CANDLE BURNING 101

No matter how many candles you've burned, a little refresher on best practices never hurts!

Always remember this golden rule of trimming the wick to about ¼-inch before burning any candle. You can use a regular pair of scissors in case you don’t have a wick trimmer. Trimming a wick is important because an untrimmed wick might lead to the candle emitting soot when burned or uneven burning of the candle. If you are trimming a wood wick make sure you remove all the burned wood. If left untrimmed, a wood wick may have a large dangerous flame and emit black soot.

Just like people, candles have memory. To make sure your candle “remembers” how to burn the right way, it is essential to make the first burn a memorable one! When you first burn a candle, let it burn for minimum 2-3 hours. The rule is 1 hour of burn per 1 inch of candle diameter. Often, when a candle isn’t burning to the edge of a container, the problem is a result of the initial burn not being long enough.  

Just like not burning the candle long enough can cause problems, burning your candles for too long can cause issues as well! A burn length of between 3 and 4 hours is usually ideal. When burning longer than this, a candle will often have “mushrooming” on the wick. This is the normal carbon buildup on the wick but can create soot when burned too long. If you want to burn a candle for an extended period of time, put the candle out between 3 and 4 hours, let the wax cool, trim the wick to ¼ inch and relight the candle. 

Moving air is an enemy of candles! Keep your candles away from windows, vents, fans, AC units, or any other source of moving air. Another way air moves that we don’t often think of is from people moving around near a candle. Placing candles in high traffic areas will disturb the flame, causing it to flicker. This flickering will lead to uneven burning, unburned wax rings, and black smoke. If that “perfect” candle place is near moving air, you can always put the candle inside a larger candle glass. Make sure the glass is a little taller and wider than your candle. This will insulate the candle from the air and allow it to burn properly. 

Candles get hot! Never touch a burning candle, as the container may cause a burn and wax may spill causing a burn. Do not move an actively burning candle. If you want to relocate a candle, first extinguish the flame, let the wax cool down, and then move the candle to your desired location. Before relighting, make sure you trim the wick!

This one seems obvious, but never forget that candles attract kids and pets! Make sure you place your candles out of reach of both.