We burn a lot of candles in our house. They’re always white (to match any room), always unscented (smelly candles, though wonderful in theory, tend to make my nose go crazy) and always burned at nighttime (because it’s pretty, pals). But inevitably with each candle, long before all the wax melts away, the flame goes out and we’re left with this:
So now what? The wick has almost completely disappeared, and we’re left with a hunk of wax with no light power. At some point during the summer, I decided I could no longer bear to waste (a.k.a. throw away) all that extra wax, so we started stashing the leftovers in our hall closet. Now, four months later, that closet is rapidly losing space, so it’s high time I do something with the wax or cut my losses.
To use all the leftovers, I’m planning to make the candles new again. To do this, I need to re-melt the wax, remove the old wicks and insert new ones. Sounds easy right? I thought so, too. Then I started reading up on the process online, and I’m starting to think I’ve gotten myself into a pretty messy endeavor. A lot of the instructions call for using a double boiler; some say I can fake the double-boiler action with a coffee can and a normal saucepan. All warn against ruining my pots and pans by careless melting. Ooph.
After a few hours of reading about candle-making (yes, it’s as exciting as it sounds), I’ve narrowed my instructional search to two options that seem fairly doable: here and here.
If all goes according to plan, I should be left with a half dozen new candles for our burning pleasure. So here’s hoping the next candle update comes with a success story and photos. (And here’s hoping my saucepan makes it out alive.)
Have you ever melted your old candles into new ones? If so, how did you go about it? Or do you have any other green uses for all that old wax? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks!
XO,
Katrina
Sounds like fun. Let us know how it turns out.
Will do! 🙂
I make candles frequently out of leftover wax (or gulf wax from the canning section). I don’t use a double broiler. Instead, I bought a cheap non-stick saucepan (under $5). I put it on low/medium heat and melt the wax slowly. I use regular twine for the wicks, and dip them in the wax and lay them on wax paper to harden. I sometimes use the leftover wick anchors from jar candles and attach the new wicks after they’ve hardened.
If I want the candles a color other than white, I melt a crayon along with the wax. For scented candles, I use potpourri oils. You can buy candle molds, or use things you already have. For pillar candles, I pour the wax into an orange juice container (with the cumbersome top portion cut off) or an oval shaped ice cream carton) and use 3 or 4 wicks for even burning. Reusing jars from old candles is also easy, and glass votives are inexpensive.
After pouring the wax, I wait until the top of the candle begins to form a skin and then place the wicks. I usually make them very long so that I can wrap the top end of them around a pencil and rest it on the top if the mold so that it hangs while the candle hardens around it.
Once it is hardened, (I usually wait until the next day) you can peel the orange juice container off of the candle.
For floating candles, mini tart molds work great. To release the candles, wait until they have completely hardened and thsn place them in the freezer for a few minutes. They should pop right out!
One tip: if you get a non-stick pan, use it only for candles. Also, wipe it out with paper towels immediately after pouring the wax out. It will wipe completely clean!
Wow! This is great! Thanks, Stephanie! It sounds like you are quite the pro. I love the idea of using the orange juice container as a mold and then peeling it off. Genius! The cheap saucepan sounds like a good way to go, too. It can be my designated candle maker. 🙂 Thanks again for the great advice! I’m following your instructions for sure!