Candle Waste Verses Candle Use by Recycling
Depending on the type of candle you’ve chosen for your home decor, you may find yourself disposing of glass jars and leftover wax more often than you’d prefer. This nuisance can be avoided through the use of oil candles wherein you simply replace the oil as needed, but many prefer the use of soy and paraffin candles instead. Before you throw out your old wax candles, check out a few of these upcycling ideas!
Make a New Candle
The tunneling effect that occurs when the wick burns only the center portions of the candle wax (leaving a ring of solid wax around the outside) is what can result in more wasted candle wax than one would prefer. Make use of these leftover bits by gathering all of your used-up candles and collecting the following:
- Wick and Tabs (found at local craft stores)
- New Candle Holder/Jar (can easily be a Mason jar)
- Double Boiler
- Stick to hold up wick
Scoop and scrape out the leftover wax from your old candles, and place the wax in the top of your double boiler to melt. Be sure to keep similar scents together for best results. While the waxes are melting, set up your jar so that the wick is tied to a stick suspended at the jar’s opening and the tab is resting gently on the bottom of the jar. Once the wax is completely melted, simply pour into your new jar and allow to cool. As soon as the wax has cooled and solidified, you can simply clip the top of the wick.
Recycle Candle Jars
Even if you choose to make a new candle, you’re likely going to be left with a few candle jars. If there are still pieces of wax in the jar, simply place the jar in a pot of boiling water to melt the wax for easy cleaning. Then, you’ll be able to use the cleaned-out jars for a variety of recycled results:
- Vases: Spruce up your matching candle jars with lace, trims, or even glass etchings for a rustic, recycled set of flower vases.
- Votives: Smaller candle jars can also be easily reused as votive holders.
- Keepsake Jars: Fill empty jars with sand and seashells from your recent vacation, and place a picture in each jar as well for a beautiful set of keepsake jars to memorialize family fun.
- Planters: Larger candle jars can be easily transformed into hanging planters with the addition of wire hangers, some dirt, and a beautiful flowering plant or herb!
- Gifts: Old candle jars with lids can be transformed into unique packaging ideas with a little bit of crafting and a lot of love. Simply decorate the outside of the jar to your heart’s content, and fill the jar with goodies or dry good recipes to give as gifts during the holiday season.
Instead of throwing out your old candles and jars, why not upcycle for reuse? For those who prefer wax candles over oil candles, try a few of these ideas the next time you’re thinking of tossing your used candle.
The Author:
Jay Hatfield – I am an entrepreneur who enjoys different aspects of small business.
Source: EzineArticles.com
