Getting candle wax out of candlesticks - just in time for Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to get out your favourite candlesticks - to light up the dark winter night. If you're one of those who eagerly packed away last year's Christmas decorations, you might find that your candlesticks are covered in congealed candle wax.

3 ways to remove stearin from candlesticks

1. In the oven

Candlesticks that can withstand heat can be placed in the oven to remove the candle wax. The heat dissolves the stearin from the candlestick and makes it easy to clean. With this trick, you can even remove small lumps of candle wax without scraping with a knife. All you need is an oven, oven rack and baking paper!

Do this:

1. Set the oven to 110 degrees
2. Place the baking tray paper in the bottom of the oven
3. Place the candlestick on the oven rack
4. After 10 minutes the stearin will start dripping
5. Clean with a soft cloth

Make sure your oven is clean before you try this housewife trick - read how to clean an ingrown oven here!

2. With boiling water

You can remove the candle wax from the candlestick by washing it under boiling water. Make sure you have a bowl or similar under the candlestick so that the candle wax does not go down the drain. Otherwise it can easily get blocked. For candlesticks with a lot of candle wax, you can boil water in a saucepan and then immerse it until the candle wax melts.

3. Freezing and refrigeration

For most candlesticks, using the cold is an excellent way to remove candle wax. Now that winter is here, you can even try putting your candlestick outside, or use your kitchen freezer. Leave the candlestick in the fridge for about 1 hour. The cold will solidify the candle and make it easier to remove. Voilà! You now have a sparkling clean candlestick.

Getting stearin out of brass

Brass is a delicate material that scratches easily. Therefore, it is important to handle your candlestick carefully with soft cloths that will not damage the surface. To remove candle wax from your brass candlestick, you can try the following housewife tips, which only require cold water and a knife.

Do this:

1. Leave your candlestick under cold running water
2. The water softens the hard stearin and makes it easy to remove
3. Take a knife (a butter knife works well) and gently scrape off the stearin
4. Use a polishing cloth to polish up the brass