Don’t Waste Those Wax Melts!
Most of us have wax warmers in our homes. They are safer than burning candles and they still help our homes smell wonderful and seasonal. But what do you do with the wax once the scent is gone? Don’t toss it into the trash anymore. Let me show you how to make DIY Wax Melt Candles using up that wax that you already paid for. (And saving money is awesome, right?)
*This post contains affiliate links to help support our site at no additional cost to you. For more information, please visit our Disclosure Policy here.*
Warmers in your Home
Most of us have a wax melt warmer (or two) in our homes. I currently have 4 going in various rooms.
Speaking of my warmers, I probably need to change the wax in those soon. It’s been a while.
My favorite wax melts actually come from our local candle store, Crossroads Candles. If you haven’t heard of them, make sure you jump over and check them out. They are amazing and priced well. Back in the day, my sister used to buy their candles to use in her office in city hall. Even in that big, open building, when she had one lit upstairs you could smell it as soon as you walked into the lobby.
Used Wax Disposal
I have heard all kinds of ways people change out their wax warmers once they stop smelling good. I honestly used to just absorb it all into a paper towel and then toss it into the trash. Some people use cotton balls; some people just dump them into a trash can. To each their own.
But over time I wondered why I was wasting so much decent wax.
It seemed wasteful. It seemed like I was just tossing my money into the trash with both the wax and the paper towels.
So I made it my mission to figure out how to make sure I was fully using the things that I spend my hard-earned money on.
DIY Wax Melt Candles
First off, you need to find an old candle jar or mason jar to start removing that melted wax. I just have an old candle jar that I keep on the shelf. Every time I change out the warmers, I just pour the warm wax melts into this to collect.
Once your jar is full, it’s time to start gathering supplies to make your DIY Wax Melt Candles!
You will need:
Jars to pour into
saucepan
water
oven mitt or potholder
I actually purchased the wicks and the centering devices together here.
DIY Wax Melt Candles: Getting Started
Take the jar of wax you have been saving and place it into your saucepan. Fill up around the outside of the jar about halfway. Turn your burner to LOW and wait for the wax to melt.
While the wax is melting, place your wicks into the centering device to the appropriate height for your jar. Place the wick into the container, using your device to make sure that it’s in place.
Set the containers that you have the wicks in on a paper towel near your stovetop.
And wait…
This is the hardest part. Waiting for all that wax to re-melt so that you can pour it into your new candle jars.
Once your wax is completely liquified again, lift it carefully from the saucepan. Using your oven mitt or potholder, wrap your hand around the hot jar and slowly pour into your prepared containers.
I like to pour about half an inch at first and let it set up. This just helps that wick stay centered near the bottom. It creates a similar effect as gluing it in, without the hassle of scraping it out later. Let that first pour set to almost solid before continuing to pour.
I just set the entire jar back into the water to keep it from solidifying.
Once that first layer has set up, repeat the steps above to pour slowly into the containers until they are nearly full. Make sure you do not fill too far as you want this to burn just like a normal candle would.
Store and Burn
Sometimes there is still scent left in the wax, and sometimes it doesn’t. But I can warn you that most of the time the color of your candle will not be pretty. Think of all of the different colors that your wax melts are. When you mix all these together, it’s going to be like when the kids mix all the finger paints together.
Because I typically keep these near the Emergency Kit, I really could care less if they are pretty. Living in Tornado Alley, it’s useful to have a stash of candles for light and/or heat in case of emergency.
DIY Wax Melt Candles- Tips and Tricks
Tip 1: Let the family know what you are doing as far as saving wax if they also change warmers. This will take a while to get enough wax collected. I am frugal, so I typically only use one cube per warmer per change. And I let that wax really release that scent. (i.e. I only change them once a week at most.) It takes me a few months to collect even close to enough for even a small container.
Tip 2: DO NOT let your potholder touch the water! If you do, I apologize in advance for the burn AND the mess. Wet pot holders conduct heat like you wouldn’t believe. So just don’t do it.
Tip 3: Purchase candles with wooden lids to reuse for this project. These keep dirt and dust out for long-term storage. You don’t have to worry about the scent evaporating (there probably isn’t any) but dirt, bugs, etc. can be a fire hazard when you do light them.
