Cleaning votive candle holders is an art, and knowing this art is as crucial as lighting your favorite votive candle holder. No matter how good a candle holder is, there are chances that a small amount of wax will drip. Over a period of time, the dripping wax gets accumulated and causes a huge mess. The candle soot makes your votive candleholders lose some of their shine and makes the surroundings look dirty.
How to Clean Candles
How do you remove candle wax from glass? How to get wax out of a ceramic candle holder? If you are using wood votive candle holders or metal votive candle holders, you can easily clean them using a hair dryer and butter knife. You simply have to soften the wax build-up with a warm hair dryer and then scrape it out with a butter knife. But if you are using glass candle holders, cleaning them is a little tricky.
Replacing glass votive holders with another set of holder costs money and lets the old ones go to waste. So, why let your perfectly beautiful pieces of candle holders go to waste when you have the option to restore their beautiful looks with a little effort.
Here are some of the ways you can use to clean the dripping wax from your beautiful glass votive holders and make them spick and span again.
Freezer Method
The freezer method is one of the popular ways to clean votive candle holders. Under this method, you have to place your votive holders in the freezer for several hours.
When the votive glasses are frozen, remove them and put them upside down on a dishtowel. Hold the glass upside down and gently tap the glass onto the towel. After a few taps, the wax starts sliding out. If it doesn’t, insert a spoon inside the votive holder from the edges, turn it upside down, and tap it again gently a few times. This should bring out most of the wax. However, a bit of wax will still remain on the sides. So, you have to wash the candle holder with a sponge and dish soap. After the wash, your glass votive holder looks brand new.
Important Note: The freezer method does not work if you have a votive with a glued wick.
Hot water Method
Many of you may be wondering what hot water could do to your glass votives. You might be fearing that glass may crack and your worries are not unfounded. If you pour boiling water straight into the container, it may crack. To avoid such an unpleasant situation, immerse your small votives in warm water first to help bring the glass up to temperature.
Take the glass container out of warm water and place it on a surface that has been covered with newspaper or any old cloth. Pour hot water (water should be hot enough to soften the wax and not melt it) from a kettle into the glass container. If you use boiling water, it will melt the wax and you run the risk of clogging your drain. Scoop out the softened wax. No need to worry about any spillages as these will fall onto the newspaper or old cloth without damaging your surface. Wash the residue with warm soapy water to achieve a shiny finish.
Love watching wax melt. I don’t like a lot of sun in the house and in Az that’s a challenge. So where I can I have a dark space. I have a huge candle jar with votive candles. I’ll stop for a few minutes watch it burn when I put laundry away or clean. Always have music playing too pic.twitter.com/FYnpSvxE1U
— ℤ𝕆𝔼 🌈 (@thismamatweets) January 8, 2019
Oven Method
This method allows you to remove wax from multiple candles at once. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and place the aluminium foil baking sheet inside.
Place your votives upside down on the foil and let them be there for about 15 minutes. All of the wax will melt and collect on the foil. Using a hot pad, remove each votive and wipe away any remaining wax with a paper towel, then wash with soapy water if necessary.
You may make use of any of the above-listed methods to keep votive candle holders clean and save them for future use.
