Ideally, you do not want to put melted candle wax down your drain. But, incidents like this have happened and we’re not here to blame, just to help you out.
Once the wax is down that drain – what can be done? Can you dissolve the wax or is it best to let it harden and then remove it?
Here are our recommendations on what you can try to remove that wax.
- Use an auger / plumbing snake – you can try to use an auger (aka plumbing snake) but make sure that it has very sharp cutting blades and that the blades are about the same size (diameter) as the pipe. You want it to scrape out as much wax as possible.
- Pull the wax out manually – you can try to remove the p-trap under the sink and clean out the wax manually. Make sure to wear rubber gloves and hopefully that was has accumulated in that p-trap.
- Pour a non petroleum based solvent (speak to a plumbing professional for recommendations) down the drain.
- Pour boiling water down the drain – we recommend this tactic ONLY if a small amount (1 tablespoon or less) of melted wax made it’s way down your drain. Fill a very large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Pour the entire pot of water down the drain. You may have to repeat this process multiple times for it to work.
- The best recommendation is to contact a professional plumber to come in and fix the problem.
How Do You Properly Dispose Of Melted Candle Wax?
The best way to dispose of melted candle wax is to let it harden again and then throw it away with your regular garbage. This, of course, is not necessarily good for the environment so if possible, we recommend that you save the leftover wax (once it’s hardened) and after accumulating enough you can then melt them all together to create another candle with it.
You can store your clumps of wax in the freezer.
If you have any questions about your plumbing system or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.