I am writing this post for three reasons.
1. Because I am a hoarder and hate throwing away anything.
2. Because in a couple of weeks, I am going to show a craft project that requires leftover wax as one of the materials. I like to save my wax from old candles (see reason #1) but I couldn’t find any comprehensive posts about this on Pinterest that I could link back to. So I am demonstrating it here. Back to the future….again.
3. Because Bath and Body Works had a candle sale last weekend and I had to mentally justify the cost of purchasing more candles by using them to pose for a pretty picture for my blog. Like this…
I have a thing for candles in general, but Bath and Body Works candles are like my crack cocaine. Like fragrantly delicious crack cocaine. The fact that they come in these nice glass containers does not help my addiction.
Before I dive into this, I want to say that there are lots of ways to remove wax in these situations; freezing the glass, heating the glass, scoring the wax and taking it out chuck by chunk… All of these methods work, yes, but I have found that they tend to leave a residue or small bits of wax that I end up needing to scrub off by hand in the sink. Not a big deal, but I like to avoid it because 1. I don’t want wax and crud all over my sponge or down my plumbing, and 2. glass like this is not made to withstand a lot of handling and could easily break (as I have learned on numerous occasions). All of this is to say, my method here might take a little more time but it is fool proof, requires zero elbow grease, and leaves the glass sparkling clear. Sound good? Read on.
What’s nice about a lot of scented candles is that they come in these handy glass containers. The sides are usually straight-up-and-down and are good for storing all kinds of goodies. As you can see, I am using this one to corral my colored spoons. I have a thing for colored spoons.
Side note: The green candle there is called Fresh Balsam. It smells better than real fresh balsam, which is saying something. The scent is super homey, not-too feminine, and neutral enough that you can burn them all winter long – not just Christmas. That is why they make a great Christmas gifts; the recipient can enjoy them in January. If you ever need to get a no-think $10 gift for a holiday gift swap, this is it. Stock up.
Another note: Just to clarify, this post is not sponsored by Bath and Body Works. Although, I can’t blame you for thinking that. I am doing a really good job of kissing their butt right now.
Okay. On to the tutorial!
About Labels: It occurred to me after I took these photos that maybe I should have included something about removing the labels off the glass. Nice one. Well, here is what I know: most candle making folks realize we want the glasses so they are making it easy to remove the labels (Glade has a whole series of commercials based on this). Still, some labels are stuck on with crazy tough adhesives and can be very difficult to remove. If that is the case, soaking them in a bowl of hot water with blue Dawn dish detergent is about as good as it gets. If you remove 95% of the label but find that dried up paper crud later on, smear it with coconut oil, let it rest for a few minutes, then go back with a scrubber. That should do it.
Okay. Now let’s get on to the tutorial. I mean it this time!
VERY IMPORTANT: Set the wax aside in a plastic bag to save for future projects.
The key is to get that paper towel in there when those last bits of wax are still liquid. They should cling to the towel without effort. Swish swish swish. Presto!
If you have to scrub, add more hot water and wait a minute, then try again. Except for a little windex or vinegar at the end (optional), there should be no rubbing or elbow grease at all. Rubbing = smearing, and the last thing you want is wax smeared all over your glass container.
Side Note: You don’t have to boil water just for this purpose. Hot water poured off a pot of rice or pasta works just fine. This process need not be pretty.
Also note: Don’t do this process in your sink or on your nice counter top. Lay down an old rag or newspaper. You don’t want to have to scrape hardened wax bits off your table or your drain.
Random tip for all those candles that come separate from the votive (and you want to keep it that way).
The candle will melt but the water will form a barricade between the wax and the glass (remember from science class: oil and water don’t mix). Eventually the candle will extinguish itself and you can just plop it out of the container and empty the water. No fuss. Neat stuff, right? This is a trick I picked up working at an Italian restaurant in college. Saves sooo much time. No picking wax out of a hundred votives at the end of a long shift.
And while I’m talking about candles, here is a trick for making them last much longer. Or, if you are in a pinch and need to do some scrubbing, this is the best scrubbing device I have ever encountered (and it was totally free). Woot!
You can also put the candle in the freezer, after a while the wax pops right out. Then you can break the wax, stuff in old mismatched socks, and use in dresser drawers or linen closet.
LMAO, what???
Aja: I think the idea is to put the scented wax pieces in an old sock and put it in a drawer or closet to keep it smelling nice … not the glass container. 😉
The freezer method works on certain brands much better than others (especially if the wick is attached to the bottom of the glass). Thick glass is much safer than than thin, for freezing. I cut my hand very badly trying to remove wax from a thin glass container fresh out of the freezer. Read: use caution. Or better, just use the method above.
Hi Peaches!
Thanks for coming to our rescue! Have beautiful glass candleholders–short wide blocks with opening on top for candlestick. Your wonderful post helped. However, we have one question: if we put just a little water in the top opening and then insert our candlestick, will that also stop the wax from forming? ( We noticed your post about putting a tsp of water at bottom votive–can that be done for candlesticks as well?). Thank You!!!
I’m having a hard time visualizing the set-up so I can’t say – but I can tell you the water needs to form a barricade between the wax and the glass. If you can set it up that way, the wax won’t stick. Good luck!
This totally works! I just ordered online 6 beautiful silver trays that each hold a lovely glass filled with a scented candle. These are gifts for my dear girlfriends and cousins for Christmas. I was so excited to get them, but when they arrived the candles’ scent was way too strong and actually kind of stinky and gave me a headache. I definitely couldn’t give these as gifts to my favorite women! I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking about microwaving them to see if the candle would melt when I decided to search online for a good tip. Thankfully I found your blog and tried the freezer trick. I set them in the freezer and left them there for several hours. After I took them out and set them on the counter, I just gently tugged on the wick and out the candle popped!! Wow! Now I’ll just buy a slightly smaller candle with a better scent! Thank you for salvaging my gifts, Aunt Peaches!
I tried the hot water trick and it absolutely works!
She did mention putting it in the freezer, but she also mentioned that it leaves residue
I was just reading your blog about cleaning out candle wax. I used your ideas on the boiling water and it worked great. Someone asked what you could use the empty jars for. When I was through cleaning 4 of my glade candle jars and ran them through the dishwasher, I used them for juice glasses. They are the perfect size. Then I when I didn’t need them anymore, I sold them at my garage sale. There are probably lots more ideas to use them for. Thanks for the help.
I use mine for individual mini shrimp cocktails & ceviche!
You are a ~hero~. I’m also exceptionally excited to see what projects you have for used wax – I’m perpetually saving the nubs of old candles for only one gift-craft: melted wax + dry pine cones = yummy fire-lighters for friends with real fireplaces.
Thanks 🙂
I have always wanted to use leftover wax for fire starters, but doesn’t it just melt to the bottom of the fireplace? I always wondered that!
Another nice fire starter is to take egg cartons and dryer lint, then seal the top with the old candle wax. They are not pretty like cones, but they work wonders for those who depend on wood stoves for heat.
I came up with another idea for saving leftover chunks / pieces, I put them in the wax tart holders (where you put a tea light candle at bottom), saves money on buying tarts and no more wasted great smelling candle wax!
I searched on Google for how to remove candle wax from glass and came across your blog. I tried it on a Fenton Art glass fairy light I found at an estate sale and it totally worked! Thank you so much; you are awesome. 🙂 My collectible piece of American made glass from the 60s/70s now looks like new.
I turn them upside down on foil or parchment paper lined pan and put in oven on about 180-200 degrees. It only takes a few minutes.
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Aunt Peaches….THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…Your method really worked for me. I had a set of glass containers a friend gave me…they had never been cleaned and the old wax was everywhere….I just didn’t believe that the paper towel trick to get rid of the residue would work on my votives…..Finally I said, well, heck,, can’t hurt to try…I was already exhausted from boiling, scrubbing, boiling…etc….So out came the paper towels…and VOILA..cleaned them beautifully…I now have them displayed in their lovely holder.
Thank you Aunt Peaches.
Mary
Good old fansioned helpful tips. I love bloggers like yourself aunt peaches keeping these simple yet amazing tips alive.
Thanks so much for this post…wanting to use this lovely container for something else and now I can!
FYI – One thing I learned in college (Graphic Design) was about this great product that removes sticky stuff. Tons better than GooGone. It’s called Bestine rubber cement thinner. One tin costs about $18 but it will last years. You can find it at any art supply store.
Thank you I have the same Fresh Balsam 3wick candle. I love that smell!!! Just adding boiling water removed almost all the wax. Great tip!!
rubbing alcohol wipes from your first aid kit work wonders as well for removing sticky things like labels and many many other things
I use the little wipes you can buy for removing and aid residue to get of hue and labels that didn’t completely come off during soaking. Works like a charm. NByoil can work too. After, just run through dishwasher or wash with soapy water.
I use the little wipes you can buy for removing band aid residue to get of hue and labels that didn’t completely come off during soaking. Works like a charm. Baby oil can work too. After, just run through dishwasher or wash with soapy water.
I make soy candles for a living and adooooore it compared to paraffin candles. Soy is watersoluble so all you need to do to clean the jars is hot water from your sink and a sponge with a dab of soap!
I make soy candles for a living and adooooore them…the soy is water soluble so all you need to clean the jars is hot tap water, a sponge and a dab of soap. Since its water soluble theres no worries of it clogging drains either. It also holds more fragrance and burns slower. Can you tell I love soy candles or what? lol
It’s really hard to get lovetfer wax out of a hurricane lamp. Try melting the wax under hot water and get as much of it out as possible. Buy Goo-gone, you can get it at most grocery stores and clean the rest with that, it works quite well. The next time, spray the lamp with Pam Cooking Spray and just wipe enough of it off so you can’t see it. The wax won’t stick to the glass next time, do it every time you change the candle. Works like a charm!
Tried this method and it worked well, but BE CAREFUL!! Warm up your glass before trying this, and pour the boiling water in slowly. Even room-temperature glass can shatter from the temperature change when it comes into contact with water at a rolling boil.
I bought the small candles in a glass jar… kind of like the B&BW candles but I only want the jar… how do I get the wax out of an unused candle? I don’t have the time to burn them. Help! 🙂 Thanks.
I’m guessing you can just warm the whole thing in a double boiler and pour out the wax. Never tried it myself but I’m guessing it would work.
I bought some candles for the jars.
I lit them all at once, let them burn until liquid, then poured the wax into a bigger, half-used candle – not past the wick, of course.
Thank you for such a wonderful post! My crack is Dyptique candles. I followed your directions and it worked like magic.
This worked great for me except for the glue which held the wicks (the little round metal things). I can’t get the glue out. Suggestions?
I can’t get mine out either. Aunt Peaches…HELP!!?!??
The boiling water loosens the glue on the sticker. If you can handle the jar while it’s still full of hot water, the sticker peels right off. Try oven mitts or a pot holder.
I was able to get most of the wax out just from scoring it with the butter knife and the wick thing along with it. But all my candles are natural soy blends because we’re a vegan family. That might have something to do with that.
Do you just pour the water down the drain after 15 mins….then the 5 mins? Concerned about clogging the drain.
No wax ever goes down the drain. As soon as the hot water hots the wax it will liquify and float to the top…you wait 15 min to let it harden and remove wax with your fingers. The extra water can go down the drain.
Thanks for the post! I wanted to mention the best thing we’ve found for removing stickers, from everything, is olive oil. Rub the oil on the sticker and let it sit for a bit, and then they usually come right off. This may work with other oils also. Have a great weekend!
Aunt Peaches, when I googled “how to remove wax from glass,” you were number one! So I was excited to see your solution, since I’m your number one fan. And it worked! I just tried it on four glass containers. And I have more than 50 left over from a wedding that have just been sitting in the cabinet for over a year with leftover wax in them, and now I can remove all the wax and have all new containers. Yay! Thank you!
Hahahaha….isn’t that odd? Of all the things, right? I wrote this post on a whim, and it still gets more google hits than anything else. Glad it worked for you!
Very professional blog. I love the set up and pictures. Thank you.
WD40 works wonderfully to remove stickers also 🙂
This worked great! Thank you for this post!
http://sunflowersandhope.blogspot.com
thanks for the hot water idea – super easy!
Thanks very much. I had a metal container filled with hardened wax so I placed it in a pot with a few inches of water, boiled for twenty minutes and when I checked, the wax was all melted. All I had to do was pour it out.
When you re-use wax and melt it in a kettle how do u get it out of the kettle then?
Does the kettle have a lid? Like, closed off with no access but a little spout hole? If so, you might have to surrender. If you can access the inside of the pot, I would put it in the freezer over night and in the morning just scrape off the hard wax with a knife. That should do it.
I’m more curious on what ideas can you use the left over glass jars for…..I have sooooo many of them and I need lots of ideas please 🙂
Love the idea on how to remove the wax but I have soooooo many jars and not enough ideas on what to do with all of them (in shame, I am counting over 50+) please help with on what can we do with the empty jars….
There is a whole blog devoted to this very thing! http://masonjarcraftslove.com/
Fill them with wax?
?
Thanks Ms Peaches. This worked great. I have candles that burn unevenly, it’s there away to make them more evenly
Thanks Ms Peaches. This worked great. I have candles that burn unevenly, it’s there away to make them more evenly
When you use the boiling water technique will the candles still keep their scents?
The smell stays with the wax. They won’t be candles after the wax is melted, but yes, the wax will still smell good.
What if the glass votive is very delicate and the melted wax slipped down in the stand of the votive? I fear that the glass will break if I try to chop up the wax. Can I put the hot water in first then use a knife to try to slice up the trapped hardened wax?
You can skip the knife part. It just speeds the process.
This worked. It was very labor intense…but successful! Thank you!
the glue used for the labels can easily be removed with white spirit.
I just let hot tap water run into the candle until the wax was malleable and then just pulled it out. Very easy – thanks for the the idea.
You must have very hot tap water!
But how do you get the little metal bit out cos its glued so firmly to the bottom of the jar
The boiling water should loosen it up enough to pry it out with a butter knife. If that doesn’t work, after you remove all the wax (via boiling water), pop it in the freezer overnight then try again. Some adhesives will resist heat, some resist cold, none of them resist both. Maybe rocket glue or something but I don’t think they are using that for candles.
Just removed wick which was firmly glued to the bottom with concentrated lemon juice and boiling water. Loosened straight away!
Great post – -very helpful! Thank you 🙂
This method sucks, it just made a big mess. If you have even more than a cm of wax on the bottom of your candle it will not work because the hot water will not be able to penetrate the wax deep enough for it to float out. I don’t burn my candles all the way to the bottom because I don’t want to start my house of fire so off to look for something better.
Did you read the part “Still some stuck to the bottom? Use your knife to easily slice and remove the softened wax.” (only the top layer of wax will liquify and float.)
Unfort, hot water will not be able to soften a large amount of wax on contact (more than half an inch deep, perhaps?). If you have more wax than that, you might want to try the freezing method instead. Sorry.
Yep worked perfectly – thank you.
Sorry if my question was already addressed, but I have 2 very large decorative glass containers that fit the big huge candles. I am concerned that the boiled water will break the glass. Can all glass withstand the boiling water? These were expensive and I am not sure I want to risk it.
If the glass is very thin I would not risk it – warm water and elbow grease is all I can suggest. If the glass is of a decent thickness, like a wine glass at a restaurant, you can bring the glass up to temp gradually by starting with warm tap water and let set for 5 min…then replace with hot tap water for 5 min…then barely simmering water, and so on. Glass begins as a liquid and is surprisingly accommodating as long as the temp change isn’t too fast. You might also find that the wax is softened by just plain hot tap water and you can scrape it off with a knife.
Good luck!
I heated my water in an electric tea kettle set to 120 degrees. Poured the water into my two candles, poked the bottom of the jar with a plastic knife, and wandered of for a few minutes. Came back to two nice circles of scented wax sitting on top that I just picked up and laid on a paper towel. Poured out the water. Wiped the sides. Perfect. Still got to get the wick holder out. I’ll check the freezer tomorrow.
Pour the boiling water down a stainless steel spoon handle. This will absorb the heat & protect the glass from cracking. Remove the implement as soon as glass container is full and wipe it quickly with paper towel to remove wax that has adhered to it.
Put a spoon in the glass before pouring very hot water (not boiling). You can remove the spoon immediately after pouring; it doesn’t need to stay in.
Did it! Thanks so much for the tips. Oh, I used rubbing alcohol to remove the last of the residue, and then washed in hot soapy water. They look like brand new.
This is by far the most effective method! Sometimes you need to repeat the process a several times (depends of the amout of leftover wax) but at the end you’ll have perfectly clean & clear glass jars 😉
Thanks for this super easy and simple tutorial! 🙂
I tried the freezer method in the past but it never worked for me, while this worked like a charm!
Thank you so much!! Wish i knew this a few candle jars ago! However would you have any tips on removing wax from nonglass containers??
Depend on the material, but generally this would work on anything that can hold (or be submerged in) hot water. If that doesn’t work, I suggest popping it in the freezer. Good luck!
I am so pleased this worked so well!
Here is a handy tip for those wishing to make sure that no wax goes down the drain when emptying the water from the jars. Line a colander or sieve with paper towel (or coffee filter would work too) and stick in the sink. Dump the water into the paper towel lined colander. The water will drain out but not the leftover wax bits! Then throw out the paper towel when done and presto – no mess and no wax down the drain!
I heart BB&W candles and have a cabinet full of them, I just tried the boiling water method above and it was wonderful except I cannot get the residue from the glue off of the bottom and it is just super smeary and sticky now, any suggestions? I have tried boiling water, freezer, warm water, all sorts of cleaners. Thank you!
It’s funny you should mention this — I never had a problem with glue residue on B&B candles until I had this problem on one couple weeks ago. Just one. I wonder if they switched their adhesive formula (hope not!). So….I used a butter knife to scrape off everything I could while it was still warmed by the water, then after it was dry I scrubbed off the little scuzzy glue residue patch with a MR. Clean magic eraser — worked just great. That was really just cloudy residue though. If you find you are dealing with clumpier, stickier glue, I would try one of those oil based citrus cleaners they sell for wood. That stuff will eat away roofing tar (I’v seen it!) — it can handle candle glue I’m sure, given time to soak.
Good luck, Mellie! Hope it works 🙂
I just did the same thing. GooGone worked amazingly! I recommend it for a TON of stuff! It takes oil stains out of the laundry, carpet & a million other things!
I used this method and it came out easily. 1 more Question if you don’t mind answering, do you think I can keep this container on the refrigerator without causing disasters like; it chattering or exploding?
I don’t see why not. I think if your fridge rattles a lot you might want to avoid putting things up there in general, but for a regular fridge, sure, go for it!
Great! I am going to try this tonight. One question: where do you pour the water out after you’ve taken the wax from the surface? I’m paranoid about any wax remnants being left behind and clogging my drain. Or would pouring it down the sink and running very hot water while doing so do the trick?
Wax in your pipes is bad bad bad — be sure to keep it out of there. Hot water will only send it so far down the line, then it will just coat the interior walls and stuff will cling to it — no good.
However, for this process, the wax will be chunky enough to pick up with fingers, so pouring the water down the sink isn’t a problem. No more difficult than keeping a bit of carrot or something from draining away. If you are extra worried, perhaps just lay a paper towel over a pasta strainer and pour the water through that — the towel will catch anything left. Good luck!
I used a large measuring bowl for the boiling water, Got the wax off containers I put in but left film on bowl at top. Tried more boiling water and Dawn, but still did not get all off. Maybe I will try the net scrubbie thing.
Thank you! The paper towel/strainer idea is perfect.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I have a collection of jars that the freezing part did not work. I would like to reuse some of them. But mostly would like to recycle them. I didn’t want to throw them out like that with all the wax stuck at the bottom. I will try this method. I hope it works. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
If you can get the wax out and live within easy reach of a Goodwill/thrift store establishment, you might consider dropping them off as a donation. I have seen these exact jars selling for $3 a piece. Crazy! Could raise some $ for a worthy cause and minimize the carbon footprint of making good before it gets recycled. Just a thought…
Brilliant,I just tried this method on the worst candle messed up situation,a massive thank you.
Works great! However cheap jars I tried this on not so much. I heard and then watch one completely crack and empty water everywhere. Then proceeded to score wax on another and put the knife right through the glass into my hand. I’m lucky it isn’t worse but my hand is now all wrapped up. 🙁 however my bath and body one looks great! 🙂 haha
This worked wonderfully! I sort of botched it my first time, but got it perfectly done the second. Also, from searching around I found a site that is using a photo of yours (from this post) and they aren’t sourcing you. 🙁 Just thought I’d let you know.
https://wickeddelites.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/cleaning-candle-holders/
Does anyone have an idea of how to remove wax from a glass bottle with a small mouth? You can’t reach in with a knife. It’s about 9″ tall and the mouth is 1″. My son thought it would make a great candle jar, but of course it doesn’t stay lit – not enough air gets in. It’s a great looking jar, but just don’t think I can save it.
Try putting it in a cold oven then turn it on to 200f and let it bake 20 minutes or until the wax liquifies and you can pour it out onto a piece of foil. Timing will depend how big of a candle it is, but that should do it. Might need to go back after with the hot water trick to remove residue, but that’ll get the bulk out. Warning — be sure that the glass doesn’t transition temperature too quick or it’ll break. Good luck!
So glad I saw this and tried it!!! It totally works!!! I tried the whole freezing thing…. pinterest fail! trilled I came across this!
I just did 4 jars in very little time. I’d like to add to the tips that you can use the old rag to strain the water down the sink to prevent the wax from going down into the piples. Also, I used old plastic knives from my drawer of plastic cutlery received at restaurants! I used restaurant cutlery even to remove stuck residue on plates or use it for my peanut butter spreads. Also nothing beats plastic spoons for eating ice cream!
For removing lables andwax residue, try vegetable oil and backing soda mix.works really well.
Elly
The hot water in the jars work wonderfully. I emptied the water from the jars into a waste can and allowed it to cool. The residual wax harden at the surface and I was able to remove it and throw the clear water away. Thanks for this idea.
Thank you for this amazing tutorial!!! I have like 100 of candle holders at my wedding, and was looking how to clean them after the big day 🙂 !
Great ideas! Thanks very much. It worked a treat! 🙂
This is the best instructional with gorgeous pics to boot. I have shared and will keep on sharing with my clients 🙂
Thanks peaches for the tips. I was like some of the readers who bought glass candles for the glass and not for the wax. As mine have little glass lids the freezing option did not work at all because the opening at the top is smaller than the base so the wax wouldnt come out and it was too hard to cut. What i did and found it fairly quick to do was fill my kitchen sink with a kettle full of boiling water and also some hot water from the tap. So it was no longer boiling but too hot to put your hand in, i then put 7 candles in and waited a few minutes. After that time i scraped off the 2 sticky labels with my finger nail on each candles and back into the water. Then one at a time i took off the lids and with a flathead screwdriver i cut into the wax to cut quarters amd then easily lifted each quarter out. The wax was soft, not melted. I then wiped the inside with a wet tissue and poured some hot tap water back in each one and let it sit a few more minutes to melt any residue. I then cleaned the insides out with some dish soap amd the rough backing on a sponge. For the sticky residue left i just used a rag and some pure eucalyptus oil. Comes off immediately. I got my candle jars for 50 cents each from kmart. I wanted glass spice jars and have bought 16. I also found plenty of spice labels from ebay for a couple of dollars. Super vheap way to do spice jars and really nice looking too. A brand new set would have cost about $40 for 12 jars if all glass. If you dont have lids you can just rest them upright in the hot sink and the wax will come away from the whole jar. Just dont cover with water in ur sink as you dont want wax all through your sink
Thank you so much, my glass candle holder has come up beautifully clean.
Many thanks again.
Thank ya for the help.
This worked wonders…..I buy my candles from the Dollar Tree and had never been able to get all the wax out after they had burned so this worked perfectly. I am planning a girl’s dinner and will use the clean candle glass containers as seating name tags. I will use the candle glass container as a vase with fresh flowers and I will attach a heart shaped tag with their name on it with ribbon. This way the ladies can take them home after the dinner as a party favor and a memory of the wonderful evening with good friends!
I came across your blog because I’ve been cleaning and throwing stuff out. But I have such nice candle holders and I couldn’t figure out how to get the wax out of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I also love your idea about the mesh bags as scrubbies. I think I will be checking in on this blog regularly. Delightful ideas.
Worked so well, had some candles that burned unevenly and this worked beautifully on some gorgeous glass candles. The jars were hand painted and etched so this worked were freezing wouldn’t have. Thanks so much.
Hi, do you by any chance know of any way how to remove the wax from the METAL candle holders (a heavy metal holder) without scratching or damaging it?
Submerge the metal in a pot of boiling water. Let it cool…the wax will float to the surface.
ok Thank u so much this was so helpful.
Just another tip… The first time I did this the glass cracked! BUT, if you run the hot tap from cold into it and let it gradually warm the glass for a minute before pouring in the boiling water it helps prevent that from happening. No more cracks since! Great tip, I had a good inch of wax left at the bottom and didn’t think this would work, but guess what, it did!!
This tip is the best for removing crayon lipstick out of glass bowls!!!!! ^_^ 🙂
it works like a charm! Many many thanks. What a great idea, especially the details regarding the rag and not working on the sink or kitchen table top.
mag
HI,
Great tip, thanks. When you get to the “Still some stuck at the bottom” stage. To get rid of the last few remaining bits…put the glass in the microwave. It will depend on the power of the microwave and the size of the glass but, for me it usually takes between 30-60 seconds.
Try this in batches of 10-15 seconds at a time, until the was is molten. IT WILL BE HOT! Use oven gloves or a towel to handle the glass and wipe it out with kitchen paper/towel. It will still be a bit greasy but there will be no wax lumps or pieces. Then wash the now cleaned glass in hot soapy water and hey presto, nice clean, shiny, empty glass.
Hope this helps.
Good tip, but I would caution against putting non-microwave safe glass in the microwave.
this technique absolutely rocks! even worked with just the hot tap water that i was using to warm up the hurricane lamp i was preparing to pour boiling water into. super easy, little effort, low mess: you’re a genius!
I’m so glad to hear it!
This is a fantastic tip. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us! We had some test candles we poured and after trial and error wanted to remove the remaining wax but was having a hard time. This worked wonderfully! We even removed wax from an egg shaped dish with a lip. A little prying at the wax got it out nice and clean. Thanks again and what a great site you have! Holly
Hello all. This method works great! I love being able to save these cute jars. But I am a noob and of course left this cloudy residue of glue and wax all over the jars. Can someone share any tips on how to get rid of this so I can have them picture perfect? Thanks!
If it’s just residue, regular dish soap and a sponge will get it out. If it’s extra sticky, I would add a splash of vinegar to the sponge before the soap — that mix will get out anything. Good luck!
I love Magic Erasers! They work great for removing a little sticky residue and great for completely removing any black soot from edges of jar candles.
wow… that was awesome. I love the bath and body candles and I’ve wanted to save the glass containers but didn’t want make a big mess.
thank you.
Thanks so much, Peaches. Any suggestions for beeswax candles? That’s what I use and the boiling water helped make the wax a bit squishy, and I was able to remove most. But I’m also at 7000 feet in elevation, so my boil temp is a bit lower than most places (which may not make all that much a difference, now that I think of it). Anyway, works ok, but anything else you might suggest for beeswax? Mucho thanks.
Thanks, I like you Aunt Peaches. It all makes sense.
Thanks for the great tips, and for the wonderful feeling of being right about saving those old votives!
THE most informative thing I have found so far! I want to empty out my almost gone bath and body works candle jar & use it as a q tip holder so my makeup area looks more organized and I’m so happy I found this!!
What to do about the burnt scorch marks on the glass?
Soap and water – it’s just ash. Worst case get some baking soda and scrub.
Magic Erasers also work great for this!
Hey how do i get the wick thing out? Would it pop out with the wax?
Any advice with the stickers, especially the bottom ones? They are stuck on there really well!
This is really easy and effective! Thanks for your tips, plus watching the wax bubbling towards the surface is fun 🙂
Bought some cute “drinking glasses” from the thrift shop and now the candle wax is all gone. Thanks!
Thanks so much for candle cleaning advice and a good laugh. Bath and Bath Candles are my crack cocaine as well, the Salt Caramel smells good enough to eat. And I couldn’t bare to throw out the almost finished ones.
I cleaned them and now have a perfect jar for the face scrub I making for gifts. 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this! I had no idea it was this easy to remove wax from jars. It’s amazing!!!
great candle tutorial…thanks!
Thank you so much! You have saved me so much time and aggravation!
I love love your blog!!!! It’s one of the best ones I have read. You give alot of useful information because I to am a candle freak and hate to throw away candle holders .
Excellent tip to remove the wax, I have a few jars waiting to be cleaned. My problem is some of the candles “Yankee Doodle” come in the larger jars, which I like to use to store dry food in (pasta, rice etc) but I can’t because of the residual smell from the candle. Do you have any great tips on how to remove the candle scent?
Hmmm. If I recall from chemistry class, it’s chemically impossible for glass to absorb anything (that’s why water/condensation moves right through it). So I’m wondering – is it the jar that smells, or the plastic insert in the lid? If it’s really the jar, you got me – Only thing I can suggest is wiping with rubbing alcohol — tell me if it works! Good luck!
I’m not sure why only one person seems to have noticed this, but i’ve just cleaned out three candle glasses by putting them into the microwave for 1 minute and then just pouring the wax out … holding the glass with gloves, of course … and it got all the wax out at once .. just a little clean up after.
The vast majority of commercial candles have an aluminum stub at the bottom of the wick – that would destroy the microwave.
Peaches!
Thank you so much for this!! I have some awesome project ideas for my blog that I wanted my old candles for. This was exactly what I needed. Thank you!
What a good idea! I had too much wax to remove with one treatment, so I repeated it a couple of times until all of the wax came out. Very easy and neat.
I haven’t used quite this method in the past . I’ve used very hot water tho. I have also used paper towels when cleaning candles. So I am going to use your method to see if that works better. The thinkg I want to add is when the small bits of wax float to the top, take a dry paper towel lay over the top of glass container and dump the water through the paper towel. It acts as a filter and catches all the tiny piecies so they don’t go down your drain. I kinda liked the one post about turning them upside down in the oven using parchemnt paper. Thank you for sharing.
What do you do with the water after you get the candle wax out? Will it affect my drain if you put it in the sink?
Thank you
You remove the big wax chunks out of the water first. As mentioned in the directions, pouring through a paper towel or paper of some sort will sift the wax chunks for you. Good luck!
It’s so hot right now that the wax was already melted at room temperature and easy to carve out with the knife just like soft butter! I did use the hot water in a jar with a rim where the wax was very sticky and it floated all the remains up like a charm.
Would you say this also works for keeping the candle intact? I have many vases with pillar candles but were only used for a short amount of time, which left residue on the sides. I want to clean the vase but reuse the candle?
Thank you so much!! Your tip helped me clean out some beautiful glass candle holders that we wanted to use at my daughter’s wedding. Your advice worked like a charm!
Jill 🙂
Works amazing!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Thanks for the awesome tip! Just did this to clean out a glass mosaic candle holder to use for holding q-tips. 🙂
Thank you so much Mrs. peaches
It really worked 🙂
Will adding boiling water finish its fragrance?
If the container is glass, no. Glass won’t take on fragrance. But if it’s plastic or some sort of pottery, it’s *possible* the smell may linger. Hard to say. Good luck!
I discovered a way to get labels off jars easily and it works on awful store tags as well. The store told me to go buy goo-gone and I could not find any . ..I was sitting in my car and happened to think of the eyeglass cleaner spray that was in my car. I tried it and it worked perfectly on the label. At home I tried it on candle labels and they were also easy to remove !
Umm…just tried this…worked beautifully; off to buy more candles I go…
Thank you so much for your tips – I am going to try it tonight!
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