Cleaning Guide: How to Get Candle Wax Out of A Jar

Avid scented candle collectors are always looking forward to burning a favorite candle or shopping for new favorites. However, there comes a time when most of the wax is depleted but you still want to use the attractive jar. This is when you're faced with a common dilemma. How are you going to get the candle wax out of the nice-looking container?

Well, you have several options and all of them work. Let's go over each method.

A Candle Hack That Uses Boiling Water

You know how wax melts when it comes into contact with high heat? Well, you can use that same idea of melting the wax with heat, only this time you're going to be using hot water instead of fire. Before you begin, you should remove as much residual wax from the container as possible. So, get a butter knife or a spoon from the kitchen and scrape out as much of the wax as possible. Once that's done, bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it into the candle container. Make sure you leave some room at the top. For soy wax, you can simply use hot water that's not boiling.

Let the water sit in the candle container until it cools down. You should see pieces of wax floating at the top. Use a kitchen strainer to remove all wax pieces and discard them in the trash. By the way, you should never pour wax down the drain. Use a knife or spoon to scrape out any remaining bits and you're done.

Use Cold to Remove Candle Wax in a Jar

Among the most popular candle jar cleaning hacks is the freezer method. There's nothing complicated about this. You simply put the candle jar into the freezer and leave it there for several hours. The cold temperature causes the wax to shrink, making it easier to remove.

Melt Wax Using a Double Boiler

The old tried and true double boiler method is still one that works. With a butter knife or spoon, remove wax from the container. Place the container into a pot and pour boiling water around the candle container, making sure no water enters the container. The heat of the water softens the wax, and you can remove it easily once the water cools.

How to Melt Candle Wax With a Hair Dryer

Place the container on a thick towel or oven mitt and use a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the wax. It may take several minutes for the dry heat to melt the wax. Scrape out the remaining wax and wash the container.

Melt Wax With an Oven

Do you have three or four candle containers to clean? This method can make your task easier. Scrape out as much wax from all the containers as you can using a spoon or butter knife. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. In a rimmed baking pan lined with two layers or parchment paper or one layer of aluminum foil, arrange all of the jars, upside down in the pan. Place the pan in the preheated oven and let the wax melt for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan and place it on a heat-safe surface. Hold the jar with a hand covered with a potholder and use your other hand to wipe away warm waxy residue from the inside of each container. When containers are cool, wash them with soapy water.