If you’re like me, then you love to repurpose as many things as you can. Even old candle jars for example! I recently got a beautiful candle from Antique Candle Co that was poured into a vintage pink depression glass teacup. I wanted to repurpose and reuse the teacup once I was done burning the candle all the way down. So I thought I would share with you guys today how to get candle wax out.
It’s really something so simple and easy to do! If you have a few old candle jars laying around, then try this out and see how it goes for you too!
This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my disclosure policy.
Boil Water To Remove Candle Wax
The easiest way to remove candle wax from a jar is to just simply boil some water! While your water is boiling, set up your prep station.
Make sure your candle is near the water and go ahead and place a towel down on the counter to help protect the surface. After your water has reached it’s boiling point, simply pour it into the candle jar or container.
Be very careful here when pouring so you don’t burn yourself.
Let Boiling Water Sit to Room Temperature
After you poured the boiling water into your candle jar, now you just need to let it sit for a minute. I let it come completely to room temperature before I started handling it.
Again, you don’t want to burn yourself here. As it comes to room temperature, you will slowly start to notice that the candle wax bubbles up to the very top of the water.
You’ll know when it’s usually ready to be handled because the wax will solidify on the top. You can see the difference in the two pictures below.
The first one is when I just poured the boiling water into the teacup. And the second one is after I let it come to room temperature.
Clean The Candle Wax Out Of Your Jar
Alright, now here is how you can completely get the candle wax out of your jar. Simply remove all the solidified wax from the water.
Don’t pour the water down your sink because you don’t want any wax to get down into your drain. I used a plastic spoon and just scooped the wax out that way before draining the water.
Or you could use a strainer and then drain it that way too. Whatever works best for you!
Once you have cleaned all the candle wax out, then you can wash it in warm soapy water. I was able to remove the wick here as well too.
It’s usually glued onto the bottom of your candle vessel, but the boiling water helps the glue loosen up. It did take a little bit of work for me to pull it off, but I was finally able to.
And I am loving the end result. Just a beautiful pink depression glass teacup! You would have never known there was a candle inside of it beforehand!
Conclusion
Well, I hope you enjoyed this very easy and simple DIY project. And I hope you will think about this the next time you burn all the way through a candle.
It is so simple to get the candle wax out and reuse the jar for another purpose! Whether you’re using it for storage or just decor, it’s a great way to repurpose it.
Have you ever done this before too? Let me know below, I’d love to hear!
Thanks for sharing, this a great way to get wax out of a candle 🙂
Thank you. It really is. It was super easy!
This is a great tip to remove the wax from jars! We own a couple that I really want to reuse once the candle is done burning, so this will come in handy x
Oh yay! I am so excited that you found it useful then!
Some amazing advice, I’m always looking to remove wax from jars so I can reuse them to put more candles etc! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Yay! I am so glad you found it helpful then!
This is such an easy to do tutorial on how to remove the candle wax. I love getting to reuse products instead of of just throwing it out.
Yes! I always love finding a way to reuse things too!
Wow I can’t believe how easy that is! I’ve thrown so many good jars away because I couldn’t remove the wax. I am so glad I know how to do this now. Thanks for sharing!
By the way, I love your teacup! I adore Depression Glass!
I know right. I love depression glass too! And it was so easy!
This is a great post with some really helpful tips! Deffo need to pass it on to my candle loving friends xx
Thank you so much! You definitely should!
This is a great idea! I wouldn’t have thought of this so thank you for sharing this! I really like repurposing jars so I’ll definitely use this method for candle jars!
Thank you. I am so glad you think so too! It was a very easy method.
As soon as I saw the title to this post I got so excited, I buy lots of candles from local artisans and so they always come in unique containers that I want to keep so I’ll definitely return to this post in the future when wanting to clean out the wax. Thanks for sharing.
Oh yay! I am so glad you found this helpful then!
Simple, easy to follow guide. I would have started scraping the jar to get candle wax out 😂😂. Thank you for sharing this
Lol yes. I have tried that before and it is much more complicated. This is much easier lol
I have had so many great candle jars that I’ve wanted to keep but couldn’t never get the remaining wax out! Thanks for sharing this helpful tip!
No problem at all! I’m glad you found it to be helpful then!
I have a candle jar I’ll want to reuse when I’m done burning it, but I never knew how to get wax out of the jar so it’s definitely good to know that I just need boiling water!
Oh yay. I am so glad you found this to be helpful then!
This is so good to know! I thought it was going to be so much harder than this. Sometimes candles come in really great jars, but it always seemed a daunting task to get the wax out. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you found it to be helpful too!
Oh wow, I didn’t know it was this easy!
Yes it was so easy!
Thank goodness for this post, it’s exactly what I need right now. My favourite Jo Malone candle is about to finish and I want to repurpose the jar for my make up brushes!
Rosie
Oh yay! I am so glad you can repurpose the jar then!
So helpful! I’ve been hesitating using other fun containers for candies for this reason alone, but it seems so simple!
Oh good! I am so glad you found it to be helpful then!
This is such a great post as it can be so hard to get wax out of things! Thank you for the tips x
No problem at all. I am so glad you thought it to be helpful then.
Love this! I have so many candles that have such pretty jars that im dying to use for other things, thank you for sharing!
Oh yay! I am so glad you could use this tip then!
This will come in handy for me. Thank you for sharing.
So glad that it will come in handy for you then!
That pink cup is so cute. I would have wanted to keep it too. Thanks for sharing these tips. It looks pretty simple.
Thank you so much! It is very simple!
Yes, I’ve done this many a time but haven’t seen the instructions online before! Smart idea to help with sustainability! Thanks.
Yes it is perfect for sustainability!
I’m going to be using this trick for sure!
Yay! I am so glad to hear that!
I have been wondering forever how to do this!!! I have a box full of jars just waiting to be cleaned and repurposed (or at least recycled). Thank you!!
Oh yay! I am so glad you found it to be helpful then!
Genius! I would want to save that pretty teacup for more use too, and this is both a simple and effective way to get wax out of anything that once held a candle.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much! I couldn’t just throw that little teacup away!
That sounds amazingly easy!!! Thanks for sharing!
No problem at all! It is very easy to do!!
Just a word of caution to NOT use freshly boiled water directly on china tea cups – it could crack them! (That is a good reason the Victorians poured milk in first, then tea – to protect those VERY delicate soft paste china teacups back then!) Just let the water cool down a bit – because very hot water will work melting wax, too.
I love that cute pink etched Depression glass teacup you used for a candle. Did you pour the candle yourself? I fill teacups to make candles to give as favors at tea parties now and then.
Yes, that’s true, I didn’t pour it directly inside after it was boiling. I did let it sit a bit. However, I did not pour the candles myself. I bought them like that From Antique Candle Co. But I do love those teacups! They are so cute!