Helpful hints: make new candles and get rid of the old

I go through stages with candles.  We'll have one burning constantly for a few months (when we are home and awake) and then I won't touch them for months.  Because of that, I had some partial ones lingering in the cupboard that could no longer be burned but still had too much wax in them for me to just throw away.  Plus, I like cleaning out candle jars because they make good storage for other things.  I finally realized they could be melted and combined.  It was an amazing discovery.  I've only made one so far but have a few more I want to combine.  What was 3 jars taking up space is now only one!  This was an easy project that took less than $2 in supplies and a little time.

Candle combining
Supplies needed:
-old candles
-clean glass jar for new candle
-wicks
-stove
-pan
-water
-something to hold the wick straight up

Step 1: gather supplies
I had three fall-ish themed scents that could no longer be burnt with their original wicks.  I believe they were cinnamon spice, cinnamon vanilla, and peach.  The peach doesn't totally go with the other two but the color is fall and I wanted to use it up so in it went.  I found the wicks at Hobby Lobby for about $2.  They do not sell them at Jo-Anns (I looked there first and asked.).  I had a previously used and cleaned candle jar that I used for my new candle.

Step 2: melt candles
I used a chopstick to hold the wick in the middle of my new jar.  Then I put my first candle in a pot and filled around it with water.  I put this on the stove on high until the wax was totally melted.  I'm scared of boiling water and glass, constantly afraid it's going to explode, so I put the glass in from the beginning.  I had no exploding candle jars this whole time.  Once the wax was all melted (took about 10 minutes), I fished out the remainder of the original wick with a plastic fork and then dumped the hot wax into my new jar.  Let it cool completely. 

After taking this picture I switched to a bigger pot.  This one kept boiling over and making a mess.

Once the wax was completely cool I repeated with the next candle.  Since I did the first layer in the evening, I waited until morning for the second and then afternoon for the third. 

Bonus is all the melting candles makes the house smell pretty good!

Step 3: finish
Trim the new wick down and that's it!  It's not a real time consuming project but definitely made enough of a mess in the kitchen, with candle jars waiting to be cleaned.  Obviously, I would encourage thoroughly cleaning all old candle jars and reusing them or donating.  Do not just throw them away!!

I used soapy water and my homemade goo-gone to get them clean.  I currently use an old candle jar to store my homemade dryer sheets and have used this new candle jar in the past to store candy.  There are plenty of uses for them or probably people on Freecycle who would take them.  So please don't throw them away.

Source:  E