Cleaning Votives/Candle Tarts

I love candles, but when the votive candles are spent, how do you get them out of the glass holders? The scented candle tarts are no better. They are permanently melted into their holders.

On a recent visit to Yankee Candle's flagship store in Williamsburg, VA, I learned the secret of cleaning these out--it's the freezer. One of the sales associates told me that if you put the spent tarts in the freezer they would fall right out of the holder. Sure enough, after just about 5 minutes in the freezer, they popped right out.

I tried the same with a spent votive, and had similar results. I compared the time it took me using hot water and the freezer method, and the freezer was much faster.

Once the glass votives are empty, I pop them in the dishwasher to get the last residue off and to shine them up.

Now you can enjoy the candles and have a hassle free way to clean them up.

Let your light shine!