Quarantine life requires us to stay indoors to avoid contracting COVID-19 and help flatten the curve. For some, this means working from home. For others, it means staying in bed all day while glued to Netflix.
If you are a scent-lover like me, surely you have used up a lot of scented candles. Now, what shall we do with those leftover wax hardened in pretty glass containers? Let me show you how to easily clean up those containers by making another candle in the end. Win-Win! You can get a new candle with your favourite scent in it without even violating your community’s quarantine regulations. A bonus: we’ll use a woodwick! 😉
Materials
First, let’s gather all the materials.
- Leftover candles
- Popsicle sticks
- Olive oil
That’s it? That is it, girl!
How to:
Step 1: Soak, soak it, soak, soak it up!
For this step, take your popsicle stick. This will be our woodwick but to prevent it from burning too fast, we need to soak it in oil.
Grab a container. Place your popsicle sticks. I will be making a 3-wick candle. Hence, 3 popsicle sticks. Go get your olive oil and pour it in the container to soak the sticks. You can use a coconut oil but you have to melt it first (if not melted yet) before soaking the sticks in it.
Leave it for an hour or so. Keep in mind, though, that the longer the soak, the better the wood wick becomes.
Take note that popsicle sticks are not the best sticks for the job but they’re the only craft sticks I have around at the moment. If you have balsa wood sticks, experts say, they are one of the best for wood wicks.
Step 2: Melt the wax.
As you are soaking your sticks, it is time to melt the wax. If your candles are stuck in their jars. Here is a video on how to remove it safely and fuss-free.
Candle makers often use wax warmers to melt the wax. Do not worry. I do not have one too. You can melt it by microwaving the wax (which is a bit time consuming) or by using a double boiler. I figured melting it on a stove top works too, just do not bring it to a boil and do it with a very low setting.
A few friendly reminders. Use a pot (or a flan molder, in my case) that you will never use for food to avoid poisoning yourself in the future. You do not want some wax ending up on your soup, right? Also, cover your working area with some paper for easy clean up.
Step 3: Prepare your container.
Once your popsicle sticks are soaked enough, pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut them to your desired length and glue each one in place inside your container.
I used one of my leftover containers. I just washed it with soap and running water to remove the branding stickers. If you have a base clip, you can clip the wood then glue it in place.
Step 4: Pour and enjoy
Once your woodwick is in place and your wax is melted, pour the latter in. Let it harden for about a few hours but it is best to leave it overnight. Afterwhich, you can now light up the campfire. Yes, your wood wicks will produce a little bit of crackling which will make you feel like camping outside. (Again, without violating any quarantine rules. How cool is that?)
If some wax spilled while pouring, you can simply scrape them off once they hardened. You can also use big scissors or wire cutters to snip wicks safely.
A tip: You can put a few drops of essential oil if your wax does not have any scent yet.
How many candles can you make with your leftover candles? Share your experience. Comment below or post it on social media with the tag #mirriamdictionary 😊
Mirriam Dictionary 