how to clean your candle jars
At Antique Candle Co.®, we use Mason jars to house our yummy scented soy candles. 😋 Mason jars are also popular farmhouse décor and craft pieces! Wouldn’t it be nice to repurpose your old Antique Candle Co.® candle into something new and crafty?
Two of the questions we often get is: How do you remove the printed label? How do you clean out the leftover wax from the jar? We've done the research for you and have found the best and easiest way to do just that!
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Citric Acid
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Flour
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Water
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White Vinegar
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Kitchen Spoon
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Butter Knife
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Dish Soap
Removing the Label
Our candle friends told us how much they would love to repurpose their candle jars and wanted to know how to remove the label. We TOTALLY get it! We're always on the hunt for a good DIY & came up with two simple steps to remove the label.
Step 1: In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of citric acid in 2 tablespoons of very hot water. Mix in just enough flour to create a thick paste. Apply to printed area and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
Step 2: After the paste has set for a bit, scrape the paste off the glass surface. We used the end of our spoon! Ta-da! 😍
Removing the Wax
Once you’ve removed the printed label, it’s time to remove the remaining wax from the jar!
Step 1: Place the candle in the freezer for several hours or until it is frozen. 🧊
Step 2: Remove from the freezer. While still frozen, use a butter knife (and a little bit of elbow grease 💪) to loosen and break up the wax. Toss out any remaining residue (PRO TIP: get even more out your candle by adding the broken wax pieces to your wax warmer 💖).
Step 3: Once you've removed all the wax, next you'll need to pull out the wick. Our candles use a strong adhesive to keep your wicks centered in the jar, which means they need to soak! Fill your jar with HOT tap water (just enough to cover the wick). Let sit about 30-60 seconds for the adhesive to soften. Use your spoon to pull up the wick. 🥄
Step 4: Set your jar aside and pour about a half-inch of white vinegar in the bottom (just enough to cover the metal base of the wick). Let it soak for about an hour and that should loosen up the remainder of the adhesive! ⏰
Step 5: Once you have the remainder of the wick removed, you can then use a scrub brush and wash the inside of the jar. Not only will this help remove any remaining residue, but it will also clean away soot and stains on the glass from the candle itself! ✨
There you have it in a total of seven easy steps: how to clean your candle jars! 💃
The possibilities are ENDLESS when it comes to repurposing your Antique Candle Co.® candles into something amazing! Check out some of our favorite DIY’s below. 👇
Have you thought about recycling the jars – example: the consumer would send the jars back to you and in return you would discount the next purchase
Another thought – consumers are buying candle warmer lights (Amazon) like a lamp. Just fill the jar with the scented wax. No need for the wick – less cost for you as well. I have 3 of these lamps.
Thank you for the blog on cleaning the jars. I plan to use mine for canning/preserving.
I’ve done all this but the scent remains in the candle. Any ideas for getting rid of it?
I tend to be thrifty to the point that my husband and children sometimes roll their eyes at me 😂, but I burn the candle until every last bit has melted and then pour the hot liquid carefully into small soap molds to later use in my burner. I always clean and reuse the jars. I appreciate that you use recyclable materials!
Thank you for the information on how to clean the used candle jar. I love that you said use the pieces of wax in the electric wax defuses. I never thought of using them. I have even painted jars to use for outside table settings. Thank you!!!!
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