It’s Earth Day 2022 this Friday, the day celebrates our planet Earth and is a platform to raise awareness about environmental and humanitarian issues. The global theme for 2022 is to Invest In Our Planet by acting now on climate change and other issues for a sustainable future.
To mark the day, there will be group events like worldwide rallies, conferences, and clean-up schemes. We know these organised activities aren’t for everyone but as individuals we can still make a difference. What each of us does and how we do it has a ripple effect on our ecosystems - our power is simple yet effective.
Like so many others, as a company we’re not perfect but we are always working hard to do better. With integrity, honesty and diversity being at the core of what we do, we constantly strive to treat others as we would like to be treated. We are CARBON NEUTRAL and produce our collections as responsibly as we can:
- Use only the finest blend of botanical soy wax combined with food grade wax
- Lead-free 100% cotton wicks
- Vegan friendly
- A no animal testing policy is applied to all our products
- We provide diffuser refills and candle refills to encourage you to reuse the vessels
- The candle glass and packaging can be recycled, reused or repurposed
We encourage you to help in our mission to #investinourplanet and reduce waste by reusing our vessels. Each piece is designed to be adored beyond the life of the candle burn or oil diffusion. Meticulously hand-crafted by artisan masters they are simply too beautiful to throw away.
The Housekeeping Bit
For candles, the first step to reusing the decorative jars is removing that pesky last chunk of wax from inside. This does involve a little bit of housekeeping but it’s definitely worth it to get the most out of your beautiful vessel. We can do this in a few different ways depending on how persistent that wax is!
The Big Freeze Method
This method is particularly good for Paraffin wax or Beeswax.
Candle wax becomes brittle when frozen making it easier to remove. Place the old candle into the freezer for a couple of hours. Once frozen use a flat edged knife (nothing sharp!) to pry out the wax. We like to use a butter or pallet knife.
To remove the leftover debris put some warm water on a paper towel and wipe the inside of the vessel.
Apsley Hint - Keep checking in on the candle when it’s in the freezer, if it gets too cold there is a risk the vessel can crack. Perhaps set a timer to remind you to bring it out.
The Bain Marie Method
This method is good for the more stubborn waxes, but make sure your container can handle the heat.
Simply fill a heat-proof bowl with boiling water and place the candle holder in it for a few minutes. The water will heat the container and melt the wax attached to the inside. Once the wax is soft carefully remove the jar and pour out the melted wax. Give the jar a wash using warm water and soap.
Apsley Hint – don’t pour the wax down the drain, it’s not good for the water ecosystem and may clog up your pipes when it cools. Instead, put it on a plate or baking sheet, let it solidify to be used another time (we’ve given you a few ideas later in the blog). You can also reuse the boiled water to wash your jar rather than simply pouring it away – “waste not, want not” and all that!
The Teaspoon Method
This method is good for waxes with a low melting point, such as Soy. It’s also the safest method if you have any concerns about the jar’s fragility.
The first thing to do is get rid of as much of the leftover wax as possible with a teaspoon. To remove the wick, use the spoon as leverage by placing it under the metal tab that holds the candle wick in place and pulling the wick, it should just come away from the base of the vessel. Then simply fill the jar with soap and hot water, leave it to sit for a couple of minutes then give it a good scrub
Apsley Hint – This hot water method is ideal for cleaning diffuser bottles too! Just be sure to wipe the inside so it’s totally dry and all oil droplets have been removed before repurposing
Additional Hints & Tips
- Remember - a candle’s life ends once you are down to the last ¼ inch of wax, after this point they are not safe to burn as you risk the jar shattering from the heat
- Don’t waste those chunks of unused wax – they’re great for a wax burner, drawer fragrance pouch or if you’re feeling particularly creative you could make your own candle by combining all the leftover wax you have collected, melting it down and pouring it into an empty jar, insert a wick and you have a signature candle. Just make sure the scents don’t clash too much! Jump online to find complete instructions
- Before reusing the vessel, always remove the wick and its holder. You should be able to lightly tug it or lift it with a spoon as explained in the ‘Teaspoon Method’
- If the vessel has an annoying sticky label (which I’m pleased to say ours don’t!) you can try to remove it by leaving an equal mix of baking soda and cooking oil on the label for about 30mins then scrubbing it off with a steel wool pad
The Creative Bit
Okay, the vessel is clean and looking as good as new so the big question is “what can you actually reuse a candle jar or diffuser bottle for?” The first option is of course to refill the vessel with a candle or diffuser oil, you can see all our refill options on the website www.apsleyaustralia.com
But there are so many alternative uses, and to be honest we are only limited by our own imagination. Here are just a few but we’re sure you’ll have other ideas too!
Planters and Vases
We love to use our beautiful Luxury Candle glassware for planting, it is the perfect vessel for showcasing your favourite plants and cuttings. Clear glass vessels are great for succulents, proudly showing off the different layers of stone, soil and moss.
Votive candle holders are super cute as herb pots and can make a lovely window garden in the kitchen.
Your diffuser bottles are perfect for holding flower posies and garden blooms. We use our Scented Space perfume bottle for this and they look fab:
Tea Light Holders and Hurricane Lanterns
To up the ambience of your home, both inside and out, simply drop a tea light or small candle votive into the jar – the flickering effect will be mesmerising.
Placed in the window or as a table centrepiece, larger jars will look great with a few coiled rolls of fairy lights inside - mood lighting in an instant!
Dresser & Bathroom Organiser
Hands up, who feels overwhelmed by the clutter on their dresser or in the bathroom?
Jars of all shapes and sizes are perfect for getting your beauty and toiletry essentials sorted! They can hold makeup brushes, hair accessories, lipsticks, eyeliners, cotton swabs & pads, manicure essentials, jewellery, toothbrushes & paste….. Okay, I’ll stop, but you get the idea!!
Desk Storage
Just like a vanity area, desks are prone to getting messy so use your jars to organise your stationery essentials – pens, scissors, rulers, sticky notes, staplers, highlighters. In your drawers place small votives in a row to separate paperclips, drawing pins, glue sticks, staples, USB sticks. It will be great for your working zen!
Match Jar
Matches can just be seen as a means to the end, but they can become part of your home décor, looking so elegant placed on the fireplace in our exquisite Abode Aroma Crystal Diffuser Bottles. The Crystal Candle Glassware can display your essential Candle Accessory Set.
I could carry on with ideas such as money banks, snack jars, drinkware, pinch pots. We would absolutely love to see what you do with your vessels so please share your styling ideas with us @apsleyandcompany @abodearoma @scentedspace
If you have any thoughts, suggestions or questions regarding our product development, designs and production processes please feel free to email us https://www.apsleyaustralia.com/pages/contact or direct mail sales@apsleyaustralia.com As we say we’re not perfect, but we are constantly inspired by Thomas Edison’s quote “There’s a way to do it better – find it!”
Happy Earth Day – here’s to investing in our planet together!
Team Apsley
xxx