Cleaning Tip Tuesday: DIY Coffee Candle

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I know. I know. A DIY candle isn’t exactly “cleaning”, per se, but I figured since we are working on creating a welcoming entryway for the 8 Week Cleaning Challenge (and there are bonus points for adding something welcoming), why not try our hands at a little DIY candle-making.

There are a lot of options when it comes to creating a candle. You can choose different colors, different scents, different containers, and even which type of wax you want to use. Since I’m a coffee lover through-and-through, I decided to try my hand at a coffee-scented candle, using a coffee mug as the container.

Here’s What You’ll Need

Soy Wax– There are other types of wax you can use as well. I chose soy wax because it’s easy to work with for a first-timer.
Candle Wicks– Depending on the size of your candle, you will need a certain wick size. Here is a chart to help you with sizing.
Coffee- I used both ground (because it was a caramel cream flavor which provided a great scent) and whole bean (to provide a nice visual).
Craft Sticks
Mug or Other Container of Your Choosing… Just make sure whichever container you choose can handle the heat of the wax and candle.
Double Broiler- I don’t own a double broiler, so I took a heat resistant bowl and placed it on top of a saucepan filled with water.

Directions

*I want to start this section by saying: BE CAREFUL! You are dealing with hot wax and boiling water. Don’t touch the hot wax with your hands. Don’t handle hot bowls with your hands. Please, please be careful!

I started by filling my mug with soy wax flakes. I then poured the flakes into a bowl that was placed over a saucepan half-filled with water. (Note: I ended up needing more wax, so I would recommend going with 1 1/2 containers full.)

I turned on my burner, and as the water in the saucepan began to boil, the wax in the bowl started to melt. I used a wooden craft stick to stir the wax around to ensure even melting. You’ll want to heat the wax to about 185°. Do not allow the wax to heat above 200°. Remove from the heat… carefully! At this time you can add your coffee grounds and stir them in… carefully! If you are choosing a lighter scent, like citrus, it is recommended to wait and add the fragrance once the wax is down to 160°. After adding your fragrance, allow the wax to cool to 100°.

While you wait, you are going to want to center the wick in your container, and then use something (in my case 2 craft sticks) to hold the wick in place.

Once your wax is cooled, pour it into your container… carefully! This was the point at which I added the coffee beans to the top. Allow the wax to harden at room temperature. Once hardened, you can remove whatever you chose to have hold the wick in place, and then trim the wick to about 1/8″. There you have it. Your own DIY candle.

Some Things I Learned

Coffee Grounds Float- This created a thick layer of coffee grounds at the top of the candle, making it hard for the flame to melt the wax. My recommendation would be to use the coffee grounds sparingly (like, don’t dump a whole bunch in like I did 🙂 ), and thoroughly mix them into the wax before pouring the melted wax in your container.
Get the right size wick for your container- Originally, I was going to use a smaller container so I ordered small wicks. When I went with the mug (that has a much wider diameter), the wick didn’t produce enough flame to evenly melt the wax out to the edges of the mug.
Coffee grounds/beans in a candle smell heavenly!