Recycle old candles it’s a great idea to reduce waste and create new personalized candles. If you have old worn out candles or leftovers, you can easily collect them and prepare them for recycling. A useful trick for removing residual wax from containers is put them in the freezer, facilitating the removal process.
Once you’ve collected the wax, you can melt it using a pan that you don’t use for cooking. The melting process must take place over low heat to prevent the wax from burning. An even safer method is bain-mariewhere the pot with wax is placed on top of another containing boiling water. This allows the wax to melt gradually and uniformly.
During this step, you can also add old wicks recovered from other candles or create new ones using cotton. If you want to give a special touch to your candle, you can add a teaspoon of ground coffee to molten wax. This will not only give a pleasant aroma to the candle, but will also create a rustic and natural look thanks to the coffee grains embedded in the wax.
Clean the glass well with alcohol
In the meantime, if you have decided to use glasses or glass jars as containers for your new candle, make sure they are clean. For thorough cleaning, use a sponge soaked in alcohol to eliminate any trace of dirt or residues of previous wax. Once cleaned, the containers will be ready to welcome the melted wax.
Before pouring the wax, cut a piece of wire or wick and dip it into the melted wax to prepare. This wick will then be placed in the center of the container, perhaps fixing it with a clothespin or a stick to keep it straight. Once everything is ready, you can pour the melted wax into the container, taking care to leave enough space to avoid spills.
To obtain a homogeneous candle without depressions, it is advisable pour the wax in layers. Let each layer cool and solidify before adding another. By following this process, you will be able to create new ready-to-use, personalized candles made from recycled materials with just one password: no waste!
