Want to learn how to clean out candle jars but not sure where to start?  If you’re interested in learning how to repurpose old candles but aren’t sure how, this guide is for you!

In this guide, we’ll cover how to:

1. Remove wax from the jar
2. Remove the labels & stickers
3. Recycle the candle jar
4. Reuse the old wax instead of throwing it away

5 easy ways to remove wax from the jar

Candle wax used for container candles is meant to stick to the jar, which makes it that much harder to get rid of that final 1/4″ at the bottom.  For some of these methods, you don’t need much more than some water, a hairdryer, a freezer, or an oven to deal with it.

The melting point of wax varies dramatically, meaning some methods described work better than others depending on what’s in your candle.

Soy melts easier than beeswax and palm.  Paraffin wax, which is found in most commercial candles, varies greatly, but is usually higher than soy too.

Once you remove the wax, make sure to keep reading to find cute and creative ways to recycle your jars and wax instead of throwing them away  Never pour wax down any drains – wax does not dissolve in water and will quickly clog your drain or septic!

These are five different ways for getting wax out of your container without much fuss.

1. Place candle in hot water

This method melts the wax into a liquid by “double boiling” the candle in hot water.

Summary

• Estimated time: 5-15 minutes
• Works with most wax, but will take longer with beeswax and palm wax.

Supplies

• Stove top
• Saucepan (pot)

Instructions:

1. Fill saucepan with water and bring to simmer on stove top 
2. Place candle containers in saucepan and allow to heat up
3. After wax has melted into a liquid, dispose into garbage or pour into a secondary container for reuse.
4. Once wax is removed, use a utensil to remove the wick tab from the bottom
5. Any sticky residue from the glue or sticker that held the wick can be removed by soaking the bottom in white vinegar for 40 minutes OR by scraping off with a utensil.
6. Clean the inside of the candle with hot water and dish soap

2. Fill candle with boiling water

This method substantially melts wax with very hot water and allows it to harden into a disk at the top.  You may have seen people do this on social media.

Summary

• Estimated time: 20 min – 2 hours
• Simple, but may require several iterations.

Supplies

• Teapot or measuring glass

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil.  Make sure it is a rolling (very hot) boil!
2. Pour boiling water directly into the container.
3. Water will melt much of the wax – melted wax will rise to the surface
4. Allow to sit while risen wax hardens into a puck above the water (wax is less dense than water and will float when mixed)
5. Remove the wax puck and pour out the water.
6. Repeat if there is still a substantial amount of wax left.  For small amounts you can usually wipe it out with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol or scrape with a utensil.
7. Any sticky residue from the glue or sticker that held the wick can be removed by soaking the bottom in white vinegar for 40 minutes OR by scraping off with a utensil.
8. Clean the inside of the candle with hot water and dish soap

3. Put the candle in the freezer

This method takes small advantage over the phenomenon that wax shrinks when it’s cold, and expands when it’s warm.

Summary

• Estimated time: 2 – 4 hours
• Can be an overnight activity

Supplies

• Freezer
• Metal utensil (knife, fork, or spoon to remove wick tab)

Instructions:

1. Place the candle in the freezer for 2 – 4 hours or overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer and immediately begin prying wax from the container.  It should come out fairly easily and remain somewhat brittle.
3. After wax has melted into a liquid, dispose into garbage or pour into a secondary container for reuse.
4. Once wax is removed, use a utensil to remove the wick tab from the bottom
5. Any sticky residue from the glue or sticker that held the wick can be removed by soaking the bottom in white vinegar for 40 minutes OR by scraping off with a utensil.
6. Clean the inside of the candle with hot water and dish soap

4. Liquefy wax with a hair dryer or heat gun

This method melts down the wax into a liquid by way of hot air.  You can use a hair dryer, but is more effectively tackled with a heat gun.

Summary

• Estimated time: 5-15 minutes
• Leaves the jar very hot, so use with caution

Supplies

• Hair dryer or heat gun

Instructions:

1. Heat the sides and bottom of the container carefully with a hair dryer or heat gun for a few minutes until the wax is loose or liquefied.
   1. You don’t need to fully melt all the wax – just heat enough to break down the adhesion to the jar.
2. Remove the solid wax (it should no longer be stuck to the jar) with a utensil like a knife or fork.  Be careful as the jar may be hot.
3. Wipe the inside of the jar with paper towel and rubbing alcohol
4. Use a utensil to remove the wick tab from the bottom
5. Any sticky residue from the glue or sticker that held the wick can be removed by soaking the bottom in white vinegar for 40 minutes OR by scraping off with a utensil.
6. Clean the inside of the candle with hot water and dish soap

5. Melt wax in the oven

This method substantially melts all the wax from the jars and drains onto a pan.

Summary

• Estimated time: 10-25 minutes
• Can be slightly messy to clean up, but you can remove wax from many jars at once

Supplies

• Oven
• Baking sheet lined with tin foil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven on low, or 200°F
2. Place candles upside down on the tin foil-lined baking sheet and place in the oven
3. After 20 minutes, or until the wax has substantially drained out of the jars, remove the baking sheet from the oven.
4. Use a utensil to remove any large chunks of solid wax from the containers.  Wipe the liquid wax from the jars using paper towels and rubbing alcohol.  Be careful with hot containers – allow to cool for a few minutes if necessary.
5. Use a utensil to remove the wick tab from the bottom
6. Any sticky residue from the glue or sticker that held the wick can be removed by soaking the bottom in white vinegar for 40 minutes OR by scraping off with a utensil.
7. Clean the inside of the candle with hot water and dish soap

Remove the labels & stickers

Unless the candle has a fabulous design, you probably want to remove the label from the side and the safety sticker from the bottom.

Here’s a two step process, but feel free to explore these alternative ways to remove sticky labels from reusable nation if this doesn’t suit your fancy.

1. Soak them in water

A tried and true method for adhesive removal is to fill a basin or bowl with water and soak your container in it until the label peels off easily.  This typically only takes 20-30 minutes.

If you’re in a rush, heat the jars in a saucepan filled with water, baking soda, and some dish soap on the stove and the label will peel off very easily in a matter of minutes because the heat will deactivate the adhesive quicker.

2. Remove the rest of the adhesives with rubbing alcohol after peeling as much as you can off with your fingers

Rubbing alcohol makes quick work of outstanding adhesives from labels and stickers.

Use a paper towel soaked with rubbing alcohol to scrub the remaining adhesives off the container.  At this point you shouldn’t have any substantial labeling or stickers but only the grimy sticky part left.

Recycle the candle jar

Going through all the trouble of cleaning out the jars wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t have a great idea for reusing the container!

Given that most candles contain fragrance oils of some form, and candle wax typically contains additives, it’s not recommended that you use it for food or drink.  That being said, here’s a few DIY projects you can make of your old container.

1. Planter

Use your old candle container to hold succulents or other indoor plants.

Keep in mind that your container or jar won’t have a drainage hole in the bottom, so you won’t be able to water your plant as aggressively if it needs much.

This idea works especially well for fake plants too.

2. Bathroom supply holder

If you’re in need of small, cute ways to store hygiene or makeup items then old candle containers work really well!

Instead of leaving items in their packaging, you can display them conveniently in a jar.  Some popular ideas include:

• Cotton swabs and q-tips
• Scissors or tweezers
• Toothbrushes
• BOBBY PINS

Just be sure the container is completely cleaned with hot water and soap before putting any health items inside it.

3. Markers and pens

Everyone needs a great place to store markers and pens.  However, do yourself a favor and discard the pens and markers that don’t work anymore!

No one likes a bad pen.

Reuse the old wax instead of throwing it away

You’re really not supposed to burn a candle until all the wax is gone.  The jars typically get too hot, and the wick tab stops you from going that far in most cases.

But no one likes to waste good wax, either.

You COULD throw away all the wax gathered from your cleaning shenanigans, OR… you could find a way to reuse it.

You might not think there’s enough wax in the candle to make any difference and you might as well throw it away.

The reality?

It doesn’t actually take much wax to make it worth trying one of these clever ways to reuse the old wax.  Give one of these three ideas a try:

1. New candles

The best alternative use for old candle wax is creating a new candle altogether.

Instead of disposing of old wax chunks and liquid wax, collect them in a large 4-cup measuring glass that you’re okay with “dedicating” to candle making.

You’ll also have to buy a candle wick which you can typically buy from a hobby store.  They come in packs of 10 or more – get the ones that already have the metal wick tab on the bottom.

Creating recycled candles from old wax follows a few different rules from normal candle making:

• You don’t always have a clear idea which wax type you’re using.
• Choosing the right wick will be more difficult since you won’t necessarily be able to iterate wick sizes and types.
• You should cure the wax after pouring into the container, which means waiting about 5 to 14 days before lighting the candle.

Once you’ve collected your scraps in a measuring glass, have a wick on hand, and a cleaned out container, you’re ready to create a new candle!

We recommend using the double boiler method to make your candle if you’ve never made one before.

2. Wax melts

Wax melts are essentially tiny candles without a wick that you place on a wax warming plate to melt and fill the air.

Candle makers create wax melts all the time as samples for their full sized candles, but they can only be used by people with a wax warmer.  If you have a wax warmer, or know someone that does, you can capture the melted wax from your old candles and create melts from them.  Just follow these steps:

1. Obtain a silicone mold, a plastic clamshell mold, or anything small shaped and non-stick.  Some people use a silicone ice tray for this (if you do this you shouldn’t use the ice tray for actual ice anymore).
2. If you’re removing the wax from a candle in a liquid state, pour the blend into the mold and allow it to harden.
3. Remove from mold – you have yourself a recycled wax melt!

If the wax you removed from the jar is solid, you already have a wax melt.  Simply place the solid wax onto a warmer to begin.

You can store wax melts and recycled wax pieces with a plastic sandwich bag.

3. Wax monster

The final way to use up old wax is only recommended for outdoors use.

Collect all the wax pieces and liquid wax and put them in a metal or ceramic bowl that you’re okay with never using for anything.

It’s okay if the recycled wax doesn’t match, or pieces are irregular – this somewhat archaic method creates a giant ball of fuel.

1. Poke holes into the wax monster with a toothpick of skewer
2. Place a wick into the hole
3. Put the wax monster outside where it can get hot without causing damage to anything
4. Light wicks and enjoy

Note: wax monsters aren’t for the faint of heart, and your results will vary wildly.  Practice fire safety at all times when burning!

Final thoughts

There are a few small things to keep in mind to make sure you’re recycling candles responsibly and safely:

• Never microwave a candle, especially if it still has a METAL wick tab inside it.  
• Do not place aluminum tins in a microwave.
• Microwaves can technically work, but they’re also very risky because the heat distributes strangely in containers and can result in burns if you grab something out of the microwave without protection.
• Pretty much stay away from microwaves.
• Keep in mind that you might scratch materials when removing wax or wick tabs with metal utensils.

Reusing your candles is a habit of sustainability,  Sure, there’s a bit of work involved but at the end of the day you’re able to reuse materials that might otherwise pollute an area of our world. Plus you get to breathe more life into your candles!