DIY Bug Repellant Candles
Summer is officially here and so are the bugs. Whether spiders coming in the house to cool off or mosquitoes looking for a nibble, most of us don’t enjoy these leggy pests. Mosquitos in particular are a downer on an outdoor event in the evenings. Citronella and/or lavender candles are one of the ways people use to ward off these annoying pests. However, instead of going out to buy them, how about making some with items you may have already? Well, today’s fun project, diy bug repellant candles, is an awesome way to repurpose old candles as well as kitty food cans (or tuna cans).
Maybe you have candles laying around that have seen better days, but you don’t want to throw them out. If they are unscented this would be a great time to pull them out to remelt and make diy citronella candles. Lavender is another great essential oil for a pest repellant, so if you don’t have citronella use lavender. Furthermore, if you have a kitty then you may have lots of cans to recycle like we do. Well, these cans are the perfect size for this project. Tuna fish cans will also work. This is a fun and easy diy with purpose, so keep reading!
Things you will need for DIY Bug Repellant Candles
Clean kitty food cans or tuna cans
Short candle wicks (available at craft stores)
Unscented candles or candle wax (you will need about 4-5 oz per can)
Citronella essential oil or lavender essential oil (you will need 8-10% of the wax weight; multiply your wax weight in oz. by .08 or .10 to determine the oil amount)
Start by prepping the cans and affixing a wick to the bottom of each. You can use a hot glue gun to do this or the wicks you purchase may come with sticky adhesive tabs- either will work. After this weigh your candles being used on a kitchen scale. This will help to determine how much essential oil you add. Next, melt the candles in a saucepan over medium heat, carefully straining out old wicks.
When the wax is melted remove from heat and add essential oil. When making candles for my business my wholesalers recommend using 8-10% fragrance/essential oil. Since I like a good strong candle, I use 10% essential oil, especially since these are being used outdoors. So, for example, if I have 10 oz of candle wax then I will use 1 oz of essential oil. If I have 5 oz of candle wax, then I use .5 oz essential oil.
Carefully, pour hot wax into cans. The sides of the can will be very hot since it is metal so don’t touch! If needed use pens, pencils or small sticks to hold wick in center while wax is cooling. When candles are fully cooled trim the wicks down and decorate the sides with decorative paper. I printed a pretty pattern on label paper and cut to fit the can.
Watch this Instagram reel here to see me make these!
Have a beautiful day!
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