Fixing a cloudy Lava Lamp: Low Budget Filters and Refill

I found a 10-15 years old, cloudy lava lamp on a local internet marketplace website, and for a price of just 2€ I just couldn't pass. I tried to get it cleaned up with only using simple stuff I had at home, no ordering or buying anything expensive. I put a lot of effort into the video editing (took me two full days), so even with how ridiculously long this video ended up, I hope it's still worth a watch.

== SHORT GUIDE FOR QUICK FIXERS ==
This is just what I did, no guarantee it will work on 100% of lamps. It also might recloud over time, but that's a (hopefully pretty low) risk I was willing to take.

1) GET OFF BOTTLE CAP: 05:05
Expect either glue (like my Mathmos has) or crimping. Against glue, try hot water dipping or a heat gun. Against crimping, try prying it open with a small, sharp tool.

2) POUR OUT OLD LIQUID: 10:22
Maybe put it in a container and keep it, in case you ever want it back. In any case, measure the amount (ml/oz) for later use.

3) RINSE BOTTLE WITH TAP WATER: 10:33
Do this multiple times, until the rinsing water stays completely clean.

4) FILL BOTTLE WITH TAP WATER: 11:09
Leave around 2cm/1inch space under the edge of the lid, so you have space for the brine.

5) TURN ON LAMP, WAIT FOR WAX TO MELT COMPLETELY: 11:13
The wax probably will move little or not at all, which is normal. In case you see air bubbles, don't worry, they should go away after around 30 minutes.

6) MAKE BRINE (=SALT SOLUTION): 12:36
I used 160g water and 40g salt. For imperial units, 4oz water and 1oz salt should be fine. You don't need as much (I only needed 25g brine) but it makes mixing and scooping it up easier.

7) ADD BRINE REPEATEDLY IN SMALL AMOUNTS: 13:10
For a 500ml/30oz lamp, adding about 4g of brine at a time seems like a good compromise. You can use a small spoon, a syringe, a pipette or just a straw you hold closed at the top. Wait at least 1-2 minutes after every addition for the wax to settle down. If the lamp keeps on flowing satisfactory after ~10 minutes, it should be fine.

8) FILL UP/POUR OFF WATER: (FORGOT ON VIDEO)
If there is a little gap left under the edge of the top part, fill it up. If there is too much liquid, pour off until just above the edge.

9) SEAL LAMP AGAIN: 06:59
Screw, glue or crimp the bottle cap back onto the bottle, or improvise something. It doesn't need to be waterproof, except you expect the lamp to maybe get knocked over at some point. It might lose tiny amounts of water over time to evaporation if it's not completely sealed, but you can always top it up with a little tap water.

== FILTERING WAX ==
If your wax also contains some dirt or grime, add these steps between 3) and 4)

3.1) MELT WAX IN WATER BATH: 16:26
Put the bottle in cold water. Make sure no water can get in at the top, then turn on the heat and bring the water to about 70C/100F. Turn it off and wait for 10-15 minutes, and the wax should be completely molten.

3.2) FILTER WAX: 17:02
Take an (old) pantyhose, cut off a 20cm piece from the middle of a leg and wrap it around a small bowl (metal is best). Pour the wax through the pantyhose, and it should catch all the grime.

3.3) CLEAN BOTTLE AND SPRING: 18:53
You can use paint thinner, acetone or something similar if you have it on hand, but just soap and a bottle brush should be fine too.

3.4) REMELT WAX: 19:48
Put the bowl in a 70C/100F waterbath to completely melt the wax again.

3.5) POUR WAX BACK IN BOTTLE: 19:56
Preheat the funnel, and angle the bottle a small amount for the wax to glide in along the bottom part of the wall, to avoid splattering.

3.6) WAIT UNTIL WAX IS COMPLETLY SOLID: 20:04
Don't continue too early, or the water will rip apart the wax again. Two hours should be fine. Then go on to step 4).

== LINKS ==

== TIMESTAMPS ==
00:00 Intro
00:35 Inspecting lamp
04:07 Preparation
06:00 Coffee filter
07:55 Sponge filter
10:18 Replacing liquid
15:54 Filtering wax
20:55 Redying (gone wrong)
23:17 Outro

[VC_]

Never thought this video would hold my attention, however, I watched it in its entirety. Great work done Sir and I absolutely respect your tenacity.
I learnt a lot which will help in my making a long cherished lava lamp. Thank you.

[angeladuffield]

Blows My mind how great this video was very detailed.

[homespunware]

I watched all the way. Sorry for your loss in the end. The sacrifices we make in the name of science can be disappointing. However, it's not so bitter because you were ultimately successful while educating us all throughout the process. As well, you have likely saved thousands from ruining their lava lamps.

[pjofla]

I love your persistence, your ingenuity, your empiricism, and also, your desire to push limits. It was there that you achieved the near-perfect---and there also---the total ruin of what you had set out to accomplish!! But you really broke the entire system down, and I'd say, went well beyond the Reddit standard. I watched every minute of it, and know how many exhausting hours went into the production and post production of this video. You have the makings of a good documentarian and videographer! And alas, you also have the quality perfectionism! Thanks and I look forward to seeing more!

[tawanrangkachai]

Thanks for the knowledge and effort that telling me to just get the Mathmos.

[zuhjwir]

Great instructions! Can't wait to redo my lava lamp.

[tasneemkazmi]

This was truly amazing!! Respect your persistence 🫡

[heavymetalboobies]

You're a mad scientist XD but thanks to your experiments I now understand lava lamps better and feel confident to fix mine. Thank you!

[kharmakhazie]

I made it to the end! Love the quotes you put in the video, as well as overall construction of the whole thing! Not only did you get a like from me, but a new follower as well! Thank you for existing!

[clauspetersen]

Very good. Thanks for not just taking the time to nerd the project, but for documenting it here for me and others to see and learn from.

[cookycutie]

OMG HOW MUCH WORK WENT THROUGH THIS, i just bought a lavalamp and its cloudy as heck my dissapointment is huge, but this video brought a big smile on my face, the efforts and he specifically went for easy to find materials filters and panty hose, sponges are available 😀, i will try destiled water from the air-conditioner and update u guys, now i know its okay to throw the original water with no big . fear .

[Vicky]

This video is peeerrfecct!!! For real. I love you so much for that. Thank you 10000 times!!

[philipgrobler]

Excellent, I always suspected that it was a water wax combination with perhaps some other stuff added in, thank you for confirming it.

[MrChrissuu]

Thanks for your time and knowledge . You have nice voice .

[mg]

Wow this was exactly what I needed! Thank you so much- I feel so much more prepared to fix my lava lamp now. Thank you!

[msashleighdelaney]

Thank you!! This is EXACTLY what’s going on with a second hand lamp I just bought! Thank you MUCH!!! now I know what to do to fix all its issues!! Bless you sir! ❤

[mlersk]

Loved this video so much! I can’t even say how much I enjoyed it!

[MatejGames]

Also have this one, but in green. Wanted to clean it for a longer time, thanks for the guide!

[JimSegovia]

Man, this video is really great! I cannot express how fun it was to see the whole process and ideas, now I just want to change the water of my lava lamp and this video motivates me more!

[katakis]

This was insanely entertaining and informative. I loved how well you documented every step (must have taken ages!), and your insistence on the low-budget DIY approach. Great stuff!
I'd love for you to revisit that restoration project, and bring that lamp back together with some properly dyed paraffin wax. Maybe you can figure out a cheap solution for that as well!