So– what do YOU usually do when a candle has burned down to being “useless”? If you’re like me (well at least until recently), you stare at it for a minute and think, ‘that glass holder is such good quality, it’s a shame to throw it away,’ but because it’s got hardened wax in the bottom of it (and a little wax on the sides), you decide that’s all you can do. And so sadly, you trash it (because glass with hardened wax stuck to it is NOT recyclable).
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In honor of Earth Day 2026, I finally tried getting the wax out so I could reuse the holder. Was it really as easy as local candle maker Henry’s Daughter Home Decor made it sound? They sell (in addition to great soy candles hand-poured into cut, upcycled wine bottles and Topo Chico bottles) candle refill kits, so of course when I bought one of the kits years ago at an outdoor market, I asked them how to clean out an existing, used candle holder. Fast forward to this year– the kit is still on my shelf, I had saved a bunch of old candle “vessels” in the hopes of cleaning them out and I’m trying to remember their words…was it something as easy as, “just pour in boiling water…?”
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After consulting YouTube videos and other online advice, then lining up the old candles and conducting my “experiment,” I can tell you that, yes, that’s pretty much it– but with a few pieces of my own advice.
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First, I don’t know about you, but with me, if anything is going to become a habit, it needs to be easy and not take a lot of time. So my biggest piece of advice is: reusing a candle holder is only easy if you have a smooth, cylindrical glass holder (or the metal kind). “Straight” up and down. Not one shaped like Alladin’s lamp, a.k.a. one with a lot of creases, or twists or folds. Not even one that’s mostly cylindrical but has a narrower neck. Just a simple, round glass candle holder works best (I did not try a simple square shape but that might be ok, too.). Round, meaning, like the kind at Bath and Body Works. Or…Henry’s Daughter Decor. Or the kind in the photo above. And once you start with that kind of holder, the reuse process is pretty much a breeze:
- Boil enough water to fill the vessel, pour it in (leaving about a half-inch open space at the top) and watch the wax dissolve.
- While it’s still hot, if the wax needs help dissolving, you can help loosen it from the sides and bottom with a popsicle stick or plastic knife.
- Let your concoction cool. The wax will magically float to the top and once cooled, it forms a hard “hockey puck”-like disc across the surface. (I let mine cool overnight but a couple hours should suffice.)
- Use your stick or knife to loosen/lift out the disc completely, and throw it in the trash (or re-melt it someday for a future homemade candle, but I’m not “going there”– yet!)
- What remains in the glass holder should be mostly water– if the wick and wick disc are still inside, scoop them out for trash as well.
- Pour the remaining water down a sink drain; use hot water to flush it down to dissolve any slight traces of wax that may remain
- Use hot, soapy water to clean out the glass, rinse well, and dry with a soft cloth. Now you’ve got a great container to use for re-pouring a new candle, or placing in municipal recycling, or in my case, to store all sorts of “finds,” like buttons, erasers, beads and thread!
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Have you ever tried this or does this inspire you to try? Let me know in the comments! And, if you’d like to see photos from my “experiment,” be sure to check out my April 22, 2026 social media post on Instagram or Facebook.