Glass Candle Holders: Cleaning your Glass Candle Holders

By Sirena Van Schaik

Candle holders can be so nice to have when you first purchase them and display them. They sparkle in the light and cast beautiful reflections on your walls and you are always positive that this is it, the only glass candle holder that you will ever need to buy.

Unfortunately, by the time you are finished burning a candle in your holder, you are ready to purchase a new candle holder. The glass doesn’t shine like it once did and everything looks pretty muddy. On top of that, there is a horrible soot that has coated the inside and it doesn’t look nice anymore, just old and ready for the junk closet.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be this way and there are ways to clean your glass candle holders so it seems like they are brand new.

Generally, when you are using glass candle holders, much of the cleanup will involve the built up wax that is found on the sides and bottom of the holder. Sometimes, when you pull out your candle, it takes a large chunk of spilt wax with it but occasionally there is still a large amount of wax stuck to the candle holder.

If this is the case, it is very easy to remove the wax but it does take a little bit of time so this shouldn’t be done 5 minutes before you have guests arriving.

Take your glass candle holder and place it in the freezer. This can be the freezer that is attached to your refrigerator and no, you don’t need a deep freezer for this to work. Leave the holder in the freezer overnight while you go and get some much needed sleep. When you wake up, all you will need to do is remove the candle holder from the freezer and pop the wax out.

The reason why this works is the fact that wax shrinks when it is cold. Easy cleanup and all you will need to do is scrape the few remaining bits of wax with a steel wool and dish soap. The wax should come off completely this way and you will be able to continue cleaning your glass candle holder.

At this point, you may want to remove the soot from the candle flame. Usually, while you are scraping the wax off, you may be able to tackle the soot and lift it off with dish soap and a good sponge but if you still feel a residue on the glass, using a rubbing alcohol will help remove the excess grease and soot.

Finish cleaning the glass candle holder with dish soap and water and allow it to dry completely. At this point, your candle holder should be nice and clean but it may not have as much sparkle as it once did. If this is the case, simply use a glass polisher or vinegar to make it sparkle once more.

Following these steps will keep your glass candle holders sparkling and beautiful.

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