The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah

I love using a real menorah, don't you? The seven branch menorah throughout Scripture represents the presence of YHWH. The first mention of it is in Exodus and the last in Revelation. We use it on Feast Days, for Shabbat dinners, special occasions and sometimes just because. The only downside is that afterwards it tends to look something like this:
The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah | Land of Honey
To scrape this wax off would take approximately forever, and it's easy to scratch your menorah if you employ a knife to assist you. Not to worry though, there is a better way!
The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah | Land of Honey
It only requires three things: an oven, baking sheet, and a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean up. You could also use foil if that's what you have on hand. Place the parchment on the baking sheet and lay the menorah on it's side.
The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah | Land of Honey

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Place your oven on low heat. The lowest temperature mine would allow is 170°. Place your metal menorah in the oven and let it go for five minutes. It doesn't take long for it to warm up and for the wax to run right off! You will see small puddles of wax on your parchment paper as in the photo below. If there is still wax on the menorah leave it in for another five minutes or so. The time this takes will vary based on what type of wax is on your menorah, its thickness, the heat of the oven and so on.
The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah | Land of Honey
Once the wax has all dripped off carefully remove the pan from the oven and let the menorah cool. It will be very hot!
The Easiest DIY Way to Clean a Menorah | Land of Honey
Doesn't that look so much better? And it only took five minutes and no scraping! This is my go-to for the menorah cleaning. I hope you find it beneficial as well!
Super simple way to clean your menorah! | Land of Honey
Related posts:
Where We See Menorahs in Scripture
Why the Seven Branch Menorah Matters
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15 comments:

  1. JoyJanuary 15, 2016 at 8:45 PM

    SOOO cool!!! Todah Rabah for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ardy53December 13, 2016 at 9:05 PM

    wonderful to know...thanks for the tip

    ReplyDelete
  3. melissaJanuary 1, 2017 at 5:17 PM

    THANK YOU! our Hanukiah Menorah is a mess - used cheap candles this year! Appreciate the tip.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 19, 2017 at 2:45 PM

    Just came across this. Can it work for with glass and metal? My menorah has a thick glass base with metal cups.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Land of HoneyNovember 21, 2017 at 12:49 PM

      I haven't tried this with glass but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Glass tends to withstand heat very well so it should do just fine at whatever your lowest oven setting is. I've had success with all the metals I have tried. I hope it works for you!

      Delete
    2. AprilDecember 29, 2023 at 5:14 PM

      I run it under hot water in the kitchen sink. Melts right off and kess likely to harm glass or mixed metals. Works on porcelain hanukkiah as well

      Delete
    3. Land of HoneyJanuary 8, 2024 at 1:38 PM

      I would be careful about making sure that the wax doesn't go down your drain. That could get clogged and be an expensive repair.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousDecember 10, 2017 at 9:24 PM

    Can this method be used with a pewter hannukiah? Pewter has a pretty low melting point. I've always put mine in the freezer to get the wax really brittle and then it comes off more easily, but it's still a pain. This way looks SO much easier!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Land of HoneyDecember 11, 2017 at 11:30 AM

      It should be okay as long as your oven is set at 200° F or below. The melting point for pewter is more like 400° F, and it only takes a couple of minutes for the wax to melt. You could even preheat your oven to its lowest setting and then turn it off to be on the safe side.

      Delete
  6. UnknownDecember 11, 2017 at 2:24 AM

    I assume that this method also works for Shabbat candlesticks as well?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Land of HoneyDecember 11, 2017 at 11:31 AM

      Yep, it works great with any metal candlestick and should be fine with glass as well. Occasionally I see candle holders with rubber 'feet' so I would watch out for those.

      Delete
  7. شركة تنظيف بالرياضJune 10, 2018 at 7:19 AM

    i liked this tips
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. Catherine ClarkFebruary 18, 2020 at 8:10 PM

    Amazing! It works very well. Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownDecember 17, 2020 at 5:02 PM

    After 70 years of struggling I finally a way to clean my menorah. THANK YOU

    ReplyDelete
  10. BarbaraJanuary 2, 2021 at 6:46 AM

    I did this the other day. Thank you this works wonderfully! Shabbat Shalom

    ReplyDelete

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