Recycling wax

[BeeFarmer61]

 I made a cheddar, my first attempt in January of 2016 and waxed it. I had bought a small apartment fridge to age it in, but I had a problem getting the temp to steady where I wanted it. I had bought a temp/humidity gauge that was cheap and didn't work worth a toot. Temps went to 60-something, maybe 70 even before I caught it and the wax split. It looked ok, and smelled ok, but had only been aging for a short time, then it grew mold. I kept forgetting to see if I could find how to recycle the wax, and now I am ready to make a new batch, but wonder what to do to re-use the old wax. How is it to be cleaned, sterilized etc?

[AnnDee]

What I do is I clean the wax from bits of cheese that might adhere to it then put it together with the rest of my wax and heat them up together. I think the heat will kill whatever bacteria from the previous cheese.

[Schnecken Slayer]

I melt the wax and strain it through a paper dish-washing product we have here called "Chux", it removes all the solids and you only lose a little wax.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

I melt the wax and strain it through a paper dish-washing product we have here called "Chux", it removes all the solids and you only lose a little wax.

That sounds pretty much the same as I do. The only difference is that I add the cleaned way to the wax pot and strain it through the Chux when it all gets too many foreign bodies.
I work on Ann's theory that the heat will kill any nasties.

[Al Lewis]

I take the wax off of the cheese in as large pieces as possible, rinse them under hot water to remove any cheese or foreign bodies on the outside, pat it dry with a paper towel, and put it back in the pot with the hot wax to melt.  The hot wax in the pot will vaporize any water droplets I missed when drying.  I found this old slow cooker works great for wax.

[BeeFarmer61]

 Hey thanks ya'll! Lot of good ideas here...now onward making more cheese!  ;D