Every wax burner needs emptying sooner or later: when the scent has faded, when you want to change blends, or when the dish has collected a film of old wax. It takes a couple of minutes, and the cleaner the dish, the truer the next fragrance. Here are three ways to do it, how to wash the ceramic afterwards, and the few things never to do.
The short answer
Blow out the tealight and let the burner cool completely so the wax sets hard. Press one edge of the disc and it usually pops out whole; if it sticks, put the cold dish in the freezer for ten minutes first. Wipe the dish with kitchen paper, and wash the ceramic in warm soapy water now and then.
When to clean your burner
- When the scent has gone. If you can no longer smell the wax while it is melted, the fragrance is spent and the wax is ready to come out.
- When you change blends. A fresh fragrance in a clean dish smells like itself. Old wax underneath muddies it.
- When the dish looks tired. A cloudy film, dust or soot from the tealight are all easy to shift once the burner is cool.
Method 1: let it set and pop it out
This is the everyday method and needs nothing at all. Blow out the tealight and leave the burner until it is completely cold, which usually takes about half an hour. The wax shrinks slightly as it sets, so pressing gently on one edge of the disc lifts the other edge, and the whole disc comes out in one piece. Finish with a wipe of kitchen paper to take off the last film.
Method 2: the freezer trick
If the disc will not budge, put the cold burner, or just its top dish if it lifts off, in the freezer for about ten minutes. The wax contracts in the cold and lets go of the ceramic, and a light press on the edge releases it. Only freeze a burner that is already at room temperature: a sudden change from hot to freezing can crack ceramic.
Method 3: warm and wipe
For a thin layer that is too small to pop out, light a fresh tealight underneath for a minute or two until the edges of the wax just turn soft, then blow it out. Fold a thick pad of kitchen paper or a few cotton wool pads and soak up the soft wax, working from the edge in. Hold the burner by its base, not the dish, and take your time: warm wax can still burn skin.
Keep the gemstone chips
Our crystal wax melts have real gemstone chips set into each bar, which are left behind in the dish as the wax melts. When you lift out the spent disc, pick the chips out, rinse them in warm water and dry them. They are the keepsake part of the melt: a little bowl of Rose Quartz, Amethyst or Black Obsidian chips builds up over the months.
Washing the ceramic
Once the wax is out, wash the dish in warm soapy water with a soft cloth or sponge, rinse and dry it thoroughly before the next use. Wipe any soot from the tealight opening with a damp cloth while the burner is cold. Hand washing is the safe choice for a ceramic burner; a soft cloth also keeps a matt finish looking even.
What never to do
- Never add water to hot wax. Water and hot wax can spit or flare. Let everything cool first.
- Never pour melted wax down the sink. It sets in the pipes. Let it harden and put the disc in the general waste bin.
- Never move a burner while the wax is liquid. Blow out the tealight and wait for the wax to set.
- Do not scrape with a knife. Metal can scratch the glaze. A wooden spoon handle or your fingers work better.
- Do not use a cracked burner. Heat finds flaws, so retire any dish with a crack or chip.
A tidy routine
Use one or two cubes at a time, empty the dish when the scent fades, and keep a jar for the gemstone chips beside the burner. Warm it with an unscented tealight, keep the burner on a stable, heat-resistant surface away from draughts, curtains, children and pets, and never leave a lit tealight unattended. If you are new to all this, what crystal wax melts are and how to use them covers the basics.
Common questions
How do you get wax out of a wax burner without freezing it?
Let the burner cool completely and press one edge of the set disc; it usually pops out whole. For a thin layer, warm the dish for a minute or two with a tealight, blow it out, then soak up the soft wax with a thick pad of kitchen paper.
Can you put a wax burner in the dishwasher?
We recommend hand washing in warm soapy water once all the wax is out. It is gentler on the glaze and lets you check the ceramic for cracks as you go.
How do I know when a wax melt is used up?
When you can no longer smell it while it is melted. The wax itself does not burn away, only the fragrance fades, so the disc stays in the dish until you lift it out.
Can I mix two wax melt scents in one burner?
You can, and some blends work well together, but start with a clean dish so you know exactly what you are mixing.
Burners and melts
Our ceramic pebble wax burners come in speckled off-white, a larger speckled pebble and matt black, each warmed by an ordinary tealight, and the crystal wax melts are 50g snap bars in ten fragrances, with three or more bars 10% off automatically.
