It’s a common scene that we throw away the candles after the wick is gone completely, and the leftover candle on the bottom can no longer be burnt. But if you only knew how easy melting candles is, you would not throw them away.
In this guide, we will see some ideas on how to melt candle wax to reuse. They don’t require any expensive gadgets and can be done with basic household items.
How to Melt Candle Wax to Reuse – The Process
Here are 5 easy ideas you can try to melt your candle’s leftover wax. All of them can be simply done with your household items.
1. Melting with Warm Water
If you have a large candle glass, this method could be a great way to remove the candle bits from the jar. Simply pour in boiling hot water in the jar and fill to the top, leaving a centimeter or two.
Candle wax and water cannot mix. Slowly the candle will melt and start floating on top of the water. At this stage, the wax will be thin and in a semi-liquid form. After the water is cooled enough, the wax bits will turn into a regular solid form.
Pour the water down on your sink through a strainer and collect the wax bits. Make sure not to let any candle particle go down through the sink, this will clog the waterline.
If you have candles in a smaller jar, you can still follow this method. For that, you should get a large bowl or container and put the candle glasses inside, and fill the container with hot water. The wax bits will slowly come to the top as a liquid.
Afterward, follow the steps mentioned previously as the process is the same. Also, if you don’t like to use a bowl or jar for this process, you can use your sink as an alternative. Just make sure to block the sink water draining pipe beforehand.
2. Melting Candle Wax in Microwave
Microwaving to melt candles is the easiest of all these ideas. However, since wax is flammable and overheating can result in fire, you should check the oven throughout the melting time.
A thing to note – as candles are made out of a variety of materials, not all types of waxes will melt at the same time in case you’re mixing different varieties at a time.
Put all the leftover candle bits in a bowl that you don’t use anymore or in an aluminum foil if you like. Wrap the foil properly so that wax smoke cannot escape and create a foul smell inside your oven and turn the oven on for 15 – 20 minutes.
Remember to have a close look while the melting is in the process, as candles can catch fire easily. After the candles melt into a liquid, take them from the oven and pour them down in the candle jar. Let it cool down at room temperature to use again.
The foil you use can be reused again. But you should clean it after using it each time with soap water to remove any remaining wax particles.
3. Removing by Freezing
Freezing will harden and shrink the candle wax. This method works best for candle jars that might not be strong enough to hold hot water, as mentioned previously.
Keep your candle in the freezer overnight. In the morning, turn the jar upside down and give some shakes. The wax will come out from the jar in one piece. Then with that wax, you can melt in a way you like.
4. Melting with a Hair Dryer
Hair Dryers work almost in a similar fashion to microwaves. Start by applying warm air on the bottom of your candle jar first and then on the sides. After some time, the candle chink will start floating on the liquid bottom.
You can break the chunk out into smaller pieces and continue heating this up until it’s completely melted to a liquid form, or take the semi-solid chunks and use your preferred melting method.
This method is faster than microwaving and creates much less mess than any other method.
5. Melting by Simmering in Boiling Water
This process is somewhat identical to the previously mentioned process of melting wax with warm water. However, this is ideal if you have several candles you want to melt at a time and want the fastest and the messiest process.
Start by removing the candle pieces from your jars and put in a bowl. Take a water heating bowl and let the water come at a boiling point. Slowly drop the candle bits inside the water and simmer with a spoon until the candles are completely liquid.
Once all the pieces have melted and are floating on the top of the bowl, turn the heat and let the bowl cool down for some time. The candle bits will again solidify as the water cools down. You can strain the water out and get the candle chunk.
You can again cut the chunk in pieces and melt them down into shapes of your favorite candle shapes.
Final Words
You can use essential oils when you reuse your wax to create scented candles. The smell will not be the same as newer ones, but it’s a much better money-saving option than purchasing new ones, even when the old candles can be used again.