How to Clean and Reuse Aluminum Tea Light Containers

Candle containers must be ceramic, glass, metal, or another material that won't melt or catch fire. No one says the container has to look nice. That's why those bags full of white, unscented tea lights - in metal containers - are so popular. Have you seen them? The containers are mere aluminum cups so there's no need to charge a fortune for a bag of them. Lots of people place those little aluminum candles into other containers so that they look much more attractive. Other people glue on jewels or other supplies to improve the look of the aluminum candle holders. If you buy candles in those cheap, aluminum containers you might be interested in knowing that, even though they're disposable, you can clean them out and use them over and over. Once you've burned them all you can then prepare them for reuse.

To make the tea light holders ready for use again, start by heating your oven to 200 degrees. For each aluminum cup, tear off a half of a paper towel, then fold it in half. Set one of the aluminum cups upside-down, on the paper towel, and lay the pin next to it. Put these on a cookie sheet or other baking pan. Slide into the oven and allow them to warm for about 15 minutes.

After warming the aluminum cups remove them from the oven. Warming them while they're upside-down allows the leftover wax to drip out and onto the paper towels. Hold each one aluminum cup with a paper towel and quickly wipe out the inside with another paper towel. Wipe off the pins as well. Allow the little cups to cool completely before storing them. They can be stacked in a box or even placed in a zipper-lock bag.

To reuse the aluminum tins, set a wick in each one by using the accompanying pin. Melt and pour wax and, this time, they can be any color or scent you want. Since these types of candles are normally white, with no aroma, reusing them means you can have lots of tea lights, and each one will look and smell exactly like you want.

Lots of people buy the cheap, white tea lights to save money while still creating ambiance in their homes. You'll save even more when you reuse the tea light holders. You can buy the wicks at any craft store, and can purchase candle wax at the same place, or at stores that sell canning supplies.