Watching your favourite candle finally burn out can be a sad sight, especially when the jar is so decorative. Luckily one cleaning expert has shared her foolproof method for giving a new life to used candle jars.
When you've splashed out on some of the best scented candles, the chances are the jars they're in are not just functional but also lovely to look at. There's a reason candles are one of the best autumn decor ideas – some of our favourite autumn candles come in picture-perfect jars you'll want to hold onto.
So when your candle has finished scent-scaping your home don't throw the jar out or banish it to a cupboard use this low-effort cleaning hack to create new storage jars, vases and more.
The low-effort used candle hack: repurpose old jars
Making your home look expensive on a budget and keeping costs down when decorating your space can be challenging. This is why repurposing candle jars and reusing them to continue serving a function whilst also adding to the decor in your home is a great idea.
Sharing the hack on her Instagram, Lynsey Crombie aka The Queen of Clean, says, "I can’t stand the thought of a pretty candle jar going to waste, so I always find ways to reuse them."
Her method, and the key to its ease, is to put the used candle in the freezer for a couple of hours before trying to decanter the remaining unwanted wax. She explains how this hardens the wax and allows her to take a butter knife to loosen the edges and pop the wax out.
"I just go around the edges with a knife and loosen it up, turn it upside down and then all the wax comes out. There are a few of these little bits at the bottom that need to come out," adds Lynsey.
Once your candle has made your house smell good, there can be quite a lot of leftover wax that's unable to burn due to the finished wicks. This is the wax that can be hard to remove but with Lynsey's trick most of it should pop right out after being frozen.
Should there be remaining bits of wax, then Lynsey has a trick for that too. She says, "The remainder of the wax just goes in with a bit of boiling water and washing up liquid."
The video shows how she simply fills the jar a third of the way with boiling water and squirts a little washing-up liquid so any scraps of wax are loosened and come right out. To avoid letting the wax go down your drain, Lynsey recommends covering it with foil as this will catch even the smallest bits.
Now your candle jar is clean and has a new lease of life it's ready to be repurposed into whatever you'd like. Lynsey uses hers to hold cotton earbuds but the jar could be a jewellery holder, somewhere for cotton pads or even be remade into a tealight holder or single-stem vases.
With an expert cleaning hack like this, it's no surprise that other users are beyond impressed with the results and the unique method.
One user says, "Never thought of popping them in the freezer to remove the last bits of wax. We have so many with various bits recycled around the house, such a waste otherwise!"
If you find this handy hack inspiring and want to cut down on your waste further, investing in some good flameless candles is a great idea. That way you'll never have to replace your candles and you can enjoy them for years to come.
Shop our favourite flameless candles
RRP: £19.99 | These three flameless candles are our pick for the best flameless candles overall. With a flickering flame, they look realistic wherever they are placed, and whether they are styled indoors or out – these are the ideal flameless candles to use inside storm lanterns.
RRP: From £49.64 | Not only do these flameless candles have a unique melting effect, but they're also made of non-toxic unscented real wax which only adds to the authentic feel they bring to your home. Coming as a set of two, these are also designed for outdoor use. (However, they're not waterproof so bring them inside if it rains.)
RRP: £26.99 | With a nod to the leading coastal interior design trend the embedded shell decorations make these candles worthy of displaying in their own right. The incredibly true-to-life design is made using a combination of real wax and sea shells, which results in a beautifully imperfect finish that adds to the realism.
After restoring your old candle jars and putting them to good use, why not try out some home organisation ideas as we head into the next season? When it comes to resetting your home for autumn, getting your space organised can create an overall calmer and more relaxing home which is just what you want for the cosy weather.
