Eternal Flame. Revive Old Candles to Enjoy for Longer

How to make new candles out of the old and improve your zero-waste lifestyle.

I don't know if you know this, but apparently there is a "proper" way to burn candles. Ideally we are supposed to burn them until there is an even layer of melted wax. You can then blow out the candle and it will continue to give off scent whilst cooling to a neat flat surface. This will avoid your candle creating a well and it will burn evenly right down to the bottom.

Let's admit the truth: some candles just don't burn evenly. And some of us don't always want to burn our candles for that long.

If like me, you are accustomed to poor candle habits, and always end up with the wick burning down before the wax is gone, then this post is for you!

Follow my steps below to give new life to your old candles...

Top Tip- better with friends

All these blog posts aim to improve our zero waste liftyle and promote sustainable living. This is all much more fun if you do it with someone. Having friends around you who are like minded will make it more likely you will stick to these ideals.

Invite your friends over for candle making. You could even trade candles after.

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You will need

Old candles

Small saucepan

Heatproof glass measuring jug (See note 1)

Candle wicks

Un-snapped Chopsticks or clothes pegs (See note 3)

Paper Towels or J-Cloth

Sieve

A utensil you don't mind getting waxy (e.g. teaspoon or old chopstick)

A great sing-along playlist

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Step 1- Plan

Gather together your old candles and jars.

Plan where you want the wax to end up.

The wax in the oil burner and the white ceramic pot was the same. I wanted to merge the two together again and then use the small amount of wax in the glass jar to fill the oil burner.

Step 2- Prep

Wax down the drain leads to blocked drains and sewers (See note 5). To avoid this I came up with a solution that seems to have worked.

Place a sieve over the sink with a paper towel inside.

Waxy waste water will be poured through the paper, filtering out the wax.

Tip

If your candles are soy wax, you can add your used paper towels to your food waste bin.

Step 3- Clean

Some wax may have the old wick fixed in. Pick this out and throw it away.

I like to separate my wax into different bowls to keep my work area clean.

To clean the jars:

Place your first jar in the saucepan.

Pour a few centimetres of boiling water from the kittle into the saucepan.

Do not turn on the hob.

The idea here is to soften the wax residue inside the jar.

You can also pour some water inside the jar but be careful not to fill too high otherwise the glass will become too hot to handle (oi oi).

Once the wax has softened, pour the water through the sieve.

Wipe inside the jar with a paper towel until clean and dry.

If your jar has a small amount of wax still left inside that doesn't easily come out:

Place the jar inside the jug.

Pour some boiling water inside the jug as well as inside the pan.

Turn the heat on low. Do not allow the water to boil. A simmer is fine.

The pyrex jug will reduce any risk of the candle jar or pot cracking. They should be heatproof because they are candles, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Once the wax has loosened, you can fish out the wax with any utensil that you don't mind getting wax on. I used the end of the chopsticks I will use later.

Save the wax! In this case, I poured it straight into the oil burner once it had all melted.

Step 4- Start Melting

Melt the wax inside a heatproof jug if you don't want to get wax in your pan.

Make sure there is enough hot water in the pan to fill a few centimetres outside the jug.

Keep the heat low. A simmer is fine.

Break the wax into the jug if you can, don't worry if not.

Stir the wax with your utensil from the above step.

Warning Keep the handle away from the edge of the saucepan so it isn't too hot to pick up. Use a tea towel if necessary but remember to turn the heat off first so you don't set fire to the towel!

To mix different kinds of wax see Note 2.

Step 5- Prep the Wick

Whilst the first batch of wax is melting, you can prep your first wick.

You can prep more than one at a time if you have enough pegs or chopsticks.

Use the chopsticks to hold the wick in place.

They should be wider than the top of the jar or pot.

Make sure to push the wick through so it sits firmly on the bottom without the wick bending. Once you have the height adjusted, pick up the chopsticks and dip the sustainer (metal tab at the base of the wick) into the wax as it starts to melt.

You can now stick the sustainer to the bottom of the jar.

make sure it is in the middle and as straight as possible to allow for an even burn.

Step 6- Secure the Wick

When a small amount of wax has melted, pour a few millimetres of wax into the jar. If the wick moves about, this will give you chance to secure it in place.

Once this layer has cooled the wick is secure. If you only have one set of chopsticks or one clothes peg, you can move it at this point. Ideally though, you would leave it in place until the whole candle is filled and cooled.

Step 7- Fill the Jar

When all the wax has melted, fill the rest of the jar.

If there are any large bits of burnt wick from the old candle, you can pick them out with your utensil. If you pour slowly, some of them will stay at the bottom of the jug and can be wiped out after.

Step 8 - Reset

Wipe out your jug ready for the next lot of wax. Repeat steps 4-7.

Step 9 - Admire

Once all the wax has cooled, trim your wick down to half a centimetre.

Trim your wick each time you light your candle.

Before After

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Notes

1. You can melt wax directly into a small saucepan. I have made my new candles without melting the wax directly into a kitchen pan. When I moved in with my partner we did have two of the same Pyrex jugs, so I have relegated one of these to my candle making and used it like a bain-marie to avoid wax in the saucepan I use for food.

2. You can mix wax together if you don't mind risking a potentially dodgy scent and uneven burn. I had enough wax from cheaper candles to keep them separate. You could layer different waxes by melting down more than one old candle at a time. You would then pour them into the jar one at a a time, waiting for the previous layer to solidify.

3. If you only have separated chopsticks, tie them together tightly at each end with an elastic band.

4. You don't have to melt your wax into the oil burner, yo can crumble it in. I like to melt it if I have enough because it is less messy and looks neater.

5. For a safe way of disposing of hot cooking oils from your kitchen, try out this "Deep Fat Fixer" from UK based company Quickshine Ltd.

Tip - Go Small

I made the mistake of way over estimating how far the wax would go.

I used a much bigger pot for my red wax than I needed and I was quite looking forward to using it as a pencil holder.

I would recommend going with a smaller jar if you have a choice.

If you then end up with too much wax, you can do the following: Line a plate/small baking tray with tinfoil keeping it as flat as possible. Crinkle up the edges to make a lip. Pour your leftover wax in. Once it has solidified, you can crumble it into Tupperware and save for later to use in an oil burner.

If you like this post or have anything to add please comment below, send me photos and share with your friends!