Are you a candle lover? If you are anything like us, you have a candle in every room of your home; candles have numerous reasons whether for decoration or to set the mood, these are a staple item for many. The problem with having too many candles (is there even such a thing?), is that you probably end up with unwanted amounts of candle wax. So, what to do with leftover candle wax, you probably ask yourself and we are happy to tell you!
We have already stated our love for candles, it is one of our favorite items at home, these provide the perfect lighting, perfect atmosphere scent, perfect decor accent, etc. It is truly a sad moment when your favorite candle needs to be replaced and the other only downside is the pile of candle wax left behind. As annoying as it might be, that melted candle residue needs to go somewhere, and though the trash is the first place that comes to mind, it isn’t the only one.
Candle wax actually has other uses that you might find helpful. So before you decide to throw away the candle leftover in the trash; consider possible reuses around your house. You may be surprised at what you can do with leftover candle wax. If interested, below you’ll find different ideas regarding what to do with leftover candle wax.
What to do with Leftover Candle Wax FAQs
Do you melt leftover candle wax to use it?
To use leftover candle wax, you need to melt it. You can remelt leftover candle wax and combine it with the same type of wax. If you don’t have the same kind of wax to use with your leftover wax, you can always add it to another type of wax, such as paraffin, soy, palm, beeswax, or other wax.
What are the types of candle wax?
Experts say candles come in paraffin wax, synthetic wax, soy wax, coconut wax, palm wax, beeswax, stearic acid, and gelled mineral oil varieties.
Can you create a brand new candle from leftover candle wax?
You bet you can! It’s easy, simply find a candle mold, like a glass or mug, and add your own wick, hanging it over the mold so it reaches the bottom.
Then, gather together your old pieces of scented candle wax, melt them together and pour them into the mold, letting it cool for about six hours.
Can candle wax be used to seal up shoelaces frays?
When the ends of your shoelaces start to fray, you may be tempted to get some new ones to make your shoes look new again. But there is another solution; dripping hot wax onto the ends of the shoelaces and rolling them between your fingers will help will fix them.
Can candle wax fix a stuck zipper?
If you have a zipper that doesn’t have a smooth pull, you can use a tiny bit of melted wax to make it zip. Use a cotton swab dipped in melted wax and run it along the zipper line.
How to safely get wax out of a candle jar?
Tools:
- Freezer
- Butter knife or spoon
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Directions:
- Freeze the jar. Set your candle in the freezer and leave it alone for at least 3-5 hours (preferably overnight for best results). The colder the temperature is, the better.
- Freezing the wax doesn’t just harden it, it causes the wax to shrink and loosen. When you’re done, you should be left with a large, frozen lump of wax at the bottom of the jar.
- Extract the wax. Using a spoon or butter knife, slowly and gently poke at the edges of the wax to loosen the frozen lump from its container.
- If the wax remains stuck to the glass and refuses to loosen up, place the candle back in the freezer for another hour or two.
- Once you’ve loosened up the edges enough, the lump of wax should be ready to come out. If you have a pretty sizable chunk leftover, turn the jar upside down and let gravity do its work.
- You might need to give it a little shake, and if you’re lucky, the frozen wax will pop right out.
- If it doesn’t come out right away, poke at the middle of the wax with your spoon or knife and try to pull or dig it out.
- For any small pieces of wax that remain on the glass, use a spoon to gently scrape some of it off. If what’s left is thinner than a fingernail, you’ll be able to scrub it off in the next step.
How to clean candle jars?
Tools
- Cooking oil
- Paper towel
- Dish soap
- Sponge
Bounty Quick-Size Paper Towels
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Features:
- White
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Mrs. Meyer’s Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day liquid dish soaps are specifically made to make grease disappear, while also providing a special, singular scent for your entire home. Lemon Verbena dishwashing liquid has a light, refreshingly mild citrus scent.
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Features:
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- Lemon Verbena Scent
MR.SIGA Non-Scratch Cellulose Scrub Sponge
This royal blue scrubbing layer and light blue scratch-free cellulose sponge layer. Premium scrubbing side cleans without a scratch, safe to be used on non-stick cookware, the non-abrasive light blue cellulose sponge wipes away dirt and particles and can be used with dishwashing liquid if preferred.
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Features:
- Non-Scratch
- Multipurpose
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- Wipe the glass. Remove waxy residue by dipping part of your paper towel into some household cooking oil and wiping the inside of the candle jar.
- The oil will help dissolve the remaining wax, which can then be wiped up by a paper towel.
- Spend a few minutes wiping thoroughly until the inside of the glass looks smooth, then use a clean paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
- For this step, any type of oil will work, canola oil, olive oil, melted coconut oil, and even baby oil.
- Clean and rinse. Apply a bit of dish soap to a sponge and gently scrub the glass to get rid of any remaining oil. Rinse thoroughly and put it on your counter to dry.
- And that’s it! Your beautiful, pristine candle jar has been cleaned and is ready to be reused, repurposed, or upcycled.
What to do with Leftover Candle Wax Ideas
#1 Make a tealight
If you don’t have enough leftover candle wax to make another candle, you might have enough for a small DIY tealight.
Tealights are basically miniature candles in a shallow metal or plastic cup. All you need to make one is some leftover wax, an empty tealight cup, and a small tealight wick. The cups and wicks are very inexpensive and can be purchased from your local craft store.
To make a tealight from leftover candle wax, just remove the wax from its jar and then melt it into the new tealight container.
#2 Homemade Wax Melts
Wax melts are scented pieces of wax that can be melted in a candle warmer or tart warmer to release the fragrance. If you loved the fragrance of your candle, you can make the smell last even longer by turning the leftover wax into wax melts.
It’s also the easiest way to reuse old candle wax if you own a warmer. All you have to do is gently heat the leftover wax until it melts.
Once the melted wax collects at the bottom of the jar, allow it to cool down to room temperature, then place it in the freezer for a few hours. This causes the wax to shrink, which makes it easy to pop out of the jar as a single, large chunk.
#3 Lubricate a sticky drawer or door hinge
Want to finally fix that drawer that’s been annoying you for months? Try rubbing your leftover candle wax wherever the wood slides. You’ll be surprised how easily the drawers move around afterward.
#4 Get a fire going
This is a great idea for camping enthusiasts or if you have a fire pit in your backyard. Leftover candle wax can be repurposed into scented fire starters, which can be placed underwood and kindling to safely get a fire started.
There are many ways to make wax fire starters, depending on how much wax you have left and the materials you have at home. The most popular method is to pour the melted leftover wax into paper baking cups, along with a cotton wick and your choice of shredded paper, cotton balls, twigs, wood shavings, or even pine cones.
You can also add spices or extra essential oils if you’d like. Cinnamon sticks and rosemary are both excellent choices for this since they also have the added benefit of repelling mosquitoes.
#5 Seal a Letter
For all you romanticists out there, leftover candle wax can also be repurposed into beautiful wax seals to make your letters even more special.
Just melt the remaining wax in your candle, let it cool a little, then pour a small dollop onto your envelope. Before it hardens, press on it with a wax seal stamp for an elegant, personal touch.
If you don’t have a stamp handy, you can also use a wine cork or the back of a spoon to press the wax into your desired shape.
#6 Wax car fresheners?
Scented candles not only make your home smell good and fresh. You can also use leftover wax from scented candles as car fresheners.
Put the leftover wax on a paper plate or baggie and cut it into chunks. Use clean linen or unused socks as storage for the ax chunks. Tie it into a knot and place it under the car seat.
#7 Make Wax Figurines
You can use various figurine molds or carve your own. Choose a theme such as Easter or birds and see how many different figurines you can make. Don’t be afraid to use different colors for fun creations.
You can use Christmas casting silicone molds to create unique ornaments. You can use a candle drip protector for a pillar candle and hang your wax ornaments around it.
