Taking a bath surrounded by the smell of lavender is quite something, especially after a stressful day. However, once most of the wax is melted, you are looking at just another jar, one filled with wax residues.
If you are like most of us, you are probably thinking about how to reuse the candle jar. But first, you need to figure out how to get the wax residues out. Keep on reading, and you will learn how to clean wax leftovers from the jar so that you can reuse them for whatever is needed.
Here is a list of methods proven to be very effective in removing wax from candle jars. Feel free to use the one that you like most and suits your conditions.
1 Remove Wax with Boiling Water
First, find a place where you can place the candle safely. Then, grab a spoon or a butter knife to get rid of as much wax as possible. Then pour some boiling water into the jar, but don’t fill it all the way.
The wax will start melting from the boiling water, and it will start floating on the top. After the water cools down a bit, you can easily remove the wax. Clean up any remaining wax with water and soap.
2 Make a Double Boiler
Put the candle jar into a metal bowl on a heated surface. Then pour boiling water into the pot. Make sure that the candle jar is surrounded, but the water doesn’t get into the candle jar.
Let the candle jar stay there until the wax starts to soften up. Once the wax softens ups, remove it with a butter knife. When you are done with the wax, clean out the remaining residues with some warm water and soap.
3 Use the Oven
This method is best suited if you have a few candle jars that you need to clean at once. First, remove whatever wax you can with a spoon or a butter knife. Then line up the candle jars into a baking pan. But before you do so, add one or two parchment paper layers to the bottom of the baking pan. Alternatively, you can use tinfoil.
Next, place the baking pan into a preheated oven. If the oven is heated at around 180 degrees, the wax will be melted in around fifteen minutes or so.
After you remove the pan, you can remove the candle jars from the pan. Again, you can use warm water and soap to clean the candle jar thoroughly.
4 Use the Power of the Cold
Back in the day, people used ice cubes to remove wax from carpets, and it worked. That same analogy can be used to remove wax from candle wax jars. But before you place the jar into a freezer, grab a spoon or a butter knife and remove whatever wax you can.
Next, place the candle jar into the freezer and let it stay there until it’s frozen. Typically, if you are using your home freezer, that means it’ll take a couple of hours to freeze the candle jar and the wax.
Once the ice takes over, the wax will pop right out of the candle jar. Then it is much easier to scrape off any residue. You can clean the remaining part with water and soap.
5 Use Both Hot & Cold
Last but not least is the method that includes both hot and cold temperatures. Some people first place the candle jar in hot water. Once the wax starts melting, they start to remove it from the jar. If they think that’s not enough, they turn to the second method, which is freezing the candle jar. We’ve explained this method thoroughly in the previous section.
And if that doesn’t work for you, you can soak the candle jar in lukewarm water. After several minutes they scrub any remaining residue with a soapy cloth. The last option is to place the candle jar in the dishwasher. That way, the candle jar looks brand new, just without the wax, and ready to be reused.