Wax melts are an easy way to add fragrance to your home, but once the fragrance fades, many people simply throw them away. However, there are lots of ways to recycle old wax melts to give them new life.
With a little creativity, you can reuse your old wax melts and keep them out of the trash. This guide provides 3 simple tips for repurposing scented wax to reduce waste.
Make Your Own Candles
You can repurpose old wax melts to make candles at home. Before you begin, you’ll need a mason jar or other candle grade container to pour your old wax into, candle wicks, and a safe way to melt your wax. You can find empty containers and candle wicks at any craft store. We recommend a double boiler to melt the wax.
First, you’ll want to gather old wax melts and put them in a heat-safe container. Melt the wax slowly, until it’s completely liquid. Place the wick in the container, and make sure not to lose the wick when pouring the wax. Carefully re-pour into your desired container.
Once the wax is poured, make sure the wick is at least a half inch above the cooled wax.
Pro-tip: If you want to layer scents, allow one scent of wax to completely cool before pouring another color or scent on top. Have fun making colorful candles!
Fix Household items
If you have a squeaky door or drawer that struggles to open, you can use solid wax to lubricate the metal. Try rubbing your old, solid wax melts onto door hinges to ease them. You can use a rag with warm water to rub off any excess wax.
The same goes for squeaky drawers, simply pull the drawer completely out and rub the wax on the drawer’s runner to help the drawer close smoothly.
You can also apply the same technique to stubborn zippers on pants and jackets, just be careful not to get excess wax on the fabric. Simply rub a small amount of solid wax on the zipper teeth and run the zipper up and down a couple of times until it’s smooth.
Fire Starters for Kindling
If you are someone who likes to go camping or make s’mores over the fire pit in your back yard, this reusable wax melt hack is for you. Start by collecting an empty paper egg carton, newspaper, old wax melts, and lint from your dryer trap. Don’t use a plastic egg carton container because the hot wax may melt the plastic.
Line a sheet pan with wax paper to catch any dripping wax. Fill the empty egg cartons with newspaper shredding. If you want to get crafty, add cedar shavings to create a woodsy smell. Pour melted wax into each carton cup, careful not to overfill. When wax is in-between melted and starting to turn solid, stick some dryer lint on top of each cup. You can also add a wick at this step for easy lighting.
Allow wax to completely cool and turn solid before trying to pop the wax out of the carton. The next time you light a fire, use one of your homemade fire starters as kindling.
It’s Cool to Recycle
With a little creativity, you can give used wax melts new life and keep them out of landfills. Reusing wax reduces waste while letting you enjoy your favorite scents again in new forms.
Remember to be safe, vigilant, and cautious when melting and working with melted wax.
If you come up with any other great solutions for reusing your wax melts, tag us on social media and we will share your ideas. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!