How to get candle wax out of deep candle holders

Candles are lovely! They add warmth, depth, interest, and ambiance to any room or social setting. Some people like tapered candles, with their tall and stately elegance. Others like the big, 3- or 5-wick candles that seem to last forever! Still others prefer beautiful candle holders, with tea lights or votives inside, giving a stunning or subtle beauty of flickering light, depending on the holder. But how do you get all the old wax out of a candle holder before adding a new votive to it? This plagued me for years... until someone told me the secret.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Time
• Patience
• Gentleness
• A freezer

1. Check the status of your candles early ~ at least a day before you want to use them is best.
2. Just-blown-out candles ~ these holders need to cool down. Make sure your candle holder is cool to the touch. If you just had the candle burning, wait a few minutes until it has cooled down.
3. Put the candle holder with the old wax in the freezer. Wait at least a few hours ~ I find that overnight is better.
4. After a few hours, or the next day, take the candle holder with the old wax out of the freezer. With a gentle but firm motion, bang the open end of the candle holder into your palm. The old wax will drop out of the candle holder in one whole piece, and your candle is ready for a new votive!

Tips & Warnings

• You may need to gently bang the open end of the candle holder into your palm two or three times.
• If the wax does not drop out of the candle holder after three attempts, the wax has not contracted enough. Put the candle back in the freezer for another few hours.
• ALLOW THE NEWLY-EMPTY CANDLE HOLDER TO WARM UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE LIGHTING A NEW CANDLE IN IT. OTHERWISE, IT WILL BREAK WITH THE SUDDEN HEAT, your candle holder will be destroyed, and you could hurt yourself with broken glass.