Finally, a fast, no-fuss way to remove wax from a glass votive

There are few better, easier, less expensive ways to add instant ambiance to your home than by spreading out a bunch of little candles in clear glass votive holders. The only problem? Trying to remove the candle wax that pools and dries at the bottom of the holders. I've attempted the freezer method several times before (where you toss your votives in the freezer for a couple hours and then chip away at the chilled wax with a dull knife) but found the process messy, and somewhat ineffective-inevitably, even if you're able to get most of the wax off, there's still some residue left on the glass which makes it look dirty. Thankfully, I just discovered a really simple alternative to solve the caked-on wax conundrum.

Yesterday a friend tipped me off to the fact that you could microwave the votive holder to melt the wax, and wipe the interior with a paper towel to get it sparkling clean. I tried it just now and it works brilliantly. Since I wasn't sure how long it would take to get the wax to melt, I zapped the vessel for 30 second intervals until the wax had liquefied. The "cooking" time will vary depending on the power of your microwave, so though in total mine took two minutes to heat up, I would suggest you do your own experimenting to figure out how much time you need to give yours. Once the wax has melted, carefully remove the votive holder from the microwave with a dish towel (it's going to be hot!) and rub down the interior with a clean paper towel to get it looking good as new.

Find more household tricks and inspiration at Make Home A Haven.