How to Clean Hard Wax Out of Wax Warmer

Introduction

Wax warmers are great because they provide a pleasant smell and comforting scene without the hassle and potential fire hazard as candles. However, unlike candles, the added benefits of a wax warmer come with additional maintenance and upkeep. One of the most common things you’ll have to do is learn how to clean hard wax out of a wax warmer.

But that’s why you’re here and what we’ll cover in the following article. If you’re looking for a specific section, you can use any of the links below to jump to that specific section. If you’d like to read this article in it’s entirety, skip the following list and jump right into the first section.

In this article, we’re going to cover the following topics:

For now, let’s jump right into how a wax warmer works.

How a Wax Warmer Works

Wax warmers are very similar to candles in the sense that heat warms the wax and provides a comforting scent. However, the means to the end for both is very different.

A wax warmer normally consists of a lightbulb in a glass or ceramic vase. At the top of the vase is a cover and a small bowl in the middle of that cover. You place the wax in that small indentation and the heat from the lightbulb warms the wax and releases the scent.

It’s a pretty straightforward and elegant design, however unlike a candle that has a wick that sits on top of the candle and throughout the height of the candle, a wax warmer melts the wax and then the wax hardens right in that same small bowl on the top cover.

Pretty simple, right? Now let’s talk about the main benefits of a wax warmer over candles.

Benefits of a Wax Warmer

There are a few benefits below that we’ll cover each in more depth:

No fire hazard
Ability to switch out scents
Reusable and ecofriendly
Simple to use
No mess and little cleanup

First of all, there’s no fire, which means no fire hazard. A wax warmer is as safe as any lamp or light you have in your home. The only thing to watch out for is that the wax is hot. When it’s melted, it can burn your fingers, so be sure to not dip your fingers into the warm wax.

The second benefit is that a wax warmer and the wax are separate, which means you can keep the same wax warmer, but switch out the scents. You don’t need to have the same scent over and over. And there are hundreds of available scents out there for you to choose from, just like candles without the hassle of switching out and storing candles in your home.

The third benefit, which is similar to the second, is that wax warmers are reusable so in that sense they’re more ecofriendly than candles.

The fourth benefit is that wax warmers are simple to use. All you need to do is plug it in, place the wax in the top, and flip a switch. And then when you’re done using it, flip the switch back and you’re good to go.

And finally, wax warmers won’t leave a waxy mess like candles might. You don’t have to worry about a wax warmer spilling wax all of your countertop, kitchen table, or end tables because the wax is contained to the small bowl on the top cover.

There is one drawback to wax warmers though and that’s the fact that the wax hardens when not being used and in some cases can be difficult to remove, hence why you’re here. Let’s talk about how to remove hardened wax now.

How to Clean Hard Wax out of Wax Warmer

While wax warmers have a number of benefits, the most bothersome part is hardened wax. Normally, wax doesn’t get so hard that it becomes impossible to remove. And actually, the easiest way to clean hard wax out of a wax warmer might surprise you.

Just turn the wax warmer on and melt the wax.

The wax is hardened by design. It’s how you how it’s transported, how you bought it at the store, and how you brought it home. For all intents and purpose, hard is the normal state of wax and if you want to remove hardened wax from a wax warmer, just turn it on to melt the wax, then pour the wax out.

But there are a couple things you want to know about pouring the wax out. First of all, don’t pour it down the sink. When you pour it down the sink, the wax can either melt the pipes or harden in your pipes causing a near impossible clog to remove.

Find a container, like an old coffee tin or soup can to pour the wax into. Then when the wax hardens, you can either scrape it out and save it for later or you can just throw the entire thing away.

Either way, removing hardened wax from a wax warmer is as easy as turning the wax warmer on and pouring that hot wax into another container.

Why Wax Hardens in Wax Warmer

Now that you know how a wax warmer works and how to remove hard wax from one, you might want to know why wax hardens. After all, once you know why it will make more sense why it’s difficult to remove.

As briefly mentioned earlier, the normal state of wax is hard. At room temperature wax is a solid, not a liquid, that’s why you need the heat from a lightbulb to turn it into a liquid.

Think about candles. All a candle is is a column of wax with a wick in the middle. And candles don’t melt at room temperature. Actually the opposite. Candles stand up straight, but once you exposure a candle (which is just wax) to heat, such as lighting the wick or leaving a candle in your car, it melts.

Now, you might be saying to yourself…

Well my candle doesn’t get as hard as the wax in the wax warmer.

That may seem true, but there’s a reason for that. When wax melts it gets sticky. Have you ever put your finger in wax? The warm wax sticks to your finger, almost like a glove. And then it hardens.

Well, when the wax hardens in a wax warmer, it hardens to the glass or ceramic bowl. So it may seem like the wax is harder to remove, but that’s just because it’s stuck to the bowl. If you melt a candle in a wax warmer, you’ll get the same effect.

When a candle melts, the wax just sticks to itself. Some may fall on your table or the floor and it will harden to those surfaces, but that’s more rare. If it falls on your candle holder, you would have the exact same issue as wax in a wax warmer.

Now that you know why wax hardens, let’s talk about how to prevent wax buildup.

How to Prevent Wax Buildup

Preventing wax buildup is key to keeping your wax warmer around for years. Just like any device or tool, if you want it to last, you need to take care of it and the best way to do that is to prevent wax buildup.

As you use the wax warmer over and over, especially as you switch out scents, a small waxy film can develop in the bowl or small indentation on the top. It may not seem like much at first, but it can grow over time and should be cleaned regularly.

The best way to prevent wax build up is to clean out the top cover regularly. You don’t have to do it every time, but every 10 uses or so should be enough to make sure that waxy film doesn’t build up. It will also keep your scents fresh and prevent scents from mixing together when you switch them out.

Discussing wax buildup and how to prevent it, leads nicely into our last section, which goes over best practices for wax warmers.

Best Practices for Wax Warmers

There’s only 3 things you need to know, but you really need to know them to keep your wax warmer going strong.

Clean Thoroughly After 10 Uses

As mentioned earlier, make sure to thoroughly clean your wax warmer at least after every 10 uses. This will do two things:

Prevent Wax Buildup
Ensure a Clean Scent

First, preventing buildup is important to keep your wax warmer running for a long time. Wax buildup can cause issues with your scents mixing and not smelling right. It can also lead to a waxy film that becomes hard to remove and stuck on the ceramic or glass.

You can clean your wax warmer cover with regular soap and warm water. And then let it air dry. You can also put it in the dishwasher if the wax warmer specifics it as dishwasher safe. Some are and some aren’t.

It ultimately depends on the design and material. If a cover is particularly delicate or has an intricate design, it may not be safe for the dishwasher. If it is, it will say somewhere on the wax warmer itself. If it isn’t, just do a hand wash with soap and water and let it air dry.

Don’t Mix Scents

The second thing to know is that you shouldn’t mix scents and for a few good reasons.

Mixing scents can cause unknown smells
Adding too much wax can cause it to spill over

First of all, you don’t know what scent will come out when you mix two scents. You might think strawberry and vanilla will smell great mixed together, but until that smell is emanating through your home, you really have no idea what it will smell like.

Second, adding two wax blocks may not seem like an issue when the wax is hardened, but when it melts, it can spill over the top bowl on the cover and into the main component, potentially even spilling on the lightbulb.

Overflowing wax can break your wax warmer, so it’s generally better to be safe than sorry and avoid putting too much wax in the small bowl.

Don’t Let Hard Wax Sit Longer Than 2 Weeks

Finally, if you are going to be leaving your wax for a while and don’t plan on using it, melt the wax and then remove it from the container.

Leaving hardened wax in the bowl can leave a plasticy film on the container, which will require a stronger cleaning.

It can also cause issues with the potency of the wax, making it not smell as nice or maybe even stale, as a result of dust buildup on the wax. This doesn’t always happen, but it’s generally a best practice to not leave wax in your top cover for more than 2 weeks when it’s hardened.

And that’s it! 3 best practices for using your wax warmer and keeping it going for years.

Conclusion

This article covered a lot about wax warmers, including a lot of important maintenance and upkeep information. You might have just wanted to know how to clean hard wax out of a wax warmer, but you got much more, hopefully all of it useful.

First we covered how a wax warmer actually works and the main benefits of one over candles (hint hint, no fire hazard here).

Second, we talked about how to remove the hard wax, which is originally what you came asking about, and might be surprised to find the answer is so obvious and easy.

Next, we talked about why wax hardens and why it’s important to prevent wax buildup, especially if you want to keep your wax warmer around for a while.

Finally, we covered 3 best practices that should hopefully keep your wax warmer running for the next few years to come.

Hopefully this article was useful for you and we hope you come back soon.