I love when I come across a nice scented candle for my home with a scent that really works for me. It can be hard to weed through all of the different scents available to find something that smells clean and fresh, and really enhances the cozy atmosphere in my home without being too overpowering. So when I find that one perfect candle, that’s something that really makes my day. Or my week. Or however long it takes me to burn through the candle. It’s the best.
Until this happens:
I hate that! The wicks have all burned all the way down and will no longer light, but there’s still so much wax left! So much more delightfulness left to be experienced!
I put two and two together a couple of weeks ago and came up with a pretty clever little solution to this issue, if I do say so myself! 🙂
Here’s what you do!
Start with a candle that you love but that can’t be lit anymore. This particular one is called Baja Cactus Blossom from Bath and Body Works.
Bonus points if it’s in a pretty jar that can be reused! I especially love the ones with the pretty lids with no branding on them for using in organizing projects once they’re clean!
If your candle is a higher quality one, it will usually have a softer wax, so grab yourself a butter knife and just slice right through it like it’s, well, butter!
OK, it’s a little more challenging than cutting a stick of butter, but as long as you end up with some wedge-like shapes, or any other shape that frees up the wax, you should be able to remove the wax pretty easily. So do that!
If your candle has wax that’s a little more brittle, you can put the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours and the wax should just pop out. I like the knife method a little better though because I can just get it done right when I’m thinking of it. I tend to forget candles in the freezer for weeks. Out of sight, out of mind!
Once you’ve got your wax wedges out of the jar, just stick them in a little plastic bag and write the scent name on the bag.
But wait! That’s all fine and good, but what do you actually do with those wax wedges?
This is where I get to feel pretty smart. 🙂
You know those wax warmers that are really popular now for warming up those wax melts?
Yup! Use one of those!
My particular model is really only semi-convenient for this purpose because of its square shape. Next time I’m in the market for one of these, I’ll definitely find one with a round shape like this. This one really only melts the wax in the center of its bowl so I still don’t get the full use out of my wax, but it’s so much better than just letting all that wax go to waste! It’s also nice to be able to turn on the scent by just flicking a switch rather than always having to light it. Also, it might be just me and my nose who think this, but I’m pretty sure the candle pieces actually scent my home better than the actual little warming pellets that are meant for this thing. So, it’s just a good situation all around!
I do end up with a few little pieces of wick floating around in there, but that doesn’t really bother me at all. Totally worth it for all that home freshening power and for the money savings too!
And no, the warmer didn’t turn the blue wax white, this is from a different candle called London Tea and Lemon. It smells like tea! And lemon! 🙂 Quite possibly my favorite candle ever.
So if you’re a scented candle fan, definitely try this tip out, save yourself some money, and enjoy freshening your home for just a little bit longer!
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.