Removing Wax Buildup from Wood Surfaces

When I realized I would have to strip a very thick layer of wax off the top of my dinning table, I started searching the Internet for easier ways than sanding. I really hate sanding! It was over 20 years of wax that was about ¼ - ½ inch thick, and that would have been a pain to stain. 

The light spot in the bottom left spot is where I tired sanding the wax off. 

I found a couple different solutions that I thought I’d share.

1. A mix of equal parts white vinegar and water.

This is supposed to be safe if you are worried about harming the finish of the table. You soak a rag in the mix and then rub in circles removing the wax. I could see it start to work but there was a lot of wax and this would take forever! So I moved on to option 2.

2. Vinegar water mix with cream of tartar.

I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I thought maybe baking soda would work. I forgot that baking soda and vinegar fizzes, that was actually kind of fun and added comical relief, and it worked really well! I poured baking soda on the table and used a rag dipped in the vinegar and water mix to rub off the wax. After about an hour, I had only cleaned about a foot of the table (the is an over estimate). So I moved on to option 3.

3. Steel wool.

I soaked the steel wool in the vinegar water mix and this worked great but gave me an idea. Mind you this will strip the finish off, so don’t use it if you want to protect the finish.

4. Straight edge razor blade.

The steel wool had worked great, but I had to use a lot to get through the wax. I took the soaked steel wool and wiped it over the whole table, the vinegar started to break down the wax while I started scraping the wax off with a razor blade. It was much quicker than anything else. It would strip of all the layers of wax in one swipe.

Top: years of wax buildup.
Bottom: freshly cleaned wood

After I cleaned the whole tabletop, I sanded some burn marks and water rings off and waxed the table.

Finished Table Top