How to Upcycle Your Favorite Candles

Article by Luci Lammoglia, Photos by Alyssa Montoya, Graphics by Joelle Sanders & Bayleigh Golden

Do you ever cringe when you spend money on a candle? They usually range from $15-$30, yet before you know it they are burned to the bottom. Even though you know they are the sneaky little purchases that break your bank, you can’t stop buying them. They fill your room with a sweet, cozy aura that can’t be replaced.

Before you buy any more candles, here is a trick to juice one more use out of your old ones. You may have heard about upcycling clothes, but have you heard about upcycling candles? Newsflash: there is plenty of wax left over when the wick is no more; more often than not, there is enough wax to make another candle. Here is a step-by-step guide to collect all the wax from your old candles and create a new candle masterpiece. Save that $15 for a trip to Chick-fil-A, for once! 

You Will Need:

• Old candles (they must be jarred candles, not free standing)

• Boiler or Saucepan

• Water

• Wicks (popsicle sticks and olive oil or paperclips and cotton thread are cheap alternatives to prepared wicks)

• Hot glue gun 

• Glue sticks

Removing the old wax

NOTE: If you wish to follow a video, check out Stop Wasting Your Favorite Candles. This video inspired this portion of the process.

1. Gather all of your old candles that have an unburnable wick.

2. Pour water into a saucepan or water boiler and heat water until it comes to a boil. Use enough water to cover the wick of each candle. If you have a unique shaped jar measure out enough water to fill the glass to the rim.

3. Pour the boiling water into each jar past the wick or fill the jar to the rim if the jar is a unique shape.

4. Let the water cool. This can take up to an hour. You will know that this step is complete when you see the wax as a solid disk, floating on top of the water.

5. Remove the wax from each jar and set wax aside.

6. Clean the remainder of each of your jars with hot water. This will help the wick tabs to come lose as well as any stickers or remaining wax. 

Wick Wikipedia

There are many different ways to attain wicks. First, you can buy wicks in packs of 100 under $10 on amazon.com. If you are not too keen on spending money, there are some easy DIY substitutions. Popscicle sticks are a great alternative, and you probably already own them. Follow Lily Roses DIY Crackle Woodwick Candles with Popsicle Sticks | Gift Idea / Decor to transform oil and popsicle sticks into wood wicks. You can also use cotton string and a paperclip to mimic a wick. Simply insert the string in melted wax, remove, and tie it around the end of a paper clip. 

Making your new candle

1. Grab a clean jar and hot glue your wick tab or paper clip to the bottom. If you are using a popsicles stick just choose one end to adhere. 

2. Drop your old wax into a saucepan.

3. Heat your wax on low until all of your wax is melted. 

4. Pour the melted wax into your candle jar.

5. Let the candle cool. Time varies depending on the size of your candle.

6. Light your new candle creation!

Enjoy your upcycled candle and give yourself a pat on the back for making your wallet and room a little happier!