Asked on Apr 02, 2013

How to remove gel candle wax from a pan?

Lannie Hagan
by Lannie Hagan

I melted some gel candle wax in an aluminum pan and cannot get it out! Can anyone help me? I have tried boiling water and that didn't work. THANKS!


  12 answers
  • heat the pan in oven, then using absorbent towels that you can discard wipe it out.
  • Lannie Hagan Lannie Hagan on Apr 02, 2013
    Thank you, will try that! I appreciate your help! The pot is too nice to throw away.
  • Manuel Ramirez Manuel Ramirez on Apr 03, 2013
    I think you can get it done by just pouring some water inpan and bring them to a boil until the wax is soft enough to scoop or pour out.You can also use various "Magic Eraser" being available in the marketto scrub out the remaining wax.
  • Shari Shari on Apr 03, 2013
    Putting a candle container in the freezer for awhile works for me. Residual candle wax just pops right out once the container and wax are really cold. Depending on the thickness of the wax left in your pan, it might help to freeze the pan and then try popping or scraping the wax out.
  • Lannie Hagan Lannie Hagan on Apr 04, 2013
    Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it and will try all these methods. I did try boiling water in the pan but the wax is so thin it did not come out.
  • Lannie Hagan Lannie Hagan on Apr 08, 2013
    Just an update, I did bake the pan in the oven and it burned off the wax. Didn't smell too great in the kitchen but my pan is back to normal. I tried boiling water and that did not work. Thanks for all your help!
    • Brittany Draper Brittany Draper on Oct 10, 2019

      When you say bake you mean you put it in the oven correct. Did you put water in it when you put it in the oven.

  • Rose Rose on Aug 23, 2015
    Put pan in freezer overnite And it will release the wax.
  • Bill Straub Bill Straub on Aug 21, 2020

    Heating the pot to melt the wax again works, NEVER use soap and water that will go down your drain. The little wax you may clean will harden and eventually it could become a problem in your drain if you do it too often.

  • Brownsugar Peachcob Brownsugar Peachcob on Oct 27, 2020

    Thank you!

  • Carol Marshall Carol Marshall on Oct 22, 2021

    I finally came up with the perfect solution! Put the pot on some newspaper. Run a hair blower on hot, swaying from top to bottom, and wipe up as you go with a DRY cloth. No fuss, no mess. Go over it again to make sure you got most wax off. Then wash with hot soapy water. Like new!

  • Amir Hyman Amir Hyman on Jan 03, 2023

    To remove gel candle wax from a pan, you can try the following steps:


    1. First, let the wax cool and solidify. This will make it easier to remove.
    2. Once the wax is solid, use a spoon or a butter knife to gently scrape off as much of the wax as possible.
    3. If there is still wax left in the pan, fill the pan with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. The heat of the water should help to soften the remaining wax, making it easier to remove.
    4. Use a sponge or a scrub brush to scrub the remaining wax out of the pan. If the wax is particularly stubborn, you may need to use a stronger cleaning product, such as a grease-cutting dish soap or a commercial wax remover.
    5. Rinse the pan thoroughly with hot water to remove any remaining wax or cleaning product. Dry the pan thoroughly before using it again.


    I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

  • Mogie Mogie on Jan 04, 2023

    zap them with a heat gun for a few seconds might need to use the heat gun for a little longer but start with a few seconds or go in the opposite direction and freeze it. Either should make removal easier.