What to Do With Leftover Candle Wax: 17 Clever Uses

Published February 25, 2021
Leftover Candle Wax

Have you ever burned a candle and wondered what to do with leftover candle wax? There are several easy answers. It only requires a little imagination and a willingness to try something different.

Discover What to Do With Leftover Candle Wax

To use leftover candle was, you need to melt it. You can remelt leftover candle wax and combine with the same type of wax. If you don't have the same kind of wax to use with your leftover wax, you can always add it to another type of wax, such as paraffin, soy, palm, beeswax, or other wax.

1. Make a Watercolor Wax Resist Painting

Use the hardened, colorless or white leftover candle wax like crayons and draw a design on watercolor paper. Then, paint over it with watercolors to create a beautiful wax resist.

2. Make a Votive or Tealight Candle

If your candle didn't burn all the way down, you can reuse the wax by melting it. You can then create either a votive or a tealight candle.

3. Wax for Seals

Wax for Seals

Using a wax and seal for letters is no longer necessary, but some people enjoy the romantic touch it adds You can use your leftover wax to use with a seal for that special person's birthday or anniversary card.

4. Repair Shoelaces

The ends of shoelaces can begin to wear and fray before it's time to replace them. You can use your leftover wax to seal the frayed ends. Just dip them into melted wax and using your thumb and forefinger roll them slightly to get the ends to stick together.

5. Make Adorable Mini-Candles

You can divide the leftover wax to make some adorable shallow mini-candles. You can use natural holders like seashells and nut shells with short wicks to create a fun collection of candles.

6. Create Ornaments

You can use Christmas casting silicone molds to create unique ornaments. You can use a candle drip protector for a pillar candle and hang your wax ornaments around it.

7. Make Wax Figurines

You can use various figurine molds or carve your own. Choose a theme such as Easter or birds and see how many different figurines you can make. Don't be afraid to use different colors for fun creations.

8. Make Leftover Candle Wax Into Wax Melts

You can create scented wax melts for your wax warmer. You'll want unscented candle wax or choose a complementary essential oil scent. You may just invent your own personal scent.

9. Make Wax Fruit

The art of making wax fruit isn't as difficult as it might sound. You can use a basic fruit shape and then, using wax paint, create realistic fruit to place in a bowl on your dining table.

10. Make Wax Ice Cube Charms

Another way to make use of molds is to make ice cube charms. You can freeze these charms inside ice cube trays for adorable ice cube charms. Your guests will find these creative and exciting as the ice cubes begin to melt. You can reuse often.

11. Wax a Zipper

If you have a zipper that doesn't have a smooth pull, you can use a tiny bit of melted wax to make it zip. Use a cotton swab dipped in melted wax and run it along the zipper line.

12. Remedy a Sticking Drawer

Remedy Sticking Drawer

You can remedy a sticking drawer by using the leftover wax. You can apply the candle wax on the drawer slides.

13. Make Fire Starters

You can make some great fire starters when you use a cardboard egg carton or cupcake pan with cupcake liners, tissue/tissue paper, wax, and a stick match. Fill the egg carton or cupcake liner with tissue paper or other combustible materials, like twigs, pine needles, or paper towel strips. Pour the melted wax into the egg depressions or cupcake pan and add a fresh matchstick. You can use the entire carton, break the egg depression free to use individually, or the individual cupcake liners.

14. Use to Wax Furniture

If you have beeswax and paraffin wax leftover, you can make a furniture wax by using it in a 50/50 ratio. Just melt the two waxes together, pour into a heat resistant container, allow to cool and use the same way you'd use any furniture wax and then buff your furniture.

15. Create a Citronella Candle

Citronella Candle

You can use your leftover wax to create a citronella candle. You'll need to add three drops of citronella oil to every eight ounces of wax.

16. Remove Leather Shoe Scuff Marks

You can add a teaspoon of your favorite oil, such as olive oil to one-fourth cup of melted candle wax. The two need to be thoroughly mixed and cooled enough to work into your shoes with a soft cloth. Your leathers will have a nice new sheen to them.

17. Use It as Batik Wax

Paraffin or beeswax can be used in the creation of a batik design. In batik, you paint wax over the areas you don't want dyed. This process can use multi-layers of colors. You will crack the wax each time you apply it and allow it to dry. This gives the overall design a crackled coloring. The wax is ironed out of the fabric between layers of throwaway cloths.

Reuse Leftover Candle Wax

There are several ways you can use leftover candle wax. You can use it for a utilitarian, aesthetic, or artistic purpose. For more wax tips, learn how to get wax out of a candle holder so you can reuse it in one of these ways.

What to Do With Leftover Candle Wax: 17 Clever Uses