The menorah aka Chanukiah is one of the main symbols of Chanukah and for good reason. Back in the day, after Judah and his small army WON the battle against the Greek emperor Antiochus; they reclaimed the temple. They wanted nothing more than to light the menorah. Seeing as the temple was destroyed, it was no surprise that the Greeks had tainted all the oil as well. As they cleaned and fixed up the temple, they found 1 remaining bottle of 100% pure olive oil to light the menorah. We know you’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating… that oil was only suppose to last 24 hours, but ended up lasting 8 days and nights. Really think about that for a second. #miracle.

The menorah has 4 holders on each side and one in the middle known as the shamash or “helper” candle to light the others. You can use candles or an oil-fueled menorah. The choice is yours. Which ever menorah type you choose, be sure that it stays lit for up to an hour and a half (on Friday evenings and 30 minutes on weeknights.)

However, you need to keep the tradition alive and sparkling. Our research shows these are the most effective ways to keep your menorah looking brand new.

 Alrighty then.. check out these 8 sweet tips to get wax off your menorah below:

1. Use The Freezer

Yes, cold is good. To make your candles last longer, put them in the freezer 24 hours before burning them. This allows them to last longer, burn straight down and drip less. This will leave you with a less waxy menorah as well. You can also place each candle through a circle mint candy. When the wax drips, it’ll harden around the candy instead of your menorah. Okay, while this is all well and good- you’ll probably still be left with a bit (much less) of wax on your menorah. If this is the case, freeze your menorah; but ONLY if it’s made of plastic or metal. This way you can prevent cracking. The wax should pop right off. You can use an ice cube once you take it out to get any remaining wax off as well.

2. Use The Back Of A Butter Knife

Yup. This one is pretty self explanatory. Use the back (not blade side) of a butter knife and slowly move up scraping the wax off your menorah. Be gentle, so you don’t scratch it!

3. Give It A Hot Bath

We mean temperature wise (get your mind out of the gutter). You can give your menorah a nice hot sink bath. BUT FIRST: If you menorah in made of ceramic or glass, be sure to start with lukewarm water so the sudden temperature change doesn’t crack it. This will help to slowly allow the hardened wax to fall into bits. Then, all that’s left to do is wipe it down. If you find some stubborn wax pieces holding on for dear life, try using a debit card to gently scrape the remains. If you’re still stuck with extra stubborn wax, place your menorah in the sink. Boil a kettle of water and very slowly (and carefully) pour the hot water where the wax is. This should do the trick.

4. Get Out A Cookie Sheet

Before grabbing a cookie sheet, this only works if your menorah is made of metal. You may want to try it with other compounds, but if you do, please use caution. Place your metal menorah on a cookie sheet (be sure to line it). Place it in the oven at 200 degrees (not any higher). Pull it out after about 12-15 minutes and BOOM. Bye bye melted wax.

5. Go Grab A Blow Dryer

If you’re too nervous about using your oven (step 4), you can also try using a blow dryer. A blow dryer is said to work wonders when it comes to getting the wax off of a plastic menorah. However, you MUST constantly move the blow dryer around. If you hold it in place, you may accidentally damage parts of your menorah. Think about blow drying your hair— if you hold it in one place, you’ll burn your scalp. Blow dry your menorah just like you’d blow dry your hair.

6. Use Cooking Spray 

Yup. Cooking spray. We like cooking spray made of olive oil of course, but you can use whatever you’d like. Before putting the candles in your menorah spray it with your choice of cooking spray. This allows the melted wax to slide off rather than stick. Ya, you’re welcome. This is a sweet trick we learned from one of our amazing customers, Tina. Thanks Tina!

7. Choose An Oil Infused Menorah Instead

Well, ya this is kind of obvious. If you don’t use candles, but instead use an oil-fueled menorah (with 100% pure olive oil of course) then your clean up is simple. No wax to deal with and you’re really keeping the tradition alive!

8. Don't Clean It

Huh? Don’t clean your menorah? Exactly. Some families choose to keep the wax drippings on their menorah for generations; as each tiny drip of wax is viewed as a memory. You may need to clean out the holes where the candle is placed, but there is an easy hack for this as well. Use corn on the cob handles. There are 2 little sharp prongs on the ends. Stick that in the candle holder part of the menorah and easily scrap out the wax. Then, leave the wax dripping on the rest of your menorah and keep it going for generations! This may not be ideal for most of you, but we think it’s a pretty neat idea.

There you go.. 8 ways to clean your menorah for 8 nights of the best holiday in the world. Be sure to stop by Jewbees if you haven’t already! Happy Hanukkah to you and your family. May your holiday be filled with tradition and love.

Written By:

The Jewbees Team