results. Plus, it’s a fairly harmless cleaner that most of us already have at home and can use immediately.

If you complete the wet cleaning step but notice a stain on your painted wall, you could treat it with rubbing alcohol.

If you’re going to try this out, you must first test the product on a discreet patch of wall. If all is well, gently and repeatedly blot the rubbing alcohol onto the smoke stain using cotton wool balls. Then, rinse the area clean using a damp, neutral-coloured cloth.

It’s worth pointing out that while rubbing alcohol is a strong cleaner, it does get mixed results when it comes to smoke-related blemishes. So, if this method doesn’t work out as expected, try another option from the list above.

Tip: Stay on top of the problem. If you see a potential issue, deal with it immediately.

 

Should You Hire a Professional to Remove Candle Smoke from Walls?

Calling a professional cleaner out to remove candle smoke stains from walls is not normally necessary. You can usually clear the mess yourself using a few household products.

That said, if you don’t feel comfortable trying the methods above or cannot manage the workload, asking someone for help would be beneficial.

Of course, this will come with a price tag. What the fee is depends on several factors, including the extent of the smoke damage, where you live and what repair work needs to be done.  

 

How to Stop Candle Smoke from Landing on Walls

Here are some measures you can put in place to minimise smoky issues:

• Buy quality candles that burn cleanly. Cheap candles tend to burn less efficiently, resulting in dirty black smoke. This smoke then settles on the walls and soft furnishings around your home.
• Don’t place candles where there is a draft. A draft will make the candle flicker and it won’t burn effectively. This can result in a dirtier smoke being produced.
• Trim the wick of a candle before you burn it. This can help the candle to burn more efficiently.
• If you’re worried about candle smoke staining your wall, don’t burn your candles too close to the wall! If you have a fireplace, consider putting the candles in there so the smoke can go up the chimney. Or set your candles on a coffee table away from the wall.
• Consider alternative ways of scenting and lighting your home. For example, you could buy a dimmable lamp or a diffuser. You could also invest in fake flickering candles!