During Plastic Free July, we partnered with Vellabox, an artisan candle subscription box, and they created a video on how to repurpose candle jars (you can watch it on Insta here). Since today, Friday, December 10, you can buy one of our ah-mazing holiday candles and get any other candle 50% off, we’ve decided to dedicate a whole blog post on repurposing candle jars! We love this because we have a lot of empty candle vessels stockpiled for reuse, so here’s how to clean a used candle jar as well as a couple of ideas for repurposing them. Enjoy!
First, here are four ways you can remove the excess wax and clean your candle jar:
- Freeze it: Place the candle in the freezer for several hours or until it is frozen. The wax should pop right out of the container, but you can also loosen it with a butter knife if necessary. Scrape off any residue and then clean the container with soap and water.
- Use hot, boiling water: Set your candle on the counter and pour boiling water into the container, leaving room at the top. (If your candle is made of a soft wax, such as soy wax, you can use hot water that’s not boiling.) The boiling water will melt the wax and it will float to the top. Let the water cool and remove the wax. Scrape any remaining wax and clean with soap and water.
- Scrape It Out: Use a sturdy utensil to remove remaining wax from the candle jar. Use soap and water to scrub out any leftover particles. Voila!
- Use the oven: This method works well if you have several containers to clean at once. Scrape out as much wax as you can with a butter knife or spoon. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a rimmed baking pan with tinfoil or one or two layers of parchment paper. Place the candles upside down on the pan and set the pan in the oven. Remove the pan after 15 minutes. Wipe the container with a Swedish dishcloth. Let the container cool and then clean with soap and water.
Now that you’ve effectively cleaned your jar, here are 7 totally rad ideas on how to repurpose it:
- Organize your desk or bathroom vanity: candle vessels make great organization containers, especially the candles that come without lids. Hold your pens, paper clips, reusable cotton rounds or makeup brushes in your old candle jars!
- Grow new plants or use them as a vase for cut flowers: Small jars work well for hosting starter plants before the roots grow too large and they need to be transplanted. Using candle vessels for housing fresh cut flowers for your bathroom or coffee table seems like a no-brainer.
- Fill with basic-need items from our refillery: We LOVE when people bring in their own containers to shop our refillery. Candle vessels with lids are great for literally anything we carry on our bar, but they are especially great for our lotions, our gentle milk facial cleanser, deo cream, dish powder and epsom salt.
- Repurpose into food storage vessels: They’re great for nuts, veggies, cut fruit, and even leftover cooking grease.
- Store your kid’s tiny toys in them: Ever stepped on a lego or small action figure? Yes! Ouchie! Larger candle jars make a great space to store small craft items and toys, so your kids favorite items have a place (at least, for a little bit!)
- Keep your loose leaf teas, spices and whole bean coffee fresh: Oftentimes we purchase these items in non-resealable bags. Store them in old candle containers with a lid to extend the shelf life of these items.
- Serve cocktails in them: We couldn’t not suggest this! Larger, skinnier candle holders make great drinkware. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter when you hand someone a festive cocktail in an old candle jar.
