by A. L. Sugden

Created on: July 19, 2008   Last Updated: August 05, 2008

There are countless glass candle holders across the country, perhaps even across the world that are sitting in closets instead of being used. Every one of them is layered in wax. And no one wants to spend the time and frustration trying to scrape the wax out so they can use the candle holder again. We're all hoping for a secret, easier way. How do I know? At least once a day, someone finds my blog by searching for the term "remove wax from glass." I searched for that term, too, and found the secret.

There really is an easy way to remove all the wax from glass. All you need is a freezer and some kind of cloth. That's it! Here are the steps to removing wax from glass votives:

REMOVE THE CANDLE.
Ok, so this seems like a no-brainer, but it's actually optional. You'll want to pop out any salvage-able candle or the remaining metal plate and wick. And you can, if you want. But if the candle or its remains are stubborn, don't get out the hammer. Just skip along to step two. It'll be ok, I promise.

PLACE VOTIVE IN FREEZER.
Tada! This is the magic secret. In the freezer the glass will expand, breaking the bond between it and the wax. You'll want to leave it in there for a couple hours, or overnight. When you check on your votive, it may not look like much more than frozen glass and cold wax. No worries. Move along to step three.

REMOVE WAX.
Another no-brainer, but this one comes with a warning. Your glass is going to be cold. That means it's a bit fragile right now. Tap the glass gently first to see if the wax leaves willingly. If it doesn't, you can place a dish towel on your counter and try tapping the votive upside down on that.

Whatever you do, do not expose it to heat: the glass will crack.

Most of the wax should just pop right out. There may be a few shnibbles left where the wax once spattered. They should all wipe out fairly easily, with very little scraping.

CLEAN VOTIVE.
Here's your chance to let the votive start fresh. If there are scorch marks or microscopic wax shnibbles or a couple layers of dust, a wet cloth will now work wonders. Just make sure you let the glass come to room temperature before submerging in warm water. A little hand-washing will bring your votive back to its fresh-from-the-store state. (Or, if you're like me, you can wipe out the wax and put the votive in the dishwasher. Hooray for technology!)

Removing wax from glass votives is so easy, you'll want to de-wax your entire collection and buy new candles. And go ahead, tell your neighbor the magic secret to removing wax from glass. We can save the votives, one freezer at a time.

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