I've been on a scented candle-burning kick lately. I don't know if it's because there's a chill in the air or because the days are growing darker, but the visual "warmth" of candles is a really lovely thing to have around your home, and of course pleasant fragrances go well with any season. :)
Personally I'm a fan of small votive candles and tarts because I like changing up which scent I'm using frequently, and those massive candles in jars can last a loooong time. If you don't know what a "tart" is, I mean those wickless scented wax melts that you burn in a "tart burner" like this or this. Here's a picture of some Yankee Candle tarts to illustrate:
Yankee Candle tarts normally retail for $1.99 apiece, which isn't terribly expensive but we all like to save money whenever possible, right? So today I'll be sharing a quick tip on how to how to slice your tart budget in half.
OK, first things first. I'd like to show you a Yankee Candle tart next to a Yankee Candle votive:
L: Yankee Candle votive - R: Yankee Candle tart |
Both of these items normally retail for $1.99, but there's a big difference: The votive is 1.75oz (49g) and the tart is 0.8oz (22g). Do you see where I'm going with this yet? If not, let me explain: Both of these products have an similar level of fragrance, but half of a Yankee Candle votive weighs approximately the same as one Yankee Candle tart. Since a single votive and a single tart cost the same price, wouldn't it make sense to just cut a votive in half to make two "tarts" and stretch that $1.99 even further? Yes, I think so. And I'm going to show you how to do that without making a huge mess.
First, I'd recommend setting down some newspaper or tea towel. While this procedure isn't especially messy, a few wax flakes will probably come off as you're cutting the candle and putting something down first will make cleanup easier. Next, you will need to remove the wick. The easiest way to do this is to flip the votive over and gently pry up the metal "stem" of the wick with a butter knife:
Once you've loosened all the metal stem from the candle, you can continue to pull the wick up through the base. If you do it slowly and gently you should be able to get it out in one piece, leaving a small hole in the candle like so:
Now that we've removed the wick, we're ready to cut. One could saw through the candle using a steak knife or something, but that would create a ton of waxy residue, and that's annoying and messy. So instead we're going to split the candle. Take the tip of your butter knife and point it in towards the hole, putting down gentle (but firm) pressure as if you're going to cut through the candle.
Remember that you should just be pressing down on it, not sawing (unless you like wax shavings everywhere). After a moment, the pressure should cause the candle to naturally split apart the rest of the way, leaving two equal-ish halves like so:
Warning: Depending on how hard you're putting pressure on the candle, one (or both) of the halves could go flying off to the side, so make sure you don't have anything breakable right next to where you're cutting. :P
And that's all there is to it! Now you have two tart-sized pieces of wax that can be used in a burner just like you would use a purpose-made Yankee Candle tart. If you're doing this with a lot of different votives I recommend labeling them somehow, because many of their candles look quite similar. Personally I put them in plastic bags and either write on them with a Sharpie or tape the original label on:
Do you use "tarts"/wax melts? What are your favorite candle scents?
This is extremely clever and frugal! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThat was a great idea, but I don't use these melt stuffs...
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ReplyDeleteI love scented candles , especially in this season...they make the atmosphere more pleasant !!!
Lately it seems that here in Italy many people are crazy about the famous Yankee candles .
I heard before of these tarts and they seems more convenient than the equivalent (pricey!) candles .
I am thinking to buy some Yankee candles stuff and I will keep in mind your great tip for sure ;) .
Their full size candles really are sort of expensive! I don't know how it is in Italy, but Yankee frequently has "buy two get two free" sales here which softens the blow a bit. But I still prefer the tarts and votives for variety's sake. :)
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This sounds great! I find Yankee Candles a bit pricy here (Europe) but I'm toying with the idea of DIYing mine... Have you ever tried that?
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I've never really DIYed scented candles but I don't see why not! I'm sure there are tons of tutorials online. I buy scented candles from Etsy occasionally and those obviously aren't factory-made. :)
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