birthday candles

[MamaBee]

So... cleaning out a drawer in my kitchen, I have a huge pile of half burnt birthday candles. My family is a firm believer that once you use a birthday candle, it can't be reused (on the actual day of a birthday). Friends of the family uses the used candle from the first child and uses it for the next child and then the third. What does your family do? Do you reuse gently burnt candles or do you only use them once and throw them away?

[Neverland Scraps]

We buy the $1.00 bulk candles and once they are used they are thrown away. We used to save them, but I've gotten really conscious about germs and I don't like not being able to wash the candles off in hot soapy water to get the oily residue from the frosting off them. So I just toss them. The number ones, I soak them in hot, soapy water and if they don't turn to sludge, I keep them and try to reuse them. So far, with their birthdays so spread out, I've not been able to reuse them at all.

I also have to admit, two years ago was the first year I started putting candles on the cakes for the kids to blow out---you know, spraying germs when they blow them out. They always got their own small cake, or piece of a cake to blow their candle(s) out. But moving away from family and not having anyone over, we don't eat our cakes. They are just a formality any more, so the candles have gone on the cake for them to blow out. So with doing the small cake or slice, we weren't using nearly as many candles as we are now.

[farrijc]

Use them once and then toss. I’m not much of a saver in general. Lol

[rach3975]

We wash and reuse a few times.

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[Leablahblah]

I never even thought this could be a topic of conversation. lol
I've kept them and reused them. I try to wash off as much as I can. If they get too small I'll toss them.

[YepBrook]

We do it just like my great grandma, grandma, mother and generations of women have in my family... reuse! We wash the ends of them and then baggie them to use another time. When they get too short, we toss. It's one thing I actually reuse. My mom and grandmothers wash and reuse some of their plastic baggies... now, that I can't get into. Way too much work, but I'm sure it's better for the environment. It's the way things used to be! Heck, people even repaired their shoes. Now we just toss everything.

[carrie1977]

I kept the first birthday candle for each of my kids. The rest have been thrown away.

[LynnZant]

I also kept the first birthday's candles and chucked the rest.

[MamaBee]

Originally Posted by YepBrook

We do it just like my great grandma, grandma, mother and generations of women have in my family... reuse! We wash the ends of them and then baggie them to use another time. When they get too short, we toss. It's one thing I actually reuse. My mom and grandmothers wash and reuse some of their plastic baggies... now, that I can't get into. Way too much work, but I'm sure it's better for the environment. It's the way things used to be! Heck, people even repaired their shoes. Now we just toss everything.

That is so true - we don't reuse things like past generations... it's something about my family and birthday candles - it's like bad luck to reuse birthday candles since the wish is already "taken" from the candle. haha Now on my husband's side - just celebrating birthdays is wasteful.

[Sheana]

We use them once and toss them.

[YepBrook]

Originally Posted by MamaBee

That is so true - we don't reuse things like past generations... it's something about my family and birthday candles - it's like bad luck to reuse birthday candles since the wish is already "taken" from the candle. haha Now on my husband's side - just celebrating birthdays is wasteful.

Well, that's taking it WAY too far! LOL

[aussiegirl]

Originally Posted by YepBrook

We do it just like my great grandma, grandma, mother and generations of women have in my family... reuse! We wash the ends of them and then baggie them to use another time. When they get too short, we toss. It's one thing I actually reuse. My mom and grandmothers wash and reuse some of their plastic baggies... now, that I can't get into. Way too much work, but I'm sure it's better for the environment. It's the way things used to be! Heck, people even repaired their shoes. Now we just toss everything.

This is what we do too! And my mom used to reuse baggies and countless other things by washing, reusing and repairing things. Just shows how times have changed. Our generations don't seem to have as much patience for that. We would rather buy new, than reuse and item.

[britaneejean]

Originally Posted by YepBrook

We do it just like my great grandma, grandma, mother and generations of women have in my family... reuse! We wash the ends of them and then baggie them to use another time. When they get too short, we toss. It's one thing I actually reuse. My mom and grandmothers wash and reuse some of their plastic baggies... now, that I can't get into. Way too much work, but I'm sure it's better for the environment. It's the way things used to be! Heck, people even repaired their shoes. Now we just toss everything.

Haha yes, this! And my grandparents washed & reused bread bags and all of that too. It's from the depression era...reuse & repair everything. My grandparents never changed their mindsets.

[craftytam]

We toss them after 1 use. There are a lot of things I reuse, but not birthday candles.
My grandma always saved wrapping paper & bows at Christmas time... we weren't allowed to throw any of it away. I started doing the same thing. but, when grandma passed away, we cleaned out cabinets that had tons of wrapping paper & bows that had not been re-used... that's when I started throwing it away.

[KingsQueen82]

I've saved ours from time to time but when the next birthday rolls around I always pick the fresh and pretty ones anyways. In a way I'm glad we move every other year or so because if not I'd probably have a hoarder's house from all the little things like that that I keep and never use.