I hate to waste and I love to burn scented jar candles. The candles say to only burn the wick down to a certain point, then dispose of the candle. Since these candles are not cheap, I don't want to throw away that much wax, so I ignored the directions and burned the candle all the way to the bottom.
Until the day I almost burned my house down. The jar was so hot that the glass broke, and the burning wax began to burn my coffee table. But I still don't want to throw away that much wax.
So here's a tip that I came up with. When the candle begins to get low, put the candle in an oven safe baking pan that has about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. If the candle should break, the glass and wax will be contained within the baker and the water would immediately extinguish whatever fire may still be burning.
As a side note, if you would rather follow the directions, but still hate the thought of throwing that much wax away, take a knife and gently break up the remaining wax into small bits. Take some sort of mesh, like tulle, place the wax bits on top of the mesh and tie it up so that it looks like those wedding favors that are so popular. Or put them in closets, drawers, cabinets, etc for a lovely scent when you open the doors/drawers. Or save them to use for a wedding or baby shower or even a birthday.
By aprilcotton from Aurora, CO
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These tips from Aprilcotton are dangerous!
Instead, use either a mug warmer, or even better a candle warmer ($5 at Wal Mart, may find it cheaper elsewhere) to use up the last of the wax. I don't even light my candles. I put them on a candle warmer and they last for many months. I have some on now that I've had for over a year and they still smell nice.
And so much safer than melting on the stove or using a knife to break up in the jar.
I also hate wasting the wax left in the jar. But, I am very Leary of fires so I purchased one of the candle heaters. Now after the wax gets down I set the jar on that and it gives off the scent but controls the heat. Much safer.
In the spring or summer, you can also leave them out in the sun for the wax to soften, and it's easier to get the wax out. Then get another wick, put the wax in a smaller container, and you have a new candle! :-)
When burning a candle on my mantle, it is in a rather old, deep Pyrex dish. When it burns too low, I let it sit for a few days, use my Mom's OLD paring knife, chip out wax, put new wick in another glass jar and when close to full, add one square of fragrance [Michael's store - 99¢ for 4 squares], put on a cup warmer [as one would have on your office desk to keep coffee hot], keep it in the room I'm in and let all blend.
While this may sound like an ad. I'm really just trying to help. Mia Bella candles from Scent-Sations are made from all natural ingredients and burn totally clean on the sides to the end.
Another way to use all the wax is to put the candle, unlit, on a coffee mug warmer. It will still smell nice.
Putting the candle into the freezer for a while makes it much easier to get out the small bit of wax that's left after the wick is all burned up. Save all the bits and pieces, put them into something else with a wick and you have a new candle at no cost, except for your time and a new wick.
We have a wood burner to help lower heating costs on really cold days. We fill paper egg cartons with pine needles and dryer lint then pour melted candle wax into the carton.
It must be the brand of candle because I don't have a problem with left over wax. My candles burn all the way down. I love candles even thou tarts are becoming very popular in my area. With tarts you have a cord and I like being able to put my candle where there is no plug in. I also like to see the flame.
What I have always done, was put the whole candle holder into very hot soapy water. When the water has cooled enough for you to put your hands in, the remaining of the candle will slide out easily!
Loved your tips! I hate wasting all the left over wax. You Go Girl! Thanks for taking the time to pass it on. Hugs.
For those of you who have fireplaces, or fire pits, take the empty cardboard rolls from toilet paper or paper towels, pack them with dryer lint, and dip them in melted wax and let dry. They make great fire starters or mini fire logs.
Thriftiness is important but not to the point of breaking glass and getting wax melting all over. Putting a water pan under it detracts from the atmosphere the candle is to make. The small jar candle can be recycled by putting a small candles in the middle of the jar. This works better and is safer. The little candles are relatively inexpensive and come in all scents to so one can match the scent with the original if that is desired.
Hi;
I save the small empty tea candles. When the scented candles are done I save them and buy wicks. At a later time, I melt the scented wax down and place the new wicks, cut short, into the tea candle holders and have scented small candles to place in small cut crystal jars to enjoy! I also use the warmers to place expensive scented candles out or no fragrance candles and add cinnamon, vanilla, cloves or other nice spices directly into the wax.
I put the burnt down candle in the freezer and freeze it then I chip the wax out of it and put it in a wax melter,works as good a wax chips.
I have a large candle warmer that the jars fit in and it will melt the candle and give off the scent. I also do this with left over candles and melt them down then add fragrance and pour into tea cups, small pretty jars, etc, with wicks and make new ones - can use these for gifts.
Veryhelpful
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