Owning a wax melter or warmer has tons of benefits. Compared to candles, they are safer, more eco-friendly, have a stronger scent, and have a longer burning time. The only downside is finding a way to clean it.
If you're a first-time owner of a wax warmer, we know how confused you might feel. But cleaning out a wax melter isn't all that hard. Today, we'll teach you how to clean a wax warmer dish five different ways!
Each of these approaches to cleaning wax warmers are quick and easy. All you have to do is pick the method you think works best for you. But first, how do you even know when it's time to clean your wax melter? Let's take a look.
How To Tell If It's Time To Clean Out Your Wax Warmer
If your wax melt has started to lose its scent, then that's a sign that it's time for you to clean out your wax warmer and change your wax.
Cleaning your wax warmer is an essential step before adding a new tart. This prevents any residue from your previous scents from mixing into your new wax melt. This way, you get to enjoy the full fragrance of your new scented wax melt. Plus, cleaning your wax melter regularly will keep it looking its best.
Wax tarts typically last a few days of heavy use. When you buy premium quality wax tarts, they can last up to 90 hours! But after that, you'll notice they start to lose their aroma - even after leaving them on for hours. At that point, you'll need to clean your wax melter dish out.
5 Methods To Clean Wax Melt Out Of Your Warmer
Now that you know when to clean your wax warmer and why it's important, here are five different methods you can use to easily remove wax from your melter. We'll start with our personal favorite - the pour-out method.
#1 The Pour-Out Method
If you just finished using your warmer, it's likely the wax melts are still warm and in their liquid form. Act fast - because right now is the easiest time to clean your wax warmer! You can use the simple pour-out method.
The pour-out method is the most straightforward way to clean your wax melt. Just pour the liquid wax into the garbage. But make sure that you give the dish some time to cool, or you might end up burning yourself. If you don't want to wait, pick up your dish with a kitchen towel or something else to protect your hands.
After you've poured out the wax, take a damp paper towel to the dish and clean out any residual scented wax.
#2 The Cotton Ball Method
If you don't want to risk touching the dish with your bare hands, then try the cotton ball method instead. Just grab two cotton balls and drop them into the liquid wax. Once the cotton balls have soaked up all the wax, grab more cotton balls and use them to wipe your dish clean. You can do this same method but with a paper towel.
#3 The Scraping Method
The spoon method is best when the wax in your dish has cooled but hasn't hardened completely. You want it to be soft enough to scrape. As the wax hardens, it becomes more difficult to remove. Just take a spoon or a butter knife and try to scrape out the wax in one whole swoop.
If you don't get all the wax in one go, that's ok. Continue to scrape the dish until you've removed all the wax. Then, wipe the dish down with a paper towel.
With this approach to cleaning wax warmer dishes, you take care not to scratch your dish itself. This doesn't just affect the cosmetics of your dish. You'll end up with future scented wax tarts getting in those grooves you scratched. This makes cleaning harder and increases the likelihood of cross-contamination.
#4 The Freezer Method
The freezer method is great if the wax in your dish has already cooled completely. To make it a bit easier to get the wax out of your dish put it in the freezer and leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes. This will cause the wax to shrink. Take the dish out of the freezer and use your thumb to push the wax to the side. It should pop right out.
#5 The Liner Method
If you haven't used your warmer yet, and are trying to clean proactively, you can use the liner method.
You place these wax melt liners in your dish to prevent any scented wax from actually touching the dish itself. You use your wax melter as you typically would, and once the scent is gone and you're ready to throw the tart out - you toss it along with the liner. Then, add a new liner and a new tart - rinse and repeat!
There are also reusable liners called "poppers". These are silicone dishes that allow you to pop out the wax when it's time to change your wax.
What Do You Do With The Wax Once You've Removed It?
Maybe you're trying to get the most bang for your buck with your wax tarts. Can you reuse wax melts? We wrote a complete guide on this subject, but the answer is yes - you can. However, they'll only provide so much additional fragrance. Think about it - you've already melted all the scent from the cube. There isn't much left. However, you can typically combine a few different used wax tarts to get a few more hours of use.
After that, you don't really have any other choice but to throw away old wax. This is why it is so important to be mindful of what type of wax tarts you're buying - and where you buy them from. They aren't all created equal. Some materials, such as soy, are better than others (such as paraffin). Soy is not only safer for you and the environment, it lasts much longer.
If you aren't sure where to get wax melts made of natural wax, we know just the place.
Final Thoughts On How To Clean A Wax Melter Dish
Well, there you have it - everything you need to know about how to clean wax warmer dishes. Now there is just one thing to do - find the best wax tarts possible. This will extend your time between replacements, and thus, between cleanings.
If you're looking for more wax melters to add to your collection, or maybe it's your first time buying one—there is no better place to get all your fragrance essentials than at Devon Wick.
Here you'll find tons of wax warmers in all sorts of designs. Whether you're looking for a traditional tea light warmer or an electric wax warmer, you'll never run out of options because we've got them all!
Choose from hundreds of scented wax melts. Make your home smell like gingerbread or candies when you shop from our sweet collection. Or have your living space bursting with fresh fruit scents when you choose from our fruity collection. Whatever scent you're looking for, whether floral, masculine, or sweet—just name your scent. You'll definitely find it here.