How To Clean Tall Glass Candle Holders

Tall glass candle holders, often referred to as hurricane candle holders, are desirable because they prevent wind from putting out a candle's flame. Plus, they can look stylish and be customizable in shape and design, which makes them not only trendy and a way to maximize the mood of your candles, but also functional. Still, there's a chance that soot will accumulate on the glass and turn it black, and when the candle's wax drips during burning, it can collect, harden, and get stuck to the holder. 

That's where you can step in with some good old-fashioned DIY (which is also beneficial for your physical and mental health) to keep things clean. Some people recommend using a freezer to shrink and loosen the wax, and others suggest using a hairdryer to re-melt the wax and make it easier to remove, but there are simpler ways that only require soap, warm or hot water, a butter knife or spoon, a cloth towel, and potentially vinegar or another solvent.

Using warm water can bring all of the stubborn wax stuck at the bottom of the holder to the top, but be cautious of thermal shock, which occurs when the glass cracks or breaks due to a jarring change in temperature. To avoid that, you can create a double boiler where you place the glass inside a container of warm water, without letting the water get inside the glass. Then, it'll be easier to scrape the wax out with a butter knife or spoon. If that's still tough, consider using a sharp knife, window scraper, or razor blade.

The first step to cleaning your candle holder is doing a preliminary scraping to get out as much wax as you can. Next, make a large bowl of hot or warm water, then place the candle holder into a smaller bowl, fill that with water, too, and place it inside the larger bowl, making sure not to let any water get inside the holder. This allows the wax to warm and melt without thermal shock.

To measure when the wax is soft enough to be easily removed, you can poke it with a utensil. When it feels done, use a cloth towel to lift the holder from the hot water. Then, it's time to remove the wax. Using utensils that are plastic or have a soft edge, such as spoons, is a great option because it'll avoid scratching and damaging the glass. If they aren't working, you can use a more intensive tool, but it's important to be gentle and careful.

After you've scraped, you'll want to clean up the candle holder to restore its transparent look. Instead of running it under cold water, make sure you're preventing any drastic temperature changes that'll damage the glass by first wiping the outside with a warm towel or cloth. Then, to wash the inside, soap, water, and a spoon can often be enough to do the trick, but when you need to bring in other solutions, vinegar can be a versatile cleaning tool because it dissolves wax. Other solvent options include rubbing alcohol, window cleaner, and bleach. Once done, let dry and enjoy your clean candle holder as part of some fresh décor.