How To Save Candle Wax? Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Helen Skeates
Helen Skeates
23 min read

As soon as you reach the point when you’ve burned through all the wax in the candle, it’s time to extinguish the flame and discard the remaining wax. It’s always a shame; just think of all the wasted time around the fire! The good news is that there is a simple way to save candle wax.

Ways of Removing the Wax to Know How To Save Candle Wax

Build a Double Boiler

You can use a butter knife or a spoon to remove the majority of the wax off the surface. Place the candle into a pot or large metal bowl on a heat-safe surface. Lay a folded dishtowel on top of the candle to keep it from shifting around in the pot.

Carefully pour boiling water halfway into the saucepan, being careful not to spill any into the candle jar. Pour hot water over the container to soften the wax. Use a butter knife to remove the wax from the jar while holding it in your other hand.

How to Get Wax Out of Candle Jars: 4 Easy Methods | Better Homes & Gardens

Discard the water and remove the container. Afterwards, the wax needs to be carefully removed. Finally, use soap and water to wash your hands.

Candle Wax Must Be Frozen

Wax solidifies and shrinks as a result of the cold, making it more manageable to remove. As a result, using ice cubes to remove wax from carpets is a common cleaning technique. If the jar has a small hole, use a butter knife to break up any large pieces of wax that remain. Put the candle in the freezer for several hours or until it is completely frozen.

The wax should come out of the bottle without difficulty. However, a butter knife can be used to loosen it if necessary. Using a scraper, remove any remaining residue from the container before cleaning it with warm, soapy water.

Utilize Boiling Water

Wax can also be removed with hot water. Use a towel or newspaper to catch any drippings from the candle. Remove as much wax as you can using a butter knife or spoon..

Leave a small amount of space at the top so that you may add more hot water if necessary. If your candle is made of soft wax, like soy wax, use hot but not boiling water. When the wax is melted, it will rise to the top of the pot.

Removing the wax will be much easier if the water has been allowed to cool before you begin. Remove any wax particles from the water by straining it; do not flush wax down the drain.. Soap and water will take care of any residual wax.

Make Use of the Oven

If you need to clean a big number of containers at the same time, this method is ideal. Using a butter knife or spoon, remove as much wax from the surface as possible. The oven should be preheated to 180° Fahrenheit.

Tinfoil or parchment paper can be used to line a baking pan. Place the pan in the oven with the candles on top, upside down. For the wax to melt, you’ll need about 15 minutes. As soon as you take the pan out of the oven, set it down on a heat-safe surface.

Remove the contents of the container and dry it with a paper towel. Take a potholder or cloth and hold it there. Before cleaning the container with soap and water, let it cool down.

Innovations Made on How To Save Candle Wax

Using Wax Warmers to Reuse

This year has seen an increase in demand for scented wax warmers. For those who don’t feel like splashing the cash, there are cheaper options available. The aroma of old scented candles can be enjoyed by placing them in a wax warmer.

Create a New Candle

Reusing candle wax in this manner is the most obvious and straightforward way. Save your old candle jars and pick up a roll of candlewick at your local hobby shop to get started. Candlewick rolls are cheap and long-lasting.

Using a stove burner on the lowest heat setting, you can simply melt the wax. Make sure the wax has melted fully before transferring it to another container. New colors can be added at any time, and the previous ones can remain in the same container.

Using a pot of boiling water, melt the chocolate again until the container is full or the necessary amount is reached. Once the wax has melted, insert the wick. Once the wax has hardened, you’ll have a brand new candle to enjoy!

Shirt Styling

Traditional Indonesian batik crafts rely on the use of wax to produce beautiful patterns on textiles. To put this tried-and-true strategy to the test. Melt the wax over low heat before pouring it onto old T-shirts, tablecloths, cushions, or other textiles.

Allow the wax to harden before dipping it in paint. The cloth will have a one-of-a-kind design since the waxed sections will not take the color. After dying, use multiple layers of paper towel to cover the waxed portions before ironing on a low heat setting.

Repairing Squeaky Doors

Candle wax can be used to repair noisy doors. Using an old candle, you may rapidly fix squeaky doors and sticky drawers in your home. Remove the pins from the door’s hinges so it won’t slam shut. A paraffin candle can be used to quiet the pins, as shown in the video.

Repeatedly open and close the door when the door is replaced and the pins are rejoined The wax will be dispersed evenly thanks to this device. Resilient drawers can be dispersed by running a light along their runners.

How To Reuse Candle Wax To Make New Candles And Save Money

Reusing candle wax is a simple and cost-effective option that I’ll share with you today. Because the wick doesn’t burn all the way to the end, candle wax from a jar is a waste. In most cases, you’re left with nothing but smoldering stubs.

How to Reuse Candle Wax Creatively? Here’s an Inspiration for You!

Here’s What You Will Be Needing:

  • Warmer for wax
  • Two scissors
  • Wicks for candles
  • Candle wax that has accumulated in ancient candle jars.
  • A new jar has arrived (only if needed)

Step 1: Melt Your Leftover Candle!

Place your first candle jar with remaining wax on your candle warmer. Take a pair of scissors and cut out all of the wick holders at the bottom of the melted wax. Remove all wick bases and melt your first wax thoroughly before moving on to the next stage.

How to Get Wax Out of Candle Jars: 4 Easy Methods | Better Homes & Gardens

You can make a multicolored candle by melting several colors and layering them together, or you can simply combine them all.

Things to Consider:

  • Avoid using your fingers to remove them since the wax has melted entirely, which means it is extremely hot. Fingers on fire are the last thing you want!

Step 2: Pour Melted Wax Into New Container

Place a fresh wick in the center of your new jar. Multiple wicks can be used if your jar’s aperture is large enough.

Your melted wax should be poured into a container and allowed to cure fully before you use it. You may also repurpose outdated candle holders.

Things to Consider:

  • A wooden laundry pin or comb can be used to attach the wick upright, but make sure to leave adequate space between each of your wicks.
  • After your previous layer has dried or set, you can begin pouring over new colors in a layered candle design. If you don’t let the wax to harden, the colors will mix and your experiment with how to reuse candle wax will be a failure.
  • If you don’t mind a marbled appearance rather than a layered one, you can certainly pull this off.

Step 3: Let Everything Solidify

In order to reuse candle wax, all that’s left to do is wait for the top layer to set fully.

Grab your finished candle and admire the layered pattern! Enjoy your new candle after you’ve securely lit the wicks with a lighter.

Watch this video from With Love Marium for some layered candle inspiration:

This was a great day, and we hope you learnt something new! Who knew it was so simple to make a new candle from an old one? Now that you know how to creatively repurpose candle wax, go ahead and make some of your own!

The DIY on how to reuse candle wax was imaginative and rewarding, to say the least. In the comments section below, please share your thoughts.

7 Ways We’re All Burning Candles Wrong

I like to think of myself as a bit of a candle expert. From Diptyque to Yankee, and everything in between, I’ve had a lot of experience with fragrances. Candles of all shapes and sizes can be found in nearly every area in my house. But until recently, I hadn’t given much thought to my method of burning anything. Country music’s capital has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to lighting candles.

There are around 10,000 candles hand-poured each day at the Nashville-based Paddywax factory, which manufactures many of the charming styles you’ve probably seen in stores like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. The amount of wax you’ve got here is a lot! Two retail sites of The Candle Bar, a boutique/workshop concept where customers can choose a vessel and smell and then pour their own handmade candles, have recently opened. The Candle Bar may not be as well-known as Nashville’s Opry, but it’s still worth checking out if you ever find yourself in town. The store manager, Kelly Heyen, taught me everything I needed to know about candle burning while we sipped BYOB rosé and spoke with our friends. None of my acquaintances has ever been better at candles than me. A lot of things are going wrong with yours, including how you’re illuminating it. That’s how I felt. Read on for the most common blunders Heyen encounters on a regular basis and how to avoid them.

1. Not Choosing Your Candle Wisely

Per ounce, candles burn for between five and seven hours, says Heyen. As a result, a larger candle burns longer. In fact, a three-wick candle in the same receptacle as a one-wick candle will burn slower—not quicker. This is contrary to what you may expect. Three wicks will actually increase the life of your candle since wax will not tunnel straight down the middle of it (near one wick) when ignited, but will instead pool across the entire candle as it is heated by three flames, explains Heyen. ” This method ensures that all of the wax in the container is consumed throughout the burning process.

The cleanest way to burn soy wax is with an essential oil-based scent if you’re concerned about indoor air quality. As Heyen explains, Paddywax makes use of food-grade paraffin wax in their soy wax blend for a greater melting point. A longer, cleaner, and more even burn results in a more potent aroma when paraffin is added to the mix, because the candle must burn hotter to melt at all. Noted. To get the most out of your soy-paraffin wax combination, you should look for a larger candle with three wicks in the larger sizes.

2. Only Trimming Your Wick Once

Heyen recommends trimming the wick to a quarter-inch before burning each time to avoid the candle smoking excessively and leaving soot streaks on the container. According to Heyen, a problem with long or crooked wicks is that they can lead to uneven burning and leaking, as well as flares. Cuts can be made with normal scissors or a nail clipper, which is a welcome relief. There’s no need for a special wick trimmer, but a candle and matchbook on a coffee table do look fairly beautiful, don’t you think? Heyen also points out that the flat tip design isn’t completely pointless. Trimming the wick on a flat surface avoids tiny soot flecks from getting lodged in the melted wax. The wick should always be cut when the wax has completely cooled.

3. Not Burning Your Candle Long Enough the First Time

You need to burn your candle for at least three to four hours the first time it is used to ensure that it burns evenly. Heyen explains that wax “has a muscle memory” and will burn in the same pattern every time. In other words, if you burn your candle for a long enough period of time the first time, the wax will pool throughout the entire jar, making subsequent burns easier. Instead of generating a full melt pool, tunneling can occur, in which a candle’s flame burns straight down the middle of it. Candle tunneling reduces the amount of wax available for subsequent burns.

4. Giving Up on an Improperly Burned Candle

That’s correct, as you may have seen. There are two ways to revive a somewhat dimmer candle, according to Heyen. Using a hair dryer on low or placing the candle in an oven at 175 degrees for around 5 minutes helps smooth out the wax surface. The wax will be melted and re-leveled as a result of completing these two steps. Wax spills over the wick should be cleaned up by scooping it up.

5. Not Watching Your Burn Time

Heyen advises against burning a candle for more than four to six hours at a time, citing health concerns. Heyen advises: “You want to keep your candle from overheating.” “The wick or wicks can float to the side, and it’s going to burn unevenly after that if you let the whole candle get moist,” she explains. You should always have a burning candle within your line of vision.

6. Blowing Out Your Candles

Seriously. To my surprise, blowing out a flame actually makes and disperses those little unpleasant black ash particles that get lodged in the wax, which I had assumed were just another marketing trick. However, you are not required to purchase a snuffer. Get a lidded candle and you’ll have the same effect. Dust and filth are kept out by a top. Wait until the candle has totally cooled down before handling or moving the item.

7. Not Reusing Your Vessels

Paddywax’s candles, like those from many other manufacturers, are all intended for upcycling. It’s okay to eat and drink from ceramic, metal and glass, but concrete is a better choice for things like planters, brush holders and pencil cups.

There’s a good chance that you’ve learnt something new about candle burning from this article. Pour a candle if you’re in Nashville. It’ll cost you $35, but you’ll have a blast. You’ll also get a one-of-a-kind candle as a bonus.

How to Fix Candle Tunneling

Candle tunneling occurs when only the center of the wax right around the wick melts and burns down. If candle tunneling occurs over time, you’ll end up with a ring of hard wax around the outside of the candle. No matter the grade or type of wax used in the candle, candle tunneling can occur. However, it is more likely to occur with low-cost candles. Candle tunneling can be caused by a wick that is too small for the candle, although the timing of the first burn is more common.

How to Prevent Candle Tunneling

Because of this, candles that have tunneling tend to burn more slowly than others. This hard wax ring will form around the candle’s perimeter if it continues to tunnel over time. In any candle, quality or kind of wax does not matter; nonetheless, cheap candles are more likely to have candle tunneling. Candle tunneling can be caused by a wick that’s too small for the candle, although it’s more likely caused by the timing of the candle’s first burn than any other reason.

Place the candle in a draft-free area for the first time to ensure that it burns evenly. Make sure to check it every 30 minutes or so to ensure that the initial layer of wax has completely melted. Depending on the type of wax and the size of the candle and the wick, this process may take anything from a few minutes to a few hours. For every inch of candle diameter, you may expect one hour of burn time. Although this is a recommendation, you should keep an eye on the candle and blow it out only when the first layer of wax has melted.

How to Fix Candle Tunneling

Don’t worry if your candle has already begun to tunnel. Possibly, you can preserve it. The top of the candle can be blasted with a hairdryer to stop any more tunneling if the damage is minor. The wax will be melted and smoothed out by the hot air. To prevent this from happening again, follow the first-burn instructions and melt the entire first layer of wax.

You can also use the oven if the hairdryer isn’t working. Place the candle on a cookie sheet and bake for five minutes at 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the size of the candle, you may require less or more time. Keep an eye on the candle by turning on the oven light and monitoring its temperature.

Foil tents can also be used. After lighting the candle, cover it with an aluminum foil tent to prevent it from leaking fumes. Make a hole on the top of the can so that the fumes can exit. Reflecting heat back to the candle will cause the wax to melt more evenly around the perimeter, not only in the center. Make sure it doesn’t overheat by keeping an eye on it. To extinguish the candle safely, use an oven mitt or other heat-resistant protection to carefully remove the aluminum foil before blowing it out.

Your candle tunneling may be too dramatic in some situations, and you may not be able to save it. Even if you’re disappointed, you can still enjoy your candle despite the setback. An alternative is a candle warmer, which gently warms the wax in jar candles from the bottom up. No matter how far down the wick of your candle has been burned, using a candle warmer will still allow the wax to warm up and create a soft fragrance.

Candle tunneling can be avoided by using high-quality soy candles. We provide a wide selection of candles, including scents inspired by states, hometowns and memories!

How to Get Wax Out of a Candle Jar 4 Ways (That Actually Work) | Architectural Digest

FAQs

How do you get a candle to burn to the edge?

A tunneled candle can be repaired by burning a piece of aluminum foil wrapped around the rims. In order to ensure a proper combustion of the wax, the wick must have a small aperture in the center of the foil. At this point, the wax should have completely melted and evened out.

How do you stop candles from tunneling?

Burn your candle long enough each time to melt the entire top surface of the wax, and you’ll avoid tunneling. The first time you light your candle, this is very critical! The length of time it takes is mostly determined on the size of the candle.

Can you burn candles all the way down?

For the sake of safety, the National Candle Association (http://www.candles.org/) recommends that you do not burn the wax all the way down. This can cause a fire, as well as other harm, if a glass container gets too hot and breaks, shattering, or explodes.

Why is my wick drowning?

It’s possible that the candle’s wick is too small for the container, or the wick itself is of poor quality, if it’s drowning. Because the wick burns too quickly, it is unable to extinguish itself from the wax pool.

Why is my candle tunneling?

Candle tunneling can be caused by a wick that is too small for the candle, although the timing of the first burn is more common. A shorter burn period is desired due of the waste of wax, therefore avoiding any candle tunneling is a good idea.

Why do you have to cut the wick of a candle?

The amount of melted wax (i.e. fuel) available to the candle can be restricted by trimming the wick to prevent excessive soot production. The candle burns more evenly with a trimmed wick, which reduces soot and increases the candle’s lifespan.

Can you reuse candle wax forever?

A large portion of the wax melts and drips away before it catches fire, which is true. In order to ignite, each must be heated to a lower temperature. However, some of the wax is burned away each time. You can’t keep doing this forever.

How many times can you reuse candle wax?

Different brands have different burn times, but most fall within the 6-8 hour range. Wax melts can be repurposed multiple times before the aroma fades away. You may be able to utilize wax melts for a longer period of time before the aroma fades.

Can you microwave candle wax?

It’s not difficult to microwave wax to melt it. Soy wax should be placed in a microwave-safe basin. 5 minutes on high or medium heat. You can stop stirring your wax half way through the cooking period if your microwave doesn’t have a spin feature. Then, turn your wax over and finish cooking it.

Conclusion on How to Save Candle Wax

There is no longer a need to get rid of old wax. Used candle wax can be put to a variety of creative applications. If you’re inventive and practical, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with candle wax.. You may find a wealth of information on candles and candlemaking on our website.

Helen Skeates

Helen Skeates

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.