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The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle

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The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

My name is Malia and I’m addicted to candles. There, I said it! I fuel my habit at Bath and Body Works. Their 3-wick candles come in an array of amazing scents and gorgeous colors. They tend to be a little on the expensive side but if you stalk the store (I mean if you frequently visit the shop) and have a little patience, you can find great deals like “buy one, get one free” or 50% off. Since they are usually priced at $22.50, that’s a steal!

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Part of the appeal of the candles to me are the packaging. I love the glass jars and the lids which change seasonally. Here are my before candles. They were literally down to the an inch or so of wax.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Isn’t this lid the cutest? It would be a shame to toss it. So I set out to save these awesome glass jars and lids. And a few failed experiments later, I’ve discovered the the EASIEST way to get rid of the old wax so you can put these jars to use in a fresh way.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

 Supplies: Glass Jar Candles, boiling hot water, a butter knife (maybe one you don’t care about!) and Goo Gone. You’ll also want to have kitchen tongs on hand.The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

You’ll know when it’s time to recycle your jar when you go to light your candle and it turns into about an inch of liquid.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

1. Make cuts/jabs into the hard wax with the knife. Do NOT try to cut the wax into quarters. This is too hard on the glass and it will break (learned that one the hard way).

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

2. After you make the cuts, the wax will start breaking into chunks. Keep going until all the wax is broken up. Discard it.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Now you’ll still have the wicks to deal with, as well as wax inside the glass and labels on the side of the jar and the bottom.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Here’s what all the jars looked like after I removed the wax chunks.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

3. Boil some water (I filled a measuring cup with water and popped it in the microwave  until it was boiling) and pour 2-3 inches into the glass containers.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

4. The hot water will loosen some of the metal wicks. Use salad tongs to grab the ones that need a little extra help. See all that extra wax floating to the top? Pretty darn cool. Pour it in the garbage when the water cools off.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

5. Next, peel off the label that’s on the side of the jar.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

We’re getting there!

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

6. Flip the jars over on a rag or old towel and squirt some Goo Gone on the bottom label.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

7. Give it a few minutes to saturate the paper, then peel the labels off.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

8. Any remaining residue will come off with hot tap water.

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Here are the jars– no wax or labels and ready to be used for some new purpose!

The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle: Reuse those pretty glass jars with an awesome hack to get rid of that old candle wax! A fun recycling/upcycling idea.

Crafts// Household Tips// Housekeeping// Mason Jar Crafts// Organizing26 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jordan says

    February 2, 2016 at 11:57 am

    Great tips! I would keep the chunks of wax though, it’s super easy to save and then remelt them into brand new candles. https://zoundsdesigns.com/2012/03/21/recycle-old-candles/

    Reply
  2. Mary says

    February 28, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    I realize I’m arriving a bit late for the old candle wax party, but I felt the need to point out something important that was probably an oversight. It only takes 2 minutes to boil 8 oz of water in a measuring cup, so I surely hope you were talking about a quart size measuring cup when you said to microwave for 6 minutes.
    I’m merely trying to clarify to keep folks safe out there in crafty world! Thanks so much for your blog.
    Mary

    Reply
    • Malia says

      February 29, 2016 at 9:39 am

      Thanks so much for your comment, Mary. You are correct, I used a quart size measuring cup. I changed the wording to make it clearer. Thank you for taking the time to help me! BTW Malia means Mary in Hawaiian, so we are name twins. (-:

      Reply
  3. Vicki says

    March 20, 2016 at 6:22 am

    I’ve had great luck with putting the jars in the freezer overnight. The remaining wax and wick pop right out.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      July 15, 2018 at 11:59 am

      That is how I do it too.

      Reply
      • DANIKA says

        September 27, 2020 at 10:03 am

        Wow… I never thought about that I would have thought that putting them in the freezer would make them breakable I just used the water and once they were finish I got the wax out and I use just soap and water to get the rest of the labels off thank you

        Reply
  4. Sharon says

    May 12, 2016 at 1:45 am

    I have an easier way to get the wax out in one lump if the candle doesn’t burn completely and then I use it in a wax warmer. I run dishwashing liquid around the inside top of the jar. Fill it with boiling water and allow the wax to bubble to the surface and cool. Then I was the jar in hot soapy water.

    Reply
  5. Sharon says

    May 12, 2016 at 1:46 am

    I do this with my wax warmer dishes. Pops out easily in minutes.

    Reply
    • Malia says

      May 15, 2016 at 7:01 am

      Thanks for the tip, Sharon. I think I need a wax warmer!

      Reply
  6. Julie says

    May 13, 2016 at 12:08 am

    I use the remaining wax in the bottom of the waste bin to make it smell nice. I also have an old vacuum cleaner with a bag and I put wax in there too,.

    Reply
    • Malia says

      May 15, 2016 at 7:01 am

      So clever, Julie! I’d love to try that!

      Reply
  7. Janet Glenn says

    May 13, 2016 at 3:09 am

    I put my candle jars in the freezer for a little while and all the wax, wick and wick holders pop right out.

    Reply
    • Malia says

      May 15, 2016 at 7:01 am

      Great idea Janet! I am looking forward to trying that!

      Reply
  8. Kylie says

    August 20, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    An easier way to get the wax out is to throw the whole thing in the freezer! Then with a butter knife, press down on the edging. One you hit a few of the right points it the wax should just pop right out! For the left over little pieces I usually just let it soak in soapy water, let it air dry then wipe out the excess with a paper towel. It’s a lot less physically demanding and doesn’t require as many tools or products!

    Reply
  9. Ken says

    December 14, 2016 at 7:44 am

    I like to put mine in the oven to melt all the waxes and then pour off to make a new layered candle. Thanks for all the tips!

    Reply
  10. N M Brady says

    April 12, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    Just throw them in The freezer overnight if you can. As long as the jar is the same size on the top as it is the rest of the candle it will slide right out. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer and it pops right out.

    Reply
  11. Nicole says

    October 9, 2017 at 8:12 pm

    How were you able to remove the candle scent from the lids? I ran the lids through the dishwasher but they still smell very strongly.

    Reply
  12. Elaine says

    October 28, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    The wax can be reused as well. I use the wax for fire starters. I keep paper egg cartons in the laundry room and fill each empty egg compartment with dryer lint. When the egg carton is filled with dryer lint, I put the candle jars in a pan of water and bring the heat up high enough to melt the wax. I then pour a little melted wax over the lint in each compartment of the egg carton and let it cool. I then cut the egg compartments up into six pieces of two compartments each. I then push two egg compartment fire starters into an empty toilet paper roll and push down the ends of the toilet paper roll. It makes a nice little package. Then we use that under the wood to help start fires. Works like a charm and recycles stuff that would otherwise be deemed as useless!

    Reply
  13. Robbie says

    February 3, 2018 at 3:32 am

    You use a product called goo gone we are in South Africa what alternative can you use to get glass jar shiney clean
    Many Thanks

    Reply
  14. Kathy says

    January 26, 2020 at 7:52 pm

    Freezer way is the easiest. I turn my candle jars/holders upside down in the freezer. Within a few hours I take them out & the wax falls out when I lift the jar.

    Reply
  15. Amy says

    January 29, 2020 at 11:16 am

    Just put the jar in the freezer the wax pops right out. Then you can do the boiling water after the jar is room temp.

    Reply
  16. Marissa says

    February 9, 2021 at 8:41 am

    Thanks for the great idea. I actually use a butter knife around the cooled off wax and the wax popped right out. Also when putting hot water in the jar, I was able to peel off the label. After most of the wax has come up to the top of the glass, I used a Plastic knife with paper towel and got remaining wax out. Dumped out the water and soaked the it hot water, dawn soap and alcohol for about 15-20 min and turned out perfect.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. From Candle Jar to Candy Jar | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    January 12, 2016 at 3:01 am

    […] trial and error, I discovered The Easiest Way to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle. Now I’m almost looking forward to when my candles burn out so I can do more! Yes I am a […]

    Reply
  2. Project Inspire{d} #153 | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    January 14, 2016 at 12:01 am

    […] The Best Way to Remove Wax from Glass Jar Candles […]

    Reply
  3. 7 Tips for Shopping at Bath and Body Works | Yesterday On Tuesday says:
    February 16, 2016 at 3:01 am

    […] So don’t! It’s easy to upcycle them and reuse them for a myriad of things. Here’s an easy tutorial on How to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle. […]

    Reply
  4. Candle Jars Turned Succulent Planters – Everyday Flairy Tales says:
    January 13, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    […] If you still have wax in the jar, its super easy to remove! Just pop your candle in the freezer for a couple of hours (I left mine for about 4). After taking the candle out of the freezer, take a butter knife and chip away at the wax. It works best starting at the edges. Sometimes you can pop the whole piece out. Otherwise, try to break it into a few large pieces. It should come out fairly easily, so if it isn’t coming out, put it back in the freezer a bit longer. I’m new at this blogging thing, so I forgot to take pictures of this process. I promise to get better! There’s also a spiffy boiled water method on Pinterest. I haven’t tried it, but here is a tutorial. […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Malia. I love finding ways to make every day special through DIY projects, decor ideas, and recipes. I’m also a journalist with a passion for positive stories.

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