There’s nothing more frustrating than having a candle burn out with PLENTY of wax still in the jar. Here’s a quick post about what I do with these half empty containers and how I recycle them into a “brand new” candle!
Supplies:
1. A new container. I used a mason jar this time, but you can reuse an old candle container, or a vintage mug or cup (like these candles in my Etsy Shop).
2. Wicks. You can buy these at any craft store, but I like these pre-tabbed wicks from Amazon.
3. A pot or saucepan to use as your double boiler.
4. Candle remnants!
Once I collect enough empty candle containers – about 4-5- I pick a day, usually on a weekend, when I know I’ll be around the house all day. While it’s not a particularly difficult craft, it’s a little time consuming.
Step 1: Boil!
Get some water boiling in your saucepan. It doesn’t have to be full, as the candles will displace the water, and you don’t want any wax spilling out into the boiling water (technically not safe to have the wax in a pot you use to prepare food! If you’re careful though, it’ll be ok.)
Step 2: Get the new container ready
Secure your wick to the bottom of your container. I use a dot of hot glue but you can buy wick stickers to secure it too.
Step 2.5: Think about smells
Give some thought to the scent order you want your candle to burn. What scents will blend well together? I pretty much exclusively buy candles that smell like Pine and Campfire so they all mix together well. But, let’s say you have one vanilla candle, one pumpkin pie candle and one fresh linen candle… what order would you put them in? (Personally I’d put vanilla in the middle to separate the other two unrelated scents). There will be some overlap when the candle is burning. Just something to think about.
Step 3: Boil again!
Place your first candle in the boiling water, and wait for the wax to melt. You can do stuff around the house while you wait, but there is some timing involved with this: It needs to melt completely but you don’t want it sitting there completely melted for a long time, as the heat may burn off the fragrance oils in the wax.
Step 4: Pour the wax into the new container
Step 4: Once your wax is liquified, carefully (it’s hot!) remove your container from the boiling water and pour into your prepared candle jar.
Step 5: Wait Patiently
Step 5: Let the wax re-harden in the new container. Keep the wick centered and straight with a clothes pin or tape (or I used a chopstick). While you wait for this to happen, you can restart step #3 with your next candle.
Step 6: Repeat!
Repeat with the rest of your candles until full! Then trim down the wick to 1/4 inch.
And there you have it! Thinking about all the money I spend on candles, I got one extra out of what normally would have been thrown away. Yay recycling!
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