You’ve burned your way through yet another candle and you’re left with a waxy, well-loved jar. Rather than tossing the vessel, there are a variety of ways you can reuse it around your house. Some of our favorites? Use it as a desk accessory to store pens and other office supplies, add it to your bathroom vanity to house cotton pads or Q-Tips, or place a small bunch of flowers in it to serve as a vase. 

Before giving your jar another purpose, it’s important that you remove the wick and whatever wax is left behind. This is especially important if you plan to put things like beauty products or household supplies inside the vessel. 

Here’s exactly how to remove candle wax without too much hassle.

The Type of Wax Matters

At Hotel Lobby Candle, we’re proud to say that we use 100% soy wax, but that’s certainly not true for candle brands across the board.

Soy has a lower melting point than paraffin wax, which makes it much easier to remove from a jar. Soy wax also has a softer consistency as opposed to the harder, more brittle structure of paraffin wax.

Depending on which type of candle you have, the ease of removing the wax will vary.

Wash it With Warm, Soapy Water

Start by pouring warm, soapy water into your candle vessel. Give it a chance to soften the wax by letting it soak.

Once the wax has melted, you’ll notice that it starts to float to the top of the water.

Let the jar cool completely before carefully emptying the contents into the trash (don’t let the wax go down your drain—it might cause a clog).

How to Remove Stubborn Wax From a Candle Jar

If the steps above didn’t seem to cut it or if you know your candle is made with paraffin wax, you might have to go about a different route.

Start by freezing the jar overnight so that any leftover wax solidifies and hardens. This should make it easy to loosen and scoop out with a butter knife. 

Still have lingering wax in the vessel? Pour boiling water inside of the jar and let it sit for an hour or so. This should cause the wax to float. Discard the residue and give your vessel an entirely new life.