DIY Emergency Candles: How to Make Them
Whenever I come home late at night and my power goes out, I always get a little bit of anxiety. With all the stories on the news about blackouts and hurricanes, it doesn’t seem like such a ridiculous fear. But thankfully, I’ve been able to avoid any major issues so far.
However, there is a solution for when this does happen: emergency candles! They’re a cheap and easy way to have light when you need it most. This post will show you different DIY emergency candles that are great for when you’re in an emergency situation.
THE BASIC CANDLE
This is the easiest candle to make, because it’s just a basic candle. The key to making these candles is to make sure you get the right type of wax and wick. You can either use beeswax or paraffin wax. To make it easy on yourself, purchase small blocks of wax and cut them into pieces with a knife or scissors.
The wick should be cotton string that’s about 10-12 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. This will burn for 30 minutes on average.
To get started, melt your wax in a pan over low heat until the temperature reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit (or 54 degrees Celsius). Add your wick and let it soak up the melted wax while still on low heat. Then, take your heated candle out and wait until it starts to solidify again before removing the wick and letting it cool completely.
You can also put this candle in an old coffee mug or glass jar to give it some extra flare!
THE JAR CANDLE
This candle is made out of a jar with the top cut off. To make this candle, you’ll need glass jars with lids, wicks, matches or a lighter, and an old pair of jeans. The best kind of jar to use is a ball jar because it has straight sides.
Light the wick at the bottom of the jar and place it in the bottom of the jar so that it sits in the corner. Pour about 1/4 inch of wax in the jar until it covers about an inch past where your wick is sitting. Add in some more wax until you cover all parts of your wick.
Next, tie your old pants around your ball jar to create a tight seal around the lid. You can also use rope or wire to make sure that there’s no gap between your jeans and lid. Now you have an emergency candle!
THE MASON JAR CANDLES
Materials:
– 1 candle of your choice
– 1 Mason jar
– 1 inch size hole puncher (or other way to make holes)
-1 piece material that will fit over the top of the jar (optional)
– scissors
Instructions:
- Cut out a piece of material that will cover the opening of your Mason jar. If you want it to look nice, you can use fabric or paper. You can also use aluminum foil if you don’t have anything else.
- Punch holes in the material with your hole puncher in a circular pattern in order to create a wick for your candle. The more holes in your material, the longer your candle will burn before it needs to be replaced!
- Place the wick in each hole and trim off any excess so that it’s even with the top of the Mason jar. Repeat this step until there are 7 evenly spaced wicks in total on one side of your material
- Put some water or oil at the bottom of the Mason jar
- Place lit candle inside
THE TUNA CAN CANDLE
This is a pretty simple candle that you can make out of a tuna can and some other household items. You’ll need a can opener, a needle or wire, a wick, and either an old candle stub or some paraffin wax.
First, you’ll need to clean the inside of the can with hot water to remove any residue from the previous food item. Then, get your wick wet and insert it into the hole in the center of the can so it protrudes nicely. Now, cut your chosen wick to size and attach it to the bottom of the can using your needle or wire. Finally, allow the wick to dry by suspending it over a glass filled with cold water for around 5 minutes. That’s all there is to this! It doesn’t take much time and is really easy once you get started.
THE EMERGENCY OUTDOOR CANDLES
Emergency candles are a great way to have light when you need it most. With these candles, you don’t have to worry about running out of power or being stuck in the dark.
These homemade candles are very easy to make and will light up your whole house. What’s more, they’re cheap and easy to find things for!
The first type of candle is an outdoor one. To create this candle, you just need a jar with lid, some water and dish soap. Put the lid on the jar and then pour dish soap into the water until it creates a layer on top of the water. This will give you enough time for light!
The second type of candle is actually made from pillars and votives! All you need is a pillar or votive holder and some cotton cloth or string. You can also use wicks instead of string if that’s more convenient for you. This is a great DIY project because it doesn’t require much effort; all you need is something to hold your cotton cloth in place!
THE LAVA ROCKS CANDLE
This candle is a DIY project that’s easy to make. All you need is a glass jar, wax of your choice, and some lava rocks from the dollar store.
The fun part about this candle is that you can customize it to be any color you want! So, on a rainy day, if you’re feeling blue, you can use blue wax and blue lava rocks for a soothing light.
This project will cost less than $10 and take less than an hour to finish. It’s a great option for those who are looking for something simple, but still effective.
EMERGENCY CANDLES FROM AROUND THE HOUSE
If you don’t have any emergency candles in your home, you’re going to need some. In an emergency situation, candles are a great way to light your home or office space. Here are 7 easy DIY candles that you can make at home with items that are lying around the house.
-Old jars: If you have old jars lying around without labels, these make for an excellent base for candles. Simply clean the jar and remove the label (if applicable). You can also use old glass bottles or mason jars like these.
-Wax: You’ll need to buy wax if you don’t already have it on hand. For containers smaller than 6 inches in diameter, 6 ounces of wax will work well. For larger containers, 6 pounds will do the trick.
-Dye: Add color to your candle by adding food coloring or other natural dyes into the melted wax before pouring into your container.
-Cooking spray: To protect the glass surface of the jar from getting paint on it when applying a stencil, spray cooking oil on its surface using cooking spray before cutting out shapes with scissors or using a stencil.
EMERGENCY CANDLES FROM BATHROOM ITEMS
Emergency candles are easy to make, and they’re a great way to have light when you need it most. With the help of your bathroom items, you can make an emergency candle that gives off a bright glow.
A lot of these candles use inexpensive items like toilet paper tubes and wax sticks. Toilet paper tubes provide the base for this candle, while the wax stick is what provides the light. To assemble it, simply place a wet wick on the top of the tube and wrap it with tissue paper or newspaper for insulation.
EMERGENCY CANDLES FROM KITCHEN ITEMS.
Luckily, there are a lot of items in your kitchen that you can use to make an emergency candle.
The first DIY candle from this post is one from old tea lights. It’s a great way to reuse old tea lights and add a little extra light to any room.
Another option is melted crayon wax. All you have to do is break up the crayons into pieces and put them into a jar or container – or you can even put them into a muffin tin for easier melting. Add vegetable oil if the color isn’t strong enough and then light it up!
A third option is cotton wicks soaked in soy oil. To make the wicks, simply fill some jars with water and pour in soy oil until they’re covered. Then wait until all of the water has evaporated before lighting them on fire!
The final DIY candle is made from old candles. Simply take off the labels and stick some cotton balls on top of them – it’ll be an easy way to reuse some candles around your home!
With all these DIY Emergency Candles, what are you waiting for?
The next time you’re in need of a candle, just look around your house for items to be repurposed. All you need is a little bit of creativity and you’ll be ready to light up the night.
If you’re looking for more tutorials, check out our blog to find your next DIY project!
