How to Make Citronella Candles
If your favorite thing in the summer is warm nights outside, then likely one of your least favorite things is getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. Making citronella candles in cans is a great recycling project that is inexpensive and effective, much like the Soy Beeswax Jar Candles I made a few months back.
I make plenty of candles to create a bug-free barrier around the patio so I can enjoy my warm breezes and summer cocktails in peace. They aren’t bad for adding atmosphere either!
I’m not overly crazy for the smell of citronella, so I added a few additional scents to the latest batch: pine and mandarin orange. While the most effective candles will still be primarily citronella, feel free to add a few other fragrances the bugs won’t like such as eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, and oregano. I have an all-natural bug spray recipe with these scents too – they work really well.
Materials
- Cans
- A double boiler (or here is a handy candle making kit)
- Wax (soy wax, paraffin wax, old candles)
- Pre-waxed wicks with tabs (150mm / 6”)
- Citronella oil for candle making (use 1 oz per lb of wax)
- Other scents for candle making like pine, mandarin orange, eucalyptus, peppermint
- Hot glue gun
Make it!
1. Using the hot glue gun, affix the wicks to the bottom of the cans and press it firmly into the center. If you are using a larger can, add two or three wicks spaced apart around the center.
2. Assemble your double boiler and add wax or old candles in small pieces. Don’t worry so much about bits of wick or other specks in the wax as you won’t see them in the candles when they are done. Heat over medium heat until the wax is completely melted.
3. When the wax is melted it’s time to add the fragrance. Add 1 oz of citronella oil per pound of wax and augment the scent with 0.5 oz of other scents per pound.
4. Let the wax cool slightly and carefully pour into containers. I can usually gently maneuver my wicks to stay in the center as the wax cools, but if you are having trouble, secure the wicks with a chopstick or clothespin to keep them in line. Be careful not to disturb them too much and set them in a warm place to cool. Cooling slowly and completely will create the best looking candles.
5. If you get a depressed area around the wick when cooled, warm up some more wax and pour it into the void.
6. Allow your candle to cure for 48 hours undisturbed before burning. Then, when you fire it up, let the candle burn so that there is a full, wide pool of wax before you blow it out. It is said that candles have a memory, so it’s best to let the first burn set the tone for all the rest.
7. Decorate your candles by wrapping them in burlap, twine and/or yarn. Store them near the garden, deck, or patio so you can quickly light up when the pests start buzzing around.
Need relief from annoying bugs on the go? Try this all-natural insect bite roll-on remedy.
Pin it!
Thanks for sharing! Sounds like an inexpensive way to be bug free, especially using the leftover tin cans and candles. I’m pinning this for future use!
Thanks for sharing. Will definitey try those cause I really hate the toxic ones you can buy at stores. Have a great week – maks :-)
Thanks, Maks!
What a great idea, and just in time for our summer wedding! Visiting from the Tip Junkie Party
I found you on Delightful Order’s link up party, I love this idea! I have so many mosquitos where I live and we are always eaten alive! I will have to try making these!
I love this idea! I hope you will link this up to the CSI Project. The challenge is Summer outdoor decorating and parties. These would be perfect. You just might win or be featured!
Come on over! http://www.thecsiproject.com
The challenge ends Friday at noon.
great idea! I love how you put them in the carrier too! they looked cute and organized.
Thanks, Amber! It’s out of convenience so I can pull them all out at the same time when I quickly want to battle the bugs.
That’s a fabulous tutorial. Citronella candles are an absolute must where I live as we’re surrounded by wetlands. I always buy those green buckets. Had no idea they could be made so easily at home. At worst, I could have them going when I bbq! Thanks for stopping by. Jane
Thank you for the idea.
Is there any reason not to melt the wax in the microwave? Want to make some candles with my granddaughter, but am fearful of using a double boiler… which I don’t have, anyway. Nor would I want to put it directly on the stove top. Too much chance for a spill and burning.
What a great idea! I love the smell of citronella candles!
Thank you so much for sharing @ {nifty thrifty sunday}!
You will be featured in about 30 minutes! ;)
xo! Vanessa
Thanks for the feature, Vanessa!
I love this! I’m thinking about gift ideas. Where did you find the carrier?
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m going to make these this weekend with my old candles. No more buying these anymore! :)
Hi! Found your site through oneprettything. This is an excellent idea, and i think I will definitely make this a summer project. I read, in Mother Earth News magazine, there are quite a few natural mosquito repellants I’ve never really known about like rose scented monarda, lime basil, thyme, and catnip! Thanks for the great idea.
Found you on Tipjunkie – these are *wonderful*! What a great idea, thank you for sharing it!
Thanks, Gina!
Thanks for an interesting blog post. Sounds like this technique has been useful in the past! keep the great posts coming!!
Thanks for sharing! You can also use melted candle wax to affix the wicks to the bottom of the cans instead of the glue gun.
Thanks Tessye for the suggestion! Would the wax not melt when you pour the hot wax into the can and dislodge the wick though?
Is it easy to find citronella oil?
Martine, yes it is. I have included links in the post to buy it on Amazon.
please help ?? my husband kicked over the container with melted hot wax from a citronella candle on my carpet. we are struggling to get it out! whatcan i do??
You can try using a cotton cloth tiny over the so lulled wax. Then run a warm iron over it. The wax will melt into the cotton cloth. It may not be perfect but if should help. Also if it was paraffin wax please be extra carful. Because paraffin is an oil/ petroleum byproduct, it is more flammable at high heat.
How long will each candle burn for?
Thanks!
Crissy, I can’t say for sure but I would guess 8-12 hours.
Would tea tree oil work? Great post and idea, thank you!
Hi Sharlyn, I’m not sure. Citronella is known for it’s mosquito repelling properties. I haven’t heard the same about tea tree.
These are great! Where can you get those square tin planters? Great idea!
Is it possible to use Mason Jars as the containers? Or old candle jars made of glass? Thx! Luv the info!
Hi Crystal, yes, mason jars are heat safe and they work perfectly! I have written lots of posts for making candles in jars. Here is a good one that had links to some of the other projects and a cute crafty project to decorate them for the holidays: http://gardentherapy.ca/cute-for-christmas-beeswax-poinsettia-candles
If you spill wax on a carpet, use a brown paper bag and a warm iron. Cover the wax with the bag and iron changing bags until wax is absorb. I did it and it works!
Wondering if I could use beeswax for the base of the candle?????
Sandy, absolutely! There are 2 reasons why I don’t though. 1. I don’t have access to inexpensive beeswax and it is very pricey to buy the amount you need to fill the cans, and 2. beeswax has such a beautiful honey smell that it is a shame to add all that citronella to it! I would save the beeswax for unscented candle that you use indoors…it will make the whole house smell like warm honey! More on how to make beeswax candles here: http://gardentherapy.ca/seashell-beeswax-tealights/
I love making my own soy wax candles, and I pile them outside in summer to get rid of bugs
LOVE your site, bookmarking pages to return to like crazy.
Does it matter if the used candles are scented?
Hi Aimee, I’m not sure that it matters, unless the scent is so strong that it would either overpower the citronella or be something that actually attracts mosquitoes.
I will most certainly use this recipe with my family gardening group . winter here now – but summer’s really only a few months away
thank you for such wonderful ideas….i absolutely love your page….thank you
Love this idea! Where did you find the carrier???
I just love this idea. I’m glad I happened upon it now…gives me tons of time to save my cans for next summer when we get married. Thank you so much for sharing :)
Great idea! THanks….sharing
I discovered that melting wax in a crockpot which you have fitted with one of the disposable liners works very well! To clean, just let pot cool, wax will harden, and you can lift out the liner and throw it away!
Can you send this whole page to my email address? It would be great to send to other people.
Ive heard you can stick a wick in a can of crisco and it will burn for hours. Would adding citronella oil to that work???
Do you think adding tiki torch citronella to the wax would work?
Kelly & Amy, I’m sorry but I haven’t tried either of those things. If you try them, please come back and let us know!!
Jennifer, I emailed you the page link you can share: http://gardentherapy.ca/diy-citronella-candles/
Hi, I wondering how many regular tin cans one pound of wax will fill? Thank you for posting this!
Hi Michelle, my guess would be 1 lb of wax would fill 1.5 cans.
I have a question. The citronella oil you use, is it the same as the stuff that goes in tiki tourches or is it with fragrances?
Hi Cassandra, I really can’t say what’s in those. I use 100% pure citronella oil.
hi stephanie
greetings
thank you for the use of citronella oil.
which metals we can use for filling wax withcitronella oil
dakshinamurty
I used 1/2 oz citronella in 2 lbs of wax, because that’s what I had on hand. I the scent is overpowering the whole house and headache-inducingly strong. This is only 25% as strong as you recommend. Do you think it’ll work, because I don’t think I can bear to make it stronger?
Hi BrunetteBunny, I do think it will work. I’m not sure why it was so strong though, perhaps the type of wax or citronella oil you used is different than what I get. I will say that I add other essential oils (as noted in the recipe) to cut the citronella a bit because it can be unpleasant to some, but also that I don’t burn the candles indoors. I put a bunch of them around the garden area that I’m entertaining in and unless I’m directly in the candle’s smoke, I’m not overly bothered by it (and I’m quite sensitive to scents as well).
Hello! Love love love this idea! Thanks so much for sharing. Only question is, when I open a tin it’s really sharp at the top and it might be a hazard. Has anyone cut hands yet? Or am I using a terrible out of date tin opener?
Hi Katie, I have not had the issue. I have a pretty old handheld opener, but the can isn’t sharp. The lid edges can be sharp, but not the can. Anyhow, If you do make candles, then they will also be hot when they are lit, so you won’t want to touch them regardless!
I would like a copy of how to make the candles but when I tried it would take 26 pages. is their a shorter version I can copy
this way I can create romance without much cost, thanks for sharing
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Made these today…the whole house smells like citronella!! Yuck!! No bugs around though :) I used the clippy bit on a ballpoint pen to keep my wicks in place, worked really well!
Give me a break—all that paper to print ! Not to mention my ink. I’ll find it elsewhere !
Hello Garden Therapy!
Thanks for sharing this. We have two Citronella Farming Communities here in the Southern part of the Philippines. A Social Enterprise is helping our farmers how to produce and market high quality Citronella Oil.
We’ve been planning to do this, and this share could really help us train the farmers a new product that will give more value to their citronella oil.
Hope you can visit us sometime.
Big thanks and God bless!
Cheers,
Ronnel
Thank you so much for sharing this good idea. I will make best scented candles this weekend with my old candles. No more buying these anymore!
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Great idea for reusing cans and who wouldn’t love an inexpensive way to get rid of pesky mosquitoes?
Thanks for sharing
Does it matter what old candles I use? I’ve got a bunch of different scented ones.
It is truly a nice and helpful piece of info.
I am happy that you shared this helpful information with us.
Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
In a controlled area, with enough candles, citronella candles will keep mosquitoes and other bugs at bay. They do make a difference.
I love these!! Those little boogers will be here in the mountains soon, and now I can use these to get rid of them! Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
I’d really like to try your DIY. There is nothing like a bunch of bugs in the backyard during summer. Thanks for the tutorial.
Finally, a DIY that I can actually do. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Christine!
I am a mosquito magnet; I definitely want to give these a try, and I like the suggestion of other types of essential oils that deter mosquitos; those scents sound a bit nicer than traditional citronella. Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week!
Hi Emily, yes, there is a whole list of oils in this recipe you can try. Let me know if you find a combination you like!
This is exactly what I need for summer! I love the idea of making my own candles. I already have Citronella essential oil so this is perfect!! I pinned and shared this post.
Thanks, Rebekah!
If you don’t have or want to use a hot glue gun, how else can you get the wicks to stick onto the bottom of the cans?
Wow thanks for the great idea. I never thought about it but putting together an outdoor candle line for fundraising would be unique and might actually be something to consider.
did you just reuse old tin cans or were you able to find unused ones somewhere? I love this idea!
I just used cans from the recycling bin. No need for new ones for this project!
Just gave this a try and its a great solution to a ever present problem that props up every summer. Thanks for sharing this.