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    Home » DIY - Art and Craft!

    What to do with your old, used candles?

    This blog generates income via ads and this post may contain affiliate links · This blog uses cookies,. For more information see our Contact, Terms and Privacy Policy.

    All the DIY steps to transforming old used candles to new ones!

    I love the look of candle glow...the way the flame flickers and how it gives that warm, soft feeling that only candles can give. Candlelight is just perfect on a hot summer's night when sitting outside with the people close to you, soaking in a bubble bath, or even just enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal. It may sound corny but it really gives an extra special feeling to the moment.

    So yes, I go through a few candles (actually a lot) and love it when I see candles on sale or you get them as gifts.

    What to do with your old, used candles?

    The only problem is, that I end with lots of used candles that have burnt down and with only the wax remaining. Especially the candles in containers, they only burn down to a certain level and then there isn't enough flame to give a good glow. I really hate having to throw those candles away, and seeing that I am now becoming more thrifty and recycling more, I have found a way to repurpose all those old, used candles.

    ....making old, used candles into new ones! (....and done very cheaply 😉 )

    Old candles

    I went to my local craft shop and purchased a packet of candlewick. The best part about this is that you can cut the exact amount of wick that you need (and there was plenty in the packet.)

    Then I 'shopped my home' and gathered all the bits to make my 'new candles'. I found an old ice-cube tray that was made of silicone (it is like flexible rubber), toothpicks,  some alfoil (aluminum foil), and an old saucepan.

    candles and ice cubes tray

    ...grubby candles, aren't they!....

    DIY Steps - How to make new candles from old ones!

    What I needed to do was to melt the old, used candle wax, so I could pour it out of the jars.

    Now if you are going to do this ....DO NOT put these glasses in the microwave. Each one of these candles has a wick that has a base made out of metal, so putting them in the microwave be very dangerous and it is not safe for your microwave (and everyone near it).

    candles in saucepan

    So I filled a saucepan with water and then placed the old, used candles in the glass jars, into a saucepan.

    I then slowly brought the water to a boil, so that the wax would gradually start to melt and become a liquid. The tip here is to make sure you don't accidentally add water to the jars,  as this will make your candles have bubbles and it will make them 'crackle' when they burn.

    While the candle wax is melting, I went ahead and made the wicks for the candles. 

    Step 1

    Tie a knot in one end of the wick and cut a length...

    cutting wick 300x

    Step 2

    Using a piece of aluminum foil, wrap this around the knot tightly and this will make the base, hold the wick down in the melted wax. (You can add two pieces of foil to make it heavier if you need.)...

    foil toothpick and wick

    Step 3

    Then tie the other end to a toothpick. It should look something like this...

    wick and toothpick

    ...and then I hung them in the ice-cube tray.

    wicks ready

    Make sure the toothpicks don't touch each other as they could fall in when the hot wax is being poured in.

    When the wax has melted and you can see the old wicks, simply take out the wicks with tongs.

    candles in water

    Using the tongs again, carefully lift out the jars with the melted wax and place them on a surface covered with foil...just in case of any drips. 

    candles using tongs

    Then carefully pour the melted wax into the ice-cube tray that have the wicks in them. The toothpicks are there to keep the wicks straight and in the middle of the candle.

    pouring wax
    wax in trays

    Let them cool and in the meantime, while the jars are still warmish, place them in hot soapy water and give them a good wash to get rid of any remaining wax.

    washing glass

    I am always surprised at how clean the jars/glasses come up! 

    clean glasses

    When the candles are set, pull the sides of the ice-cube tray so that it loosens the candles and simply pull it out by the toothpick.

    What to do with your old, used candles?

    Snip off the top of the wax to remove the toothpick. Another tip is to make sure you don't have a long wick,  as this is what causes the black smoke on candles and makes your candle jars really 'grotty' (...found that one out the hard way!) 

    cutting candle wick

    Then you will have heaps of gorgeous, petite candles, that cost you not much at all...

    You can decorate the outside patio area and use them like tea-light candles, or just like in the movies,  decorate your bathroom with lots of candlelight for the ultimate bubble bath. (I recommend this one! 😃) 

    candle glow -What to do with your old, used candles?.
    candle glow -What to do with your old, used candles?

    Oh! I also add a little bit of bling to the jars and use them in the bathroom to hold all sorts of bits and pieces - makeup brushes, toothbrushes. I have also used the jars to make little succulent pot plants...but that is for another post. 

    Bathroom candle glow-What to do with your old, used candles?

    Ahhhh....relaxing!! 

    😃

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JaneEllen

      July 27, 2015 at 1:50 pm

      Had to save this post, so perfect as I have many left over candle pieces here and there. Will be great to be able to make new candles out of old pieces. so glad you posted this and thanks for sharing how. Simple to do but guess I needed a shout out to remember to do this with my old candle left overs. Happy week

      Reply
      • Barb

        August 05, 2015 at 8:03 am

        Thank you JaneEllen for such a nice comment. Hope this post helps you and have a happy week too!! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Leanne

      July 31, 2015 at 5:11 am

      Love this post. Such a simple idea and a great way to re-use all of those old candles that are lying around.

      Reply
      • Barb

        August 05, 2015 at 8:01 am

        Thank you so much Leanne!!! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Maria

      August 05, 2015 at 7:27 am

      Great tutorial. If you don't have or want to spend on a silycone ice-cube tray, you can reuse the milk tetrapack container, cut it to the convinient height you want to work with, and when the wax is cooled just ripped it off with the help of a pair of scissors.

      Reply
      • Barb

        August 05, 2015 at 8:01 am

        That is such a great idea Maria!!
        I will be trying that the next time I need to repurpose my old, used candles. Thanks so much for letting me know that great DIY idea!! 🙂

        Reply
    4. lois black

      August 20, 2015 at 11:10 pm

      i would like to follow your blog via email

      Reply
      • Barb

        August 29, 2015 at 6:22 am

        Hi!! Thanks so much for wanting to follow Sparkles In The Everyday. All you need to do is add your email address to the 'subscribe for updates' that is in the side bar or scroll down to the bottom of the page and add your email address there. Hope this helps and have a wonderful day!! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Jess

      August 23, 2015 at 2:27 am

      This is such a great idea!

      Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

      Reply
    6. Kathy

      August 24, 2015 at 11:56 pm

      I was just given a LOT of candles and holders. I will save this for when they've been used up. Its a GREAT idea!

      Reply
      • Barb

        August 26, 2015 at 6:11 am

        Thanks so much Kathy, glad you like the idea! You now can have candle light everywhere! 😉

        Reply
    7. Melinda

      September 23, 2015 at 11:46 am

      That is such a great idea!! You're one smart cookie! Here from TUT.

      Reply
    8. Katherines Corner

      October 05, 2015 at 1:13 pm

      Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for your feature tomorrow xo

      Reply
    9. Sagan

      October 10, 2015 at 12:01 am

      We've been making new candles out of the old leftovers for months - it works so well! But we actually saved a really big holder so we combine all the wax into one BIG candle rather than a few little ones. Might have to try making smaller ones next time!

      <3 candles.

      Reply
    10. Denise/DIY Crush

      October 22, 2015 at 8:17 am

      I LOVE this project!! So clever to reuse old candle wax! I have chosen this DIY as one of my 3 favorites! Come over on Thursday at 7pm EST to see the feature and to link up your latest posts! Can't wait! http://www.diy-crush.com/blog/category/link-party/

      Reply

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