15+ DIY Ideas for Reusing Old Candle Jars

Reusing old candle jars may be helpful for householders who love collecting fragrant ones but do not know what to do with them afterward!

Remove leftover wax for reusing old candles jar, and repurpose it for repotting succulents and growing mini herbs. Besides, you can also use candles jars as drinkware or desk organizer, ferment edibles, and use them as bathroom supply holders.

To repurpose glass jars, choose mason jars or canning jars for consumable safety.

Undertake a noble deed by avoiding dirtying the environment and reusing your old candle jars for different household uses.

How to Clean Old Candle Jars Before Reusing?

Before giving your old candle jars a second life, consider removing the remaining waxy residue.

Here are some handy tips to remove the remaining wax without trying to scrap each portion using a knife or spoon.

Method	Specification
Using Freezer	1. Keep the candle car in a freezer for least an hour. 2. Use a butter knife or spoon to pop the remaining layer of wax. 3. Scrap the rest of the wax using a finger.
Using Hot Water	1. Boil some water and pour it into the candle jar. 2. Let it sit for a few minutes before most of the residue is dissolved. 2. Use a spoon or butter knife to loosen the rest.

Note! Remember to peel off the label by rinsing it with hot soapy water and scraping it with a blunt knife.

17 DIY Ideas for Reusing Old Candle Jars

Repurposing store-bought jars is an effortless task and can save some money for other expenses.

Jump into using purposeful old candle jars through the ideas below.

1. Report Your Succulents

Candle jars make great planters for small-sized succulents like the Cactus, Aloe Vera, Jade, and dwarf snake plants.

Add a layer of pebbles or marbles into the jar to prevent a wet potting mix.

Top it off with the right potting mix, usually a light and porous cacti mix.

Insert the succulent and ensure enough water to moisten the soil, as candle jars lack drainage holes.

Make the best of empty cadle glass jar by potting a succulent — Make the best of an empty candle glass jar by potting a succulent

The succulents will not grow as big as their large counterparts, but they will make great indoor décor addition.

Do not forget to DIY well-draining potting soil to serve your plants with organic mixes.

2. Create a Desk Organizer

Quick Tip: You can liven up the old candle jar by painting the exterior using durable acrylic paints.

Undoubtedly, many people use empty glass jars as desk organizers to store pens, pencils, stencils, and small office supplies.

Simply put it over the desk, drawers, or shelves and add whatever office items fit.

However, do not congest it with multiple items. Instead, use different candle jars to store office supplies based on their sizes.

3. Create a Mini Herb Garden

If you are up for creating a mini herb garden in your kitchen window, then old candle jars make great Mason jar.

Add some pebbles or marbles to the jar to prevent a wet potting mix.

Next, add some organically rich, well-draining, yet lighter potting mix (peat and compost).

Transplant or insert herb seeds into the potting mix and water it well.

Some appropriate herbs for small jars are basil, bay, chives, coriander, lemongrass, and parsley.

Quick Tip: Remember to harvest fresh leaves every few weeks in spring and summer to keep the herb going.

4. Add Bathroom Supplies

It is easy to repurpose old candle jars for bathroom uses, primarily to hold bathroom supplies.

However, do not forget to use candle jars with a lid to prevent dropping and misplacing these items.

You can keep a jar in the bathroom drawer filled with hair ties, Q-tips, cotton pads, a hairbrush, and other tiny bathroom supplies.

Otherwise, store your toothbrush, cream tubes, and toothpaste in the jar.

Besides, placing small jewelry pieces in the bathroom jar may also help keep the items from being misplaced.

5. Use Them as Pinch Pots

Old candle jars make great pinch pots for ornamental or functional purposes.

Ceramic pinch pots are naturally small, so repurposed candle jars would make great pinch pots.

Consider painting the candle jars using acrylic paints to give them a unique appearance.

Once ready, you can keep your salt and paper, spices, and other supplies in them.

Sterilize the repurposed candle jars before using them to hold chopped veggies for kitchen use.

6. Make Reusable Air-Fresheners

Empty candle jars also make DIY air fresheners that you can place in the kitchen, bedroom, or living room.

Start with filling the empty jar about three-quarters with baking soda.
Top it off with 5-10 drops of essential flavored oil (lavender, rose, cinnamon, etc.)
No need to stir up the solution; just keep it aside.

The mix would freshen up your room for about a week before requiring another top-off with essential oil.

7. Reuse to Add Condiments

Old glass jars make great containers to store condiments for kitchen use.

Some commonly used condiments, like yellow mustard, hot sauce, basil, thyme, ketchup, black pepper, and oregano, need a dry container to store.

You can repurpose your old jar to store baking and orthodox seeds to keep them dry without worrying about moisture damage.

However, do not forget to replace stale or expired condiments to prevent health problems.

8. Use as Table Decorations

Decorate your living room table, bookshelves, and office desk with beautiful glass jars containing dried decorative items.

You can use the items like pine cones, pine needs, dried flowers, and seeds which will exert a pleasant scent.

Empty glass jar can be used as table decoration — Empty glass jars can be used as table decoration.

Alternatively, you can add glitters, small toys, Christmas decorations, and tiny lights inside the glass jar.

Most of these items can be stored with a lid-on so that you can use a repurposed candle glass jar.

If you are with free hands, try creating DIY Soil for Monstera Plants and Fiddle Leaf Fig.

9. Store Leftover Grease or Oil

Most householders use glass jars to store leftover fat from fried bacon and use cooking oil for different purposes.

If you are one of those householders, you will significantly benefit from using repurposed candle jars.

Clean the glass jar and store occasional warm vinaigrette or cooking oil.

However, do not forget to keep the lid on and store it in an excellent place to avoid quick spoilage.

10. Use as a Drinkware

Many diners use repurposed candle jars for smoothies, juices, hot chocolate, and cold brew.

Interestingly, you can also use a repurposed glass jar to serve drinks at home, especially in summer.

It may be a tremendous sustainable effort to reduce the use of plastic utensils.

Use reurposed candle jar as a drinkware in summer to serve cold brew — Use repurposed candle jar as drinkware in summer to serve cold brew.

All you need to do is thoroughly clean the jar before using it as the drinkware.

Besides, you can also store drinks in the jar and keep them inside the fridge for later use.

11. Ferment Food Items

Did you know old glass jars are used throughout South Asia to prepare and store fermented items like pickles?

Therefore, repurposed candle jar can be a precious item for householders who enjoy fermenting and storing such items.

You can employ large candle jars to store kimchis, sauerkraut, fire cider, and even kombucha scoby in the candle jar.

Quick fact! You can use cheesecloth to cover the jar if you do not have an appropriate lid.

12. Use as Tupperware

Old candle jars are quite multipurpose when you know how to use them.

For instance, you can store small edibles in an old glass jar and keep them in the fridge for later.

Depending on the age, you can store edibles in drawers, fridges, or freezers.

Ready-to-eat foods such as packaged foods, chocolates, and treats can get good space in old jars.

13. Make a Cake Jar

You can use small, repurposed glass jars to prepare different desserts and store them in the fridge.

Items like fudge, trifle, and pudding can be prepared and layered inside a glass jar for storage to be eaten later.

Once prepared, you can keep them inside the fridge and take them outside just before the party or event.

Here is a video guide to help you prepare glass jar cakes.

14. Store Lemons and Citric Fruits

Like fermenting and storing pickles, you can use repurposed candle jars to preserve lemons.

Find the right-sized lemons and marinate them in the glass jar before keeping them aside.

Start making appropriate cuts on the lemon.
Add salt and water (brine) before covering it with a lid or cheesecloth.

The brine will break down the edible and keep it fresh as you lock the glass jar to store it long-term.

15. Use as Seed Planters

Gardeners often use clear glass jars for germinating seeds and root plant cuttings.

The repurposed candle glass jars will host many starter plants at home so that you can transplant them the following spring.

When rooting cuttings, fill the glass jar with tepid water, add rooting hormone, and submerge the cutting.

Do not forget to replace the water once every week and clean the jar before reusing it.

In case of germinating seeds, add the appropriate starter mix, insert a few sources, moisten the mix, and cover it with clear plastic with holes.

If you have some space in the garden, you can also build DIY-raised garden beds.

16. Make a Coin Jar

Are you an avid coin collector? Then you would love using repurposed glass for your love of coins.

Old glass candle jars are great for storing old, rare, and historical coins safely in one place.

Keep them in drawers, tabletops, and bookshelves, so you can see through the clear glass to admire your coin collection as you read your favorite book!

In addition, you can store rare collectibles such as tiny military toys, hot wheels, and baseball cards in the glass jar.

17. Create a New Candle

Many wonder what to do with the leftover candle wax, especially after removing it from old candle jars.

The best answer is to repurpose the candle wax to make another candle.

As there would not be enough leftover wax to make a whole new candle, you can source multiple candle jars for the same.

Gently heat the leftover wax in a pan.
Pour it inside the glass jar.
Add an appropriate tealight wick.
Store it in a freezer for a few hours.

Voila! Your new candle is ready to be used again!

Wrapping Up

Let the old candle glass jars be helpful to you by repurposing them for different household usage!

However, remember to sterilize them using 70% isopropanol (ethyl alcohol) to remove toxins before using them for storing edibles.