How to Remove Candle Wax from Jars

Do you ever reuse the jars your candles come in?  I like to remove the old wax and pop in a new candle, or use the jar for storing little items {like bobby pins in the bathroom, nails on the HH’s workbench, or paper clips in my office drawer}.  Removing the wax is actually pretty easy, so it makes it totally worth it.

Here’s a couple of different methods to try:

1. For my Glade candles, I usually just put them in the freezer and a couple of hours later, the wax pops right out.
2. Fill the jar with boiling hot water.  The wax will liquefy and float up to the top.  Let the floating wax cool for 15 or 20 minutes then fish it out with your fingers.  Some might still be stuck on the side or bottom, but a butter knife will literally make it pop right out.  Repeat the boiling hot water step, let it sit for 5 minutes, then dump the water out and wipe the jar clean with a paper towel.

If the candle has a label, I have found the best way to get it off is just to let the jar sit in hot soapy water for several hours.  Don’t be tempted to peel at the label first, somehow this makes it impossible to get the residue off.  Just put it in the water and walk away.  A couple of hours later, it will fall right off.  It’s all very scientific.

If you are super crafty, you can save all of your leftover wax.  I don’t typically, but there are literally a million potential re-uses for it {okay, maybe not a million, but lots}.

~Mavis