How to Remove Candle Wax and Repurpose the Jar

Candles are one decor item that we can never have enough of. There are too many lovely scents and pretty jars to stick with just one or two. But what do you do once the candle is long past its burning days and you’re left with a quarter inch of wax in your jar? You can easily upcycle these containers, the tricky part is finding a method that’s not messy, or (gulp) dangerous.

Here at The Spruce, we found the perfect trick that only requires two items: a freezer and a knife. It’s far less dangerous than it sounds. Simply take your almost empty candle jars and stick them in the freezer. It should only take a couple of hours, but for best results leave them in overnight. After you’ve frozen your candles, take a knife and beginning gently cutting into the wax. Because it’s frozen, it should only take a few hits for the wax to clatter out in clean pieces. If there’s any leftover residue, simply use hot soapy water to clean it out. 

Once your candle jars have been rid of wax and bits of wick, there are a multitude of ways you can upcycle them into useful items for around the home. We’re plant people here at The Spruce, so we absolutely loved the idea of turning a candle jar into a planter. It doesn’t take many supplies and takes little effort to make these jars useful again. Watch the video above to see the trick in action and see the steps to turn your jar into a fun succulent planter.

What You'll Need

Here's what you'll need to remove candle wax and repurpose your jars into pretty planters.

Supplies

• Nearly empty candle jars
• Succulent or plant of choice
• Bowl
• Potting soil

Tools

• Paring knife
• Pliers
• Spoon

1. Place Empty Candle Jars in Your Freezer

   Scoot your ice cream over and make some room for those nearly empty candle jars. Leave them in your freezer for at least two hours.

2. Retrieve the Candles

   Once you take your candles out of the freezer, take your paring knife and carefully start cutting into the wax. It should only take one or two pricks from the knife for the wax to clatter out.

   Tip

   If there is a waxy residue left on your glass jar, you can easily remove it by using a steel sponge, dish soap, and hot water.

3. Start Making Your Planter

   Pour some potting soil into your bowl and spoon a bit of it into your empty candle jar.

4. Plant Your Succulent

   Take your succulent or plant of choice and gently squeeze the plastic planter to help break up the roots. Place your succulent into the jar and adjust it until it sits properly in the planter.

5. Style and Enjoy

   Make one or several of these planters and scatter them throughout your home for a little bit of greenery that was made sustainably!