What do you do when your candle in a votive burns down as far as it can and yet wax remains at the bottom and on the sides?

Do you scrape off the wax with a knife and toss the unused wax away and then run your glass and ceramic votives in the dishwasher to remove the remaining wax residue? Maybe you toss the whole darn thing, candle holder and all, thinking it’s not worth the effort to try and get it clean.

I’m a big fan of repurposing and was in search of a way to remove wax drippings from candle holders and get them shiny clean for future use without harming the candle holder or our plumbing.

I learned the hard way not to use a knife for the job. It left scratches and weakened the holder causing it to break the next time I used it.

Even if I did manage to carefully scrape away most of the wax without scratching, soot and wax residue were still left clinging to the holder.

Washing them in hot water in the sink or putting them through the dishwasher might remove residue wax and get candle holders squeaky clean, but it’s a risky method too. Melted wax going down the drain can build up in the pipes and cause major clogging problems.

The oven method (described below) for removing wax is brilliant! It allows you to safely remove wax from multiple holders at once and maybe make a new candle in the process. And it only takes about twenty minutes to clean several holders. No harm to the candle holder or plumbing involved.

This method works with beeswax, soy and paraffin wax. Just make sure you combine all the same type of wax if you’re making a new candle.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place candle holders right side up.

Distribute any leftover wax you’ve collected into the holders. Usually there’s enough to make an entirely new candle depending on the size of votive you use.

Place the baking sheet into the heated oven. After about 15 minutes the wax should be melted.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. The holders will be hot so handle with oven mitts or a dishtowel. Carefully remove any soot or old pieces of wick. You may need to use fork to remove the metal wick-tab on the bottom. If there’s enough melted wax, combine to make a new candle (see below).

Wipe the inside and outside of each candle holder with paper towel until all the melted wax has been removed and they are shiny clean.

The results are so good I rarely if ever have to wash them in soapy water afterwards.

To make a new candle from leftover melted wax:

Cut a piece of wicking at least two inches taller than the holder.

Tie one end around a skewer or pencil.

Dip the wick into the melted wax to coat, then press one end to the bottom of the holder.

Rest the skewer on the rim and pour a small amount of wax into the bottom of the holder. Adjust the wick so it stays in the centre. Continue to fill the holder with remaining wax.

Let stand until it sets, about one hour.

Alternatively, you could try this method: pour the melted wax into a clean votive and, once the wax is semi- hardened, use a skewer to poke a hole all the way down through the soft wax to the bottom to make room to drop in a wick. Once the wick is in place pour in some more of the melted wax. Let sit at least an hour before you burn.