let's talk about candle care for a minute, friends.
candle care is SO important! when you take care of your candles, the life of your candle is extended, it burns cleaner, and provides you a safe and enjoyable candle burning experience. while candle burning can be a therapeutic and relaxing part of your day, anything regarding a flame is inherently a risk! so i'm gonna take you through the steps that we recommend you take to make sure that you're being the best candle snob you can be.
step one: trim your wick! our wooden wicks need to be trimmed to 1/8 of an inch. you can use a wick trimmer, scissors, nail clippers or pinch the burnt part off with your fingers and a tissue. you can find wick trimmers here. also make sure there's no debris in the candle when you re-light!
step two: don't blow out the flame until there is a full pool of melted wax, meaning the puddle of melted wax extends the entire diameter of the jar or vessel. this is to avoid tunneling, which is when the candle only burns down the center, leaving unmelted wax surrounding the melt pool. when your candle tunnels, it won't reach it's maximum burn time- aka wasted money! so if you know that you need to run a few errands, wait until you get home to light your favorite candle.
step three: keep candles out of reach of small children and pets and away from flammable things like bedding, curtains, books, etc. so maybe on a side table right underneath your grandma's vintage lampshade isn't the best place to keep your lit candle. if you're worried about not being able to have a safe place to keep a lit candle, you can use our 2-in-1 warmer. the dish is removable so you can either put a candle on it to melt or use wax melts to enjoy your favorite scent.
step four: don't leave your candle unattended! seriously. if you're leaving the room or going to bed, make sure to blow it out! according to the us fire administration's national fire data center there are an estimated 23,600 fires in residences that are caused by candles annually. if you want continuous scent in your home or space, reed diffusers are another great way to enjoy fragrance without a flame! you can shop reed diffusers here.
step five: burn your candle on a level, fire-resistant surface- coasters are a great way to protect your coffee table, countertops, or surfaces. burn your candle on a surface that will resist and disperse heat. keep your gorgeous new coffee table safe and beautiful with a coaster or even a plate!
step six: don't burn your candle for more than 4 hours at a time. burning for more than 4 hours will cause the wick to cause carbon to collect on the wick, creating more soot, and the flame can become unstable and create a flame that can be dangerous! if you still want to burn the candle, extinguish the flame, let the wax cool, trim your wick and then re-light.
step seven: keep your candle away from moving air. think fans, air conditioners, open windows or crowded areas with people walking back and forth. moving air can disturb the flame, resulting in more soot. reed diffusers are the opposite and actually love high traffic areas.
step eight: 'retire' your candle when there is a half inch of wax left! i know you want to get all you can out of your candle, but burning it past the 1/2 inch mark can become a huge fire hazard. the glass could get too hot and shatter. if you want to get all that you can out of your candle you can use the 2-in-1 warmer we talked about in step 3 to enjoy your fave scent.
did you learn something from this blog post? if you did, tag a friend or send this to someone who should be showing their candles all of the love and care!
