I LOOOOOVE CANDLES. Like, so much. I always end up with more than I can ever use in a year but I can’t help it! Those four candles are not even half of what I have in my closet. And if you are anything like me, you have fallen victim to those fabulous (yet dangerous) 2 for $20 Bath & Body Works candle sales. I mean, what’s not to love about them? You save money since regular price for ONE candle is $22.50 and your house can smell like a pumpkin patch, a winter wonderland, or a Hawaiian beach all year round. But the one downfall is that I end up with all these glass jars with unusable wax and wick and it drives me crazy throwing something away that just feels like they have so much life left.
As I was brainstorming on what to do with them I looked around my house and realized I kept buying little glass jars for things that are basically the same as the candle jars just without the candle! Duh. What a waste of freaking money! Gah! Especially when I’m a stay at home mom trying to figure out how I’m going to earn money to buy these damn candles. Vicious. Fucking. Cycle.
So this is how I gave them new life.
• I filled a pot with enough water to surpass the left over wax in the candle jar and let boil (without the candle in the pot).
• Once the water reaches boiling point I removed the pot from the heated stove and placed the candle in it to warm up the wax (without the candle jar lid). ****Please use an oven mitt when necessary! Ain’t nobody got time for no burns or broken glass to pick up after you drop the jar because it’s too hot. Safey first, people!
• When the wax is soft enough, remove the jar and you can just scoop the wax out and the wick bases should come right off as well. A plastic utensil would work just fine. (I only waited until I was able to just stick a fork into the softened wax and removed. That way you would only have to deal with very little liquid wax.) Be mindful that during this process the wax can start to harden and get stuck on the jar where it’s not warm if all the wax isn’t removed right away. But have no fear! We’ll get that sucker off! If any wax is left behind, fill the jar with hot water and let soak for a bit then you can wipe off with a towel or go straight to washing it with soap and a sponge. The label on the front and at the bottom should also come right off and if not, become friends with Goo Gone!
You are good to go. Easy peasy! There you have a new empty glass jar that you can use however your heart desires.
Note: I’m sure there are so many other ways to do this project but this is how I went about cleaning out my candle jars. Good luck and have fun with however you choose to create!
Enjoy!
Crown and Coffee 