Burning candles for their heat

Burning candles can raise the temperature of a room, so keep them for those frosty days and nights and stretch your heating fuel a little!

Use up scented candles

What to do with the leftover bits of scented candles? Get the most out of them by melting them in a small container, just like those small scented wax tarts. The scent will last through two or three heatings.

If you don't have a tart warmer, put the candle ends in a small pan inside a double boiler, or set it in a pan with a little water and heat.

Quick Candles

Save the wax drippings from candles as well as candle stubs. Melt it down and pour it into small containers. Let it cool until it forms a skim over the top, then insert a birthday candle in the center (for the wick).

45 day candle

A pound of lard or shortening can be made into an emergency candle
that will last days and days. Take a heavy cotton string, crochet thread or a twist of several strands of cotton sewing thread to make a wick. Melt just a little bit of the fat and soak the wick in it. Using an ice pick, knitting needle or anything long and sharp, poke a hole in the center of the container of fat, then insert the wick into it, pushing it down to the bottom.

Make candle wicking

If you like to make candles, but hate to buy wicking or it's hard to find in your area, you can make your own. Save fine string from a feed or seed bag, or use pure cotton thread and braid it into a firm braid. Make a solution of 3/4 cup of hot water, 1 TBS of borax and 1 tsp salt and soak the braid in this overnight, then allow to dry thoroughly. That's all there is to it. Just remember that it needs to be cotton only. Manmade fibers may melt or sputter or refuse to burn at all.