Upcycling Candle Vessels for DIY Decor Projects

October 06, 2021

At PoM, we are definitely candle lovers—from making them to lighting them—but did you know that their decorative containers are also great for upcycling projects? This bonus feature of candles is our highlight for this week and we've got the low-down on how to do it!

Once a candle has burned down to its wick's end (pun intended), don't just throw aways those finished candle jars. Instead, use them for whatever your DIY heart desires. That's right, it's time to get crafty friends and in a sustainable way too! If you're looking for inspiration on how to upcycle those candle jars and vessels, we've got a few suggestions:

Succulent Planters—PoM's Limited Edition Concrete Candles make great planters, especially for low maintenance plants that don't require much water (or a hole in the bottom of the planter).
Desk Organizers—great for all those odds and ends in the home office as well as a glorified paper weight (see ya later scattered pens, pencils, and paper clips!)
Flower Vases—for dried, artificial or even fresh flowers, go one step further and make it tres chic by painting the outside of the glass or wrapping it with hemp.

When it comes to upcycling candle vessels, there are many ways to use it for decor and storing things, such as loose change, etc. We love the idea that a candle's life doesn't just end there, and we encourage everyone to find sustainable ways to consume and upcycle (our) products. We've gone into more detail about a few of our suggestions below.

BUT, first things first, you have to remove the wax!

We've found that boiling water to remove the residual left-over wax is what works best for us.

How to use boiling water to remove left-over wax:

Pour boiling water into the container, leaving room at the top. (If your candle is made of a soft wax, such as soy wax, you can use hot water that's not quite boiling.) The boiling water will melt the wax, which will float to the top. Let the water cool and remove the wax. If there is any left-over, repeat the process again. If perhaps there is resin (normally from improper wick trimming) or black residue, rubbing with cleaning alcohol or soap should help get rid of that.

Creating a custom Candle-Jar Planter:

Small pops of greenery in the home or office is an easy way to boost the mood of every room in any season—and recycling a candle jar is the perfect, more eco-friendly alternative to searching high and low for a brand-new planting pot. We like air plants or succulents—they’re a good size for the containers and simpler to take care long-term. But if you happen to have a green thumb, the sky—er, the garden—is the limit. Just grab your empty candle and your favorite planting strategy, and go with the flow. You can add sand or small pebbles including colorful ones to dress up the plant's soil as well.

Recycling an empty 3-wick into an Office Catch-All:

Desks and office spaces are notorious clutter magnets and need quick and easy ways to get organized. That's when a repurposed 3-wick candle feels so much more special and sustainable than those utilitarian office supply containers. Pens, pencils, paper clips, push-pins, USB-sticks—any tiny, runaway-prone item is fair game for getting organized into one spot or pot! We even like upcycling colored-glass jars to add a decorative kick to playrooms and craft tables—or leaving a little bit of wax at the bottom of the candle for an extra pop of color, texture and fragrance. (Scented markers are a thing after all).

These are just some ideas on upcycling and keeping candle jars out of our waste bins and landfills. So go light a candle and watch it burn in anticipation for your next DIY project.

If you don't have any beautiful candle jars and vessels to repurpose and need an artisan candle to relax and get creative with, head over to our candle collection to find the perfect scented candle!

Tip: Our Louie and Stella Candles (featured below) are great decorative art that can be used for any of the DIY upcycling projects above.