Don't cry over spilled candle wax.

Power outages stink; I was reminded last night as I arrived home from work to a darkened neighborhood.  It was pitch navy blue out providing an ominous glow (well, that and my Flashlight app) to help guide me to by door.  I managed to make my way inside, greeted the anxious pets, and began my search for candles.  Thankfully, I always have a few candles out and aboot, so I just had to find a lighter (stashed conveniently in an easily accessible drawer) and began the process of lighting the main areas of the house.  Later in the evening, as I was blowing out the candles, I accidentally knocked one over and spilled a giant blob of wax on my wood (laminate) side table.  Oops!

Did I cry about it?  Negative.  There's an easy way to remove it.  First step is to remain calm while waiting for it to dry.  Seems counter-intuitive, but trust me.  If it's thick, you might be able to take your finger nail and push the edge of it up, snapping the whole thing off in one piece.  If it's thin and spread out, simply cover with a paper towel and use a warm iron to slowly melt the layers of wax.  The paper towel absorbs the hot wax up and off the spill (this may require a few sheets of paper towel).  As the wax heats up you can wipe larger areas off, but use a clean paper towel and iron for the last smears and streaks for a good as new finish.  This technique also works great on fabric (table cloths, carpet/rugs), but depending on the color of the wax, stain removal may be your final step.

PS:  A machine washable, dark and/or patterned table cloth will make your life so much easier!