How to Clean Out Bath and Bodyworks (or any) Candle Jars DIY

Hi Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

Today I want to tell you how I clean out my candle jars.  I noticed when I first became obsessed with Bath and Body Works candles, that it was a HUGE waste to just throw out such nice glass containers.  You can use them for all kinds of fun things.

So without a long winded intro, lets get into how I clean them out:

Step 1: Freeze It- I take off the top of the candle jar and stick it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.  This causes the wax to become brittle and shrink a bit away from the glass.

Step 2: Pop Wax Out-  Carefully (ask an adult if you are a kid, or just really clumsy), use a sturdy dull knife (butter knife works great, I only had this regular dining knife) to pop out the wax.  The pressure should crack it into easily removed pieces.

Step 3: Soak in Hot Soapy Water-  There might be glue or little metal pieces with the wicks still attached to the bottom.  Soaking the candle in hot soapy water will make the glue pliable and the metal easy to remove.  This will also loosen all the labels attached to the jar.  The bottom sticker should remove easily with a bit of scrubbing with a rough sponge.  The outer label will peel off pretty easy.

Step 4: Remove Sticky Reside-  This is the most annoying part for me.  If you have a product like "Googone" that will help.  Otherwise, I find that pure acetone (which I have around for removing nail polish) on a cotton ball works pretty well.  You might have some time (and lots of cotton balls) getting the glass perfectly clear of goo.

Step 5: Rewash the container-  After the sticky stuff is gone, I re-wash the container to remover any  residual chemicals on the glass.

Step 6: Reuse-  I will be doing a more detailed post on how I reuse candle jars, but generally speaking, I like using them for storing small items (cotton balls/Q-tips/cotton rounds), as make up brush holders, gift containers for DIY bathsalts/sugar scrubs, terrariums, and to regrow/root plants and veggies.  Quick Tip: If you are feeling really creative, you can invest in some glass paint and paint labels or art on the glass. I love to cut out stencils out of paper, stick them on the jars, then sponge paint over the stencil to create perfect designs.

I hope you found this helpful and it encourages you to reuse those great candle containers!


Shine & Sparkle