You bought all these gorgeous candles from The Maeva Store and you were really careful with them, using them with care – you made sure that you trimmed the wick regularly, kept them in places that were not extremely warm and of course, stored them away, when not in use. And because of all the care that you took of the candles, they really lasted you a long time, but at the end of the day, they are candles and one day, they will reach their end. Your candles jars are now starting to look slightly sad, mainly because the wax is almost over – so, now what do you do? Throw them away? What if we told you that even that tiny little bit of wax left in your candle jars could be used and up-cycled into something new or that you could use the jars for something interesting.
Let’s start with how to get all the leftover wax from your candles:
· You can use a spoon to remove the wax and then using a soft cloth, you should be able to clean out the jar. This is possible with wax when is soft or you could simply place the jar in slightly warm water and the wax should become soft.
· A super easy way to remove extra wax from a candle jar is to place it inside a freezer – keep the candle jar in the freezer overnight and you should be able to take it out easily in the morning.
· If you thought the double boiler was meant only to melt chocolate, think again; you can use the same technique to melt leftover wax in a candle jar.
Once you get the wax out completely, make sure that you use a sponge or a soft cloth to completely clean out the jar. As a matter of fact, if possible, wash the jar out with a gentle soap and dry it completely. In many cases, like our Botanical candle range, you will want to keep the jar safe and it will make for a wonderful addition to your vanity or your dressing table. You can use more wax and pour into the jars and create brand new candles or you could use the jars for other purposes. From homemade body scrubs to dry spices, there is so much that you can keep in these jars – you can keep them for your earrings or cotton balls or store your craft accessories inside them. And in case you are using these jars for anything other than candles, you can even decorate them with bows, ribbons, gemstones that you can stick with hot glue or even paint – the choice is completely yours!
Now that you have your wax, here is all that you can do with it:
· Let’s say you picked up some potpourri from our store and you want the fragrance to be multiplied – simply take the leftovers of your scented candle, crush it to a crumb and then place it in the bottom of your potpourri pot. The quantity of the wax should be based on how strong you want the aroma to be.
· Do you also have an aromatherapy set from The Maeva Store? Here is yet again another way wherein you can use leftover wax – rather than pouring scented or aromatherapy oil, simply place some grated or crumbled scented candle wax and then burn a tealight underneath – as the wax melt gently, the aroma will waft all around.
· Do you have wax in multiple colours and no scents? These will be perfect for a multicoloured candle – melt the leftover wax, colour by colour and pour into a jar, one at a time. Pour the next colour, only after the first layer has set; make sure that you place a wick before you start pouring the wax. You could also add a scent into the wax, if you want to create your own scented candle.
· Another great way to make a brand new candle is by using a glass jar – stick dried flowers on the inside of the jar using hot glue and once set, start pouring the wax. Once set, you will have a gorgeous looking candle!
· Leftover wax is also a great way to smoothen the drawer hinge that was creaking or in case your shoelaces have frayed ends, simply dip them in melted wax and let them dry out!
Just in case you are not in the mood to take out the leftover wax from your glass jar, there is still plenty that you can do with them:
· Place the glass jar in your car’s cup holder and you will have a wonderful smelling car at all times.
· Keep the jars in your foyer, and as soon as guests or even you walk in the front door, there will be a waft of fragrance that will tantalize you!
So just because you have reached the candle, don’t get ready to just throw them out – all you need is a little creativity and you might be able to give that wax a new life!
