Tips & Tricks

Seems silly to have to use a guide for a candle, right? Wrong! A lot of people do not realize that there is a proper way to burn candles to safely achieve longevity of the candle. This guide will offer tips to help you experience your candle for as long as possible in the safest way possible.

Safety

Always burn your candle on a heat resistant surface in a well-ventilated room. Never leave it unattended while lit. Before re-lighting a candle, let the candle cool completely and re-solidify. When only 1/4 inch of wax remains, do not continue to burn the candle as to avoid overheating of the container. However, you can still use the remainder of the wax but using a wax melter.

Longevity

Choose an appropriate sized room

Smaller candles (4 - 8 oz) should be burned in smaller spaces that are under 900 sq ft. For best performance, burn smaller candles in closed-in spaces such as a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, foyer, or small office.

Larger candles (9-16 oz) tend to have a more powerful fragrance throw and can perform well in larger spaces and open-concept floorplans such as a great room or living room. 

Burn time

Allowing the candle to burn until the a melt pool (melted wax) reaches the edge of the container in all directions during a single burning session is important. The minimum burn time that a candle should be allowed to burn is 1 hour for 4-8 oz candles or 2 hours for 9-16 oz candles. Failure to do this repeatedly will result in candle tunneling- when only the center of the wax right around the wick melts and burns down. If candle tunneling occurs over time, you will end up with a ring of unused wax around the outside of the candle, thereby, reducing the overall usage of the candle. It is especially important to allow the minimum burn time for the first burn to set the characteristic of the melt pool thereafter. 

It is equally important that the maximum burn time is not exceeded during a single burning session. The maximum burn time that a candle should be allowed to burn is 3 hours for 4- 8 oz candles and 4 hours for 9- 16 oz candles. Over-burning can not only result in a fire hazard by overheating the container, but can also overheat the wax causing it to melt faster.

Trim wicks

Trimming the wick to 1/4 inch before every burn will reduce carbon (soot) build-up, and therefore will reduce the size of the flame. A smaller flame will not burn as hot as a larger flame. Reduced heat will slow the burn of the wick as well as slow melting of the wax to prolong longevity of the candle. (Hack: pinch off the soot with a napkin).