So you want to breathe new life into your Diptyque candle now that it's burned out? Join the crowd. As a perennial feature throughout Top Shelves, candle jars lend themselves to infinite holding uses: hair ties, fountain pens, flowers, and, rather obviously, makeup brushes. But just digging at the wax with a fingernail and butter-knife doesn’t always (or ever) leave a clean finish. If you’re ready to turn your burnt-out candle into a sparklingly clean jar, here’s a two-step approach.

Step 1: Freeze out the wax. It may seem a little ironic, but stick your unlit, room-temperature candle in the freezer, and leave it overnight. All that wax will solidify and harden so firmly and thoroughly, you can scoop/jab it out with a knife and it won’t flake and crumble.

Usually, that gets it most of it. If there’s still residual wax in the jar, try Step 2: Put the jar in the sink and pour boiling water into it until it overflows. Leave for a few hours. When you come back, the rest of the wax will have floated and solidified at the top. Pop out, and you’ve got a beautifully clean jar, ready for a new life. Wax off!

Photographed by Tom Newton.