Smart Tricks For Getting The Wax Out Of An Old Candle Jar

No matter how cleanly you burn a candle, you'll always have some wax left at the bottom of the jar. Thankfully, there are plenty of hacks to remove the wax so you can upcycle the jar into something else — whether that be a nifty holder to store other items or even make them into a planter for a cactus or succulent, as Clean My Space suggests.

While it may seem a little daunting to try and get a thick amount of hard wax out of something with a small opening like a Yankee Candle jar, it's a lot easier than you thought. Remelting the wax is always a good shout, and you can do this in a variety of ways. Pouring hot water in the container is obviously a go-to method (via Clever), but this method can leave the leftover wax a bit too mushy and can end up being harder to remove. Another way to use boiling water is by pouring it into another container and submerging the jar instead. The wax seems to melt much easier this way.

There are other ways to remove the candle wax without water, including putting the jar in the freezer. As Better Home & Gardens notes, the process of freezing shrinks the wax so it should just pop out. To do this, just flip the jar upside down, leave it in a freezer overnight, and the wax should be removed by the next day. If it's still a little lodged in there, just nudge it with a spoon or butter knife on a corner.

Another trick to getting wax out of an old candle jar is by using more direct heat. If the jar you're wanting to remove wax from has no decorations that you can't remove (like stickers or glitter), you can pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. All you have to do is place the jar upside down on a tray lined with aluminium foil, put it in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and the wax should just pool on the foil. Before cleaning the container for further use, Cleanipedia recommends letting it cool before cleaning it with washing-up liquid.