How to Salvage Glass Candle Jars

I am a huge fan of candles, especially scented ones in glass jars. I just love the light fragrance they provide throughout the house as well as the subtle ambience of the flickering flame. Nevertheless, when my candle burns down to the metal plate holding the wick and the flame slowly dwindles away I slightly rejoice because in a matter of less than 20 minutes I will have this great glass jar that will be used for a plethora of things. If you would like to know how I remove the last bit of candle wax from these glass candle jars just continue reading.

The materials that you will need for this project are: an old sauce pan or pot that you no longer use for cooking, an oven mitt, old plastic bags (I usually double up on two old Walmart bags), paper towels, water and of course your glass candle jar.

The first thing you need to do is fill your pot/pan half way up with water and bring the water to a light boil on the stove using medium heat. While the water is boiling, I usually peel off the clear label on the jar that tells you the scent of the candle. For the label on the bottom that is used for scanning, I just leave it there for the time being. Once your water begins to boil place your glass candle jar in and let it sit there until the wax starts to melt. I typically let it sit there until the wax has completely liquefied. While this process is happening get you plastic bags open and your paper towels ready. When the wax has completely melted CAREFULLY, remove from pot/pan with oven mitt and dump contents of jar into plastic bags. Now once you have emptied the wax out of the jar, quickly grab your paper towels and wipe the inside of the jar clean removing any remaining wax. You want to do this while the wax is still hot and liquefied. Should the wax harden on you for some reason just place the jar back in the boiling water and let it melt once again then remove with paper towels. Now for that annoying label on the bottom, simply peel it off since the boiling water has loosened it up for you and you are done.  At this point I typically place the jar in the dishwasher for a good washing before I place any items in it especially edible ones.  Until next time, allow inspiration to find you!