Re-use Yankee Candle Jars: How to Remove Wax from the Glass Holder

I don't know about you, but I have been burning through Yankee Candles this holiday season...pun intended.  The Yankee Candles come in such beautiful glass jars I really want to save them to upcycle after the candles were long gone...but before that I had to figure out how to remove the wax from the glass holder.

First, I peeled off the label.  Don't worry about any left over residue right now, you can use goo gone after you get the wax out to remove it. 

After the label was off, I burned the candle down as low as possible.  When most of the wax had melted to liquid I poured it into another container.  (Actually I consolidated it into another candle of a very similar scent).  You could also empty it into an empty soup can or another glass jar. 

After I poured out the liquid wax, I let the rest of the wax harden up in the original Yankee Candle jar.  Once it was solid, I used a paring knife to cut wedges - about 6 or 8 sections - into the hardened wax.

Make sure to cut all the way through the wax to the bottom of the glass jar.  Then take the knife and go around the side of the wax to loosen it from the side of the jar.   Use the tip of the knife to pry out one of the wedges.

Once it's out the rest will come out pretty easily and in solid pieces.

Once you've been able to remove the entire wax candle from the glass, clean out the jar to remove any black soot and wax smudges.  I soak it in soap and water and use goo gone.  After I got it pretty clean, I ran the jar through the dishwasher to get rid of the candle scent.  This isn't necessary - but I filled my jar with candies and didn't want to eat evergreen-scented M&Ms.

You could also re-use Yankee Candle jars with one of those dry hot chocolate mix gift sets or add a label and store pantry items in the jar.  The possibilities are endless...

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