Just because you are at the end of a candle doesn’t mean that it is no longer useful. You still have the glass jar that you can recycle or reuse as whatever you want. The tricky thing is getting the leftover wax out of the jar. You need to know how to clean out candle jars, there are a few methods below, find the one that works best for you!
Use a Freezer to Take Out the Wax
1. Find a used candle.
This first method is best used on any jars that have only a little bit of wax left on the bottom. Also, check to see if the wick of the candle is attached to the jar or if it is just loose in the wax. If it is attached then this particular method will not get all the wax out cleanly. Instead, try the method below that uses boiling water.
2. Get the Candle Jar Ready.
A lot of candle jars are narrower at the top, making it tough to get all the wax out. You can stop this problem by cutting up the wax inside of the jar with a small blade such as a common butter knife. Once the wax has completely frozen, it will then break into small pieces, this will then make it a whole lot easier to get the pieces out of the candle jar. Since several smaller pieces of wax is a lot easier to get out than one big one.
3. Place the Candle Jar into the Freezer.
Put the old or used candle jar down onto a stable surface in the freezer, to keep it from falling over. While water will expand when it freezes, candle wax will actually shrink. Meaning that in the end, the wax will pull away from the glass jar’s sides.
4. Let the candle Jar Sit in the Freezer
Let the jar sit inside your freezer until a point in which the wax completely freezes. This can take anywhere between 20 minutes to a few hours depending on the type and size of the candle.
5. Take the Candle Jar from the Freezer.
After the wax has been completely frozen, take the candle jar from the freezer. Test to see if the candle wax is frozen completely by simply pressing down on the wax. If this causes the wax to move around or it feels loose, then it is completely frozen and is ready to be removed.
6. Take the candle wax out from the jar.
Take the candle jar and flip it upside down. Any leftover wax in the jar should just fall right out. If the wax does not, you can also lightly tap the glass candle jar against a hard surface. Or you can use a knife to fish the wax out of the jar.
7. Take Out the Wick Holder.
If this candle jar still has a wick holder stuck on the bottom, simply slip something underneath it, like a butter knife and pry at it and it should easily pop right off.
8. Remove Any Residue.
If the candle jar has any wax left on the inside the candle jar, it should be easy to remove the leftover wax by simply scraping it off by using a long object, such as a butter knife. Or you could use warm water and soap to wash out the candle jar.
9. Use Your Candle Jar as Something New.
You now can reuse this candle jar for whatever purpose you want, put a which and fresh wax in it, decorate it, use it for storage, whatever you want. You can also save the old wax and reuse it by melting the wax down and remolding it.
Use Boiling Hot Water to Take the Wax Out
1. Protect Your Surfaces.
This method of cleaning the candle jars can get pretty messy, so you might want to protect whatever surface you are working on from any wax that gets spilled by laying down some old towels, newspapers, or baking sheets.
2. Cut Up the Wax.
Cut up the wax inside of the jar with a sharp object, such as a butter knife or any small blade. This will make the wax melt a lot faster. This also will help the hot water get beneath the wax to remove the wax from the glass of the jar.
3. Pour the Boiling Hot Water Directly into the Candle Jar.
Be sure not to fill the glass candle jar completely, instead, just fill it enough that any wax left on the side is submerged. After a while, the candle wax will start to melt and will float up to the top.
4. Allow the Candle Jar to Cool on the Counter for a While.
After the candle jar has been allowed to sit for a while, the formerly boiling hot water will have had a chance to cool down, and all the once melted wax will once again have become solid. But now, the difference is that all the wax is now floating at the surface of the water, which will make it much easier to remove.
5. Remove the Leftover Wax From the Jar.
Once the candle wax has hardened, it should be very easy to remove the leftover wax from the jar. Just be careful of the water that may end up spilling from the jar while fishing the wax out.
6. Take Out the Wick Holder.
If this candle jar still has a wick holder stuck on the bottom, simply slip something underneath it, like a butter knife and pry at it and it should easily pop right off. If this does not end up working and it does not come off easily, just pour some more hot water into the candle jar, and try to pop it off while the water in the jar is still hot.
7. Remove Any Leftover Wax.
If the candle jar has any wax leftover inside of the jar, it should be easy to remove the leftover wax by simply scraping it off by using a long sharp object, such as a butter knife or any other small blade. Or you could use warm water and soap to wash out the candle jar.
8. Use Your Candle Jar as Something New.
You now can reuse this candle jar for whatever purpose you want, put a which and fresh wax in it, decorate it, use it for storage, whatever you want. You can also save the old wax and reuse it by melting the wax down and remolding it.
Use Your Oven to Get the Wax Out
1. Pre-heat the Oven.
Turn on your oven and pre-heat it to a temperature of 200F. The warmth inside the oven should melt the candle wax still in the candle jar.
2. Use Aluminum Foil to Cover an Oven-Safe Baking Sheet.
This will both protect the baking sheet that you have decided to use and it will make the process of cleaning up a lot quicker and easier. You will just have to pull off the foil and simply throw it away. Remember to cover your baking sheet completely to keep the melted wax from getting on your baking sheet accidentally and ruining it.
3. Put the Candle Jars onto your Baking Sheet Upside Down.
When you put the candle jars into the oven, make sure they are on your baking sheet upside down. This way, as the wax begins to melt, it will fall out of the jar. Also, if you are trying to clean multiple jars at a time, make sure they are evenly spaced out on your baking sheet.
4. Place your Baking Sheet into the Pre-Heated Oven and Just Let it Sit Until the Wax Melts.
After around 15 minutes in the oven, the wax likely will have melted completely and formed a pool of hot wax on the aluminum foil on your baking sheet. Be sure not to leave your oven unattended at this time as the wax is in fact very flammable. You might also want to leave a window open during this as the wax will be releasing a lot of fragrance that might get annoying.
5. Take your Baking Sheet Out from the Oven.
Make sure to place the hot baking tray on a heat-resistant surface.
6. Remove the candle jars off of your baking sheet.
Be careful, the glass jars will be very hot, so use oven mitts for protection.
7. Use a Paper Towel to Wipe the Candle Jars.
There may still be some leftover wax inside of the candle jar, specifically around the jar’s rim. If this does not do the trick in getting the leftover wax out, try using warm water and soap to wash the jar.
8. Use Your Candle Jar as Something New.
You now can reuse this candle jar for whatever purpose you want, put a which and fresh wax in it, decorate it, use it for storage, whatever you want. You can also save the old wax and reuse it by melting the wax down and remolding it.
It is often hard to know what to do with a candle jar after you are done with it but at least now you know how to clean out candle jars.
