Removing Wax from a Glass Votive Holder

There is nothing more annoying that wax that has dripped into the votive holder or onto the outside of the holder. Cleaning can be difficult. Try something of these tips to make it an easier task.
First thing I always do is try and chip off bigger parts with my finger nail or an ordinary kitchen knife. Once I have all of the bigger pieces removed, I grab a lighter and go over to the sink with the holder. I then try and melt off the smeared or smudges of candle wax. Be careful as this can be messy and a little dangerous.
Another method that I have tried in the past is to run the votive holder under hot tap water for a few minutes. The wax usually washes away pretty fast. Then I put the holder into the dishwasher for a good cleaning. This usually does the trick for me. I have in the past placed votive holders in a shallow casserole dish lined with tin foil and placed it in the oven at around 180 degrees for about five to ten minutes. The wax will melt and drip off onto the tin-foil and then with oven mitts or tongs I remove the votive and place it in the sink to cool on its own. Then I follow up by giving it a quick wash in the sink and then placing it into the dishwasher for the final clean.

I have tried using regular dish soap but that does not seem to work very well. I have also tried rubbing alcohol. The best results are heating the wax to the temperature to where it melts off the votive. This is the method that works best for me. It does take a little time however, and you should be careful. One other thing I have tried which seems kind of futile in theory but actually works is melting a larger amount of wax onto the smaller bits of wax especially if there are small crevices in the votive. The two waxes will usually bond together then you can chip the bigger piece off as one piece.

One other trick to mention is sometimes I will place a small piece of tinfoil in the bottom of a votive holder to catch the drips before I put the candle in it. I will use different colored foils that match the votive candle itself so it does not look as tacky.