We love to re-use and re-purpose at Dexter & Mason. We appreciate that our candles don’t last forever; however, when the wick’s burned down, you’re left with the lovely jar.
As you can imagine, we end up with a lot of empty candle jars at our house, and it seems a shame just to stick them in the recycling. Their simple white design lends itself to lots of other uses, and they’re sturdy little jars, too.
It’s easy to get the last of the wax out of your glass jar. Gently heat it over a pan of warm water, just like melting chocolate. Then, give it a good wash, peel off the label and it’s ready for its new life.
Here’s what we do with some of our old candle glasses.
Keep your pens and pencils tidy in one of these neat little jars. 
We use them on our desks at home, and we’ve been told that they’re also great for storing older kids’ pencils and drawing pens.
We’ve left the label on this one (naturally, we love the colours!), but they peel off really easily. Sometimes they leave a faint, sticky mark, which comes off in warm, soapy water.
As well as desk tidies, they’re great for storing various bits and bobs: loose change has never looked so stylish.
Again, this is a simple way to stay on top of clutter. Keep your paintbrushes tidy in your brand new art jar.
They can be used to hold water for brush cleaning while you paint (so you can also brighten up your art studio with a bunch of freshly picked flowers).
Have a row of jars on your shelf as neat and attractive storage for art and craft materials.
Our little pots are perfect for mini cacti and succulents.
Don’t pot them directly into the glass jar, as even these scarcely watered plants need drainage. Pop them in a conventional plant pot, then slip them inside the glass candle jar.
As we designed the jar to hold candles, we made sure that they are super-stable. Those heavy-based jars are not easy to knock over!
Have a row of baby succulents in white jars to create a contemporary look.
Once the candle’s burned down, your empty pot needn’t go dark. Pop a set of battery powered fairy lights into your empty jar.
Don’t keep them for Christmas: these little jars can brighten up your home all year. Because they don’t need a power supply, you can bring them outside if you’re having an evening barbecue or al fresco supper.
We’ve used warm white lights here for their lovely glow, but you can get all sorts of colours. Tuck the battery pack towards the back so it can’t be seen.
Those are just a few ideas, and we’re sure you’ve thought of plenty more ways to reuse your empty candle jar! Please send your photos and suggestions to us via our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
