Looking for creative ways to up-cycle old candle jars? These days, candles are often outfitted in jars that are every bit as beautiful as the scents themselves, making it hard to pitch the empty jar into the trash after the candle wax has been burned down to the wick.
Giving new life to an old candle jar isn’t just sustainable—it’s also a great way to transform a candle that was a sentimental gift (or a luxury splurge) into a forever decor piece.
To help get you inspired on how to best put old candle jars back to work, we asked a handful of organizing pros to share their favorite reinventions. From makeup brush holders to coffee spoon crocks, these are the best ways to give your old candle jars new life.
The Spruce / Candace Madonna
From cotton balls to band-aids, small odds and ends abound in the bathroom; which is why old candle jars—with their ability to corral and organize—can be easily fashioned into bathroom heroes.
“My favorite place to repurpose candle jars is in a bathroom drawer, medicine cabinet, or on a countertop tray,” Louisa Roberts, an organization expert at NEAT Method NYC, says. “They're often the perfect size to huddle smaller toiletry items like lip gloss, cotton swabs, or makeup brushes.”
If you don’t have enclosed cabinet storage in your bathroom, try grouping candle jars on a tray with a few other items such as perfume bottles or fresh or faux flowers. A frilled-out tray will give your candle jars more presence, making them look more like intentional decor on your vanity top.
The Spruce / Michaela Blaire
As any coffee connoisseur knows, coffee making requires a multitude of different tools, including spoons for measuring your beans and grounds.
“When drawers are lacking in your kitchen, you