How do YOU clean your silicone molds?

[tonyalc]

I'm just asking because some of mine are looking kind of dim on the inside and outside and I can never pour without spilling 'some' wax! I'm about to find out if the dullness really matters in the end products...but, until then, how do you go about cleaning yours?

[Scented]

warm, soapy water and make sure I get all the moisture out.

[Henryk]

I use BW in silicone pillar/taper molds. What I do is find out the highest temp the mold will accommodate from the vendor (don't guess, all silicone molds are not made of the same material) and pour in water at that temp if need be, or preferable, if lower, just higher than the melt point of the wax you use in them. Wax should float to the top. You can wait till it cools or scoop it off. (Be carefull of your plumbing).

Coffee filters can then be used to get off any leftover smears since they won't leave lint behind.

With silicone molds, I've found imperfections on candles are caused by left behind wax in the molds. Pouring at the highest temp feasible allowed by your wax and mold will usually make the molds self cleaning for many pours. Silicone holds heat, so don't be in a hurry to unmold them or else you will cause the problem you are trying to avoid (wax will stick to silicone until its cooled properly).

[tonyalc]

Ooooh, those are great ideas, I think I'll try them out tonight! Thank you both so much. What is BW?

[Terrie]

What is BW?

BW = Beeswax.

[tonyalc]

I ended up putting them in a large bowl and dumping hot soapy water over the top of them and the wax slid right off. The coffee filter idea was great too! Oh, OK! Thank you Terrie!