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RECYCLE OLD CANDLES AND MAKE ICE CANDLES

APRIL 2, 2013 BY GERBERMOM

Enjoying the smell of a favorite candle is one of life’s little pleasures. To make our rental house more homey I’ve been using candles much more often. Along the way I discovered I’m a bit of a candle snob. Not only do I want my candle to smell good – I want it to look good too. Which is a problem because I’m a total sucker for any cheap coconut or vanilla candle I find that reminds me of being on the beach.

If you find a candle you love but don’t like the container – or just want a way to give new life to a half used candle – you can recycle your favorite scent into an ice candle. Have you ever heard of ice candles? Yes, you actually use ice! Using ice gives the candle a unique – and slightly unpredictable – texture.

To make your own ice candles you will need:

• Old candles you want to recycle or soy wax if you want to start from scratch.
• Cardboard containers, like a milk carton.
• Wicks.
• A pencil.
• Waterproof glue.
• Ice cubes.

Step 1: To recycle an old candle in a glass container, tie it in a plastic grocery bag and smash it till the glass breaks. The driveway works well for this. Yes, it’s very therapeutic to break something but be very careful! After the glass has been removed, rinse off the candle to get rid of any shards. Then cut it into thick chunks.

Step 2: Cut the top off an old milk carton and thoroughly clean it. Then glue the wick to the bottom of the carton with water proof glue. Wrap the top of the wick around a pencil and set it on top of the carton.

Step 3: Melt the wax using a double broiler. When it’s ready to pour, fill the milk carton with ice cubes. (Try not to use too many small pieces of ice or your candle might fall apart in the middle.) Then pour the melted wax into the carton and cover the ice.

Step 4: Let the candle sit for a couple of hours and pour out the water from the melted ice. Then tear away the carton from the candle. Depending on how the ice melted in the milk carton, you might have some missing pieces from the candle. This adds character!