How To Remove Candle Wax From Glass

Candlelight. A beautiful way to add ambience and delicate light to your home. But what do you do when disaster strikes and you get wax where it’s not supposed to be? Don’t stress, there are a number of ways to fix it and today we’re going to be focusing on how to remove candle wax from glass. Whether it be a glass pillar candle holder, a floating candle holder or even a jar candle, we’ve listed four different ways to clean your glass.

Freeze the wax

Need a no mess, no heat and no liquid way to get wax out of your favorite glass votive candle holder? Or is the wax stuck inside one of your tealight holders and is just too tricky to try and scrape out? Placing wax into a cold environment causes it to harden and shrink, making it pull away from the glass surface. It’s a super easy way to remove wax with minimal effort. Freezing your wax is the perfect multi-tasking method that you can leave to work its magic while you attend to other things. 

1. Wait until your wax has solidified and is cool to touch. If it’s too hot, the drastic change in temperature may cause the glass to crack. And trust us, removing candle wax from glass is much easier than cleaning it out from the depths of your freezer!
2. Pop your glass holder into the freezer.
3. Let the wax freeze and contract for at least an hour. 
4. Remove the glass from the freezer. Try gently prying the wax off with your finger if you can, or tapping the glass into the palm of your hand. The wax should pop right out. If that doesn’t work, use a spoon to gently loosen the edges of the wax until it comes away completely.
5. Clean up any leftover residue with a cloth or cotton ball dipped in baby oil or water. Then rinse with soapy water.

So maybe you don’t have freezer space or you need a quicker, more immediate solution. Try this method for removing wax from glass by using hot water.  All you need is a spoon, boiling water and a sponge.

1. Use a butter knife or spoon to scrape off as much extra wax as you can. Cut slits into the remaining block of wax to break it up into smaller chunks.
2. Pour boiling water into the glass holder until it’s half full. Make sure that the wax you want to remove is fully submerged. As PartyLite candles are made using a blend of paraffin and soy wax, the soy wax has a lower melting temperature than regular candle wax. This means you don’t have to use boiling water - very hot water should do the trick just as well.
3. On contact with the water, the wax will start to melt and liquefy.
4. The melted wax will begin to rise to the top of the water and float on the surface.
5. Wait for around half an hour as the water cools and the wax hardens.
6. Use your butter knife or spoon to carefully remove the solidified wax from the top of the water. It should all peel off in one piece. If residual wax is stuck to the edges of the glass, gently scrape it away and remove that too. The wax will be soft and pliable, making it easy to remove.
7. Before you go to pour away the cooled water, catch any residual bits of wax by straining the water through your hand. Wax should never go down your drains. Catch and dispose of it in the bin.
8. Finally, clean the glass container with soapy water.

Use a double boiler

Got multiple glass candle holders that you want to remove wax from? The double boiler method may be for you. Faster than freezing the wax and more effective when you only have a thin layer of wax to remove, this quick process will have your glass holders wax free and clean in no time.

1. Similarly to the above method, use a butter knife or spoon to scrape away as much wax as you can.
2. Place a tea towel on a flat surface and a saucepan or large heat-resistant bowl on top. The tea towel will prevent your container from moving around.
3. Place your glass in the pan or bowl and fill with boiling water, making sure not to get any inside of your candle holder. Continue until the water is high enough to cover all of the wax.
4. Let the glass sit inside the water until the wax begins to soften. Don’t let the wax melt too much as liquid wax is more difficult to clean up. If you leave the wax for too long and it has melted too much, remove the glass from the water and allow it to solidify until it’s soft.
5. Carefully hold the glass in one hand and use your spoon or knife to loosen the wax until it comes free.
6. Remove the glass from the pan and tip out the block of softened wax.
7. Rinse with soapy water.

Scrape the wax

Sometimes wax can get into awkward places that make it hard to remove. Accidents can happen at any time, and the next thing you know, you’ve got hardened wax inside your hurricane candle holder, outdoor candle lantern or across your glass-topped table! Too big to fit in your freezer or not practical to melt the wax off? Either way, we’ve got a trick that will work for you. This method is quick and easy for when you need a solution, fast.

1. Run a damp sponge dipped in warm to hot water over the surface of the wax. This should moisten and loosen the wax. Don’t worry about getting a little excess water on the glass, this will actually help the process.
2. Using a razor blade, window scraper or sharp knife, very gently remove the wax by scraping under the wax where it meets the glass. Make sure to use short, soft strokes so you don’t scratch the surface of the glass. The residual water will help to reduce the friction, helping to prevent scratches from your tool. Start at one edge of the wax and begin to work round, carefully loosening the wax as you go. Eventually the wax should slide off completely.
3. Wipe the area with a damp, warm cloth to remove any wax smudges or remnants.

Tips to remember:

• When you burn a candle, always try to ensure that the wax melts evenly. PartyLite candles are made with a high quality blend of wax which melt evenly. However, if you don’t burn your candle for long enough, you may be left with a well in the middle of your candle where the wax around the edges remains solid. This can make removing the wax a lot more difficult. Always burn your candle long enough that the top surface of the wax has liquified completely.
• If you only have a small speck of wax to remove, try using a hairdryer to melt the wax. On a low to medium setting, hover the hairdryer around 30cm away from the wax for a few seconds. The wax should begin to melt and loosen. Use a damp cloth to wipe away the wax.
• Always place your candles on a level surface and away from drafts or open widows. This minimizes any risk of spillage. Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Always use an appropriate holder for your candles. Many PartyLite accessories can be used for multiple different fragrance forms, but always double check before you use them.

Now that you’ve removed candle wax from your glass container, you’re all ready to pop in and enjoy your next candle! Or you might want to use your candle jar for something else entirely. Read our list of upcycling ideas for your home to find out how you can reuse your PartyLite Jar today.