PRO TIPS and TRICKS to get the most out of every candle
According to the National Candle Association, candles are used by 7 in 10 households in the United States. Based on data from manufacturers, 90% are purchased by women. There is likely to be at least one candle per household, no matter the type, and you will have at minimum one container candle.
Buy Different Varieties of Candle Making Wax from Aussie candle supplies
While the basics of lighting candles are straightforward, it’s not difficult to enjoy them. These are 8 tips on candle etiquette to ensure you get the most from your candles.
TRIM MY WICK
Always trim your wick to 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch before lighting any candle.
If the wick grows too tall, the flame will also grow too high and leave black burn marks on your glass. Cleaning up the hot liquid wax and cracked glass
This is why a Wick Trimmer is so useful. It’s especially helpful for tall, narrow, or deep candles (like pillars), as well as candle containers. Even if you don’t own a wick-trimmer, you can use scissors to trim the candle. However, it can be challenging once it has burned down.
Pro tip: Use toenail clippers to trim wicks not reachable with scissors if you don’t own a trimmer.
Avoid Drafts
Dancing flames does not a candle party make?
You should never place burning candles near heating vents, open windows, or air-conditioning units. You may notice the flame flickering in other directions than straight up if there is a draft.
A calm and centered flame distributes heat evenly. This eliminates any smoking, tunneling, or waste wax around the candle’s inner edge.
For draft blocking, you can place candles inside a hurricane or lantern. This works well for breezy outdoor events. However, it is also very useful indoors near vents and as an accent to your decor.
CHILL
Cold candles burn slower.
To cool the candle, wrap it in foil or cling film.
Although we haven’t tried the refrigerator theory ourselves, we have done so at lower temperatures. The temperature was cold enough to keep our candles burning all day. But don’t be afraid to put your candles in the fridge.
BURN LONG ENOUGH…
Before lighting the candle, ensure it spools completely across the top. If it is not, it could cause tunneling or wax to be wasted around the candle’s edges. For pillar candles burn them for at least 1 hour per inch.
Side note: A wick too small can cause tunneling. If the wick’s diameter is smaller than the candles (or another area) it is supposed to burn, then it can cause tunneling.
This is the result of a wick-test. You can see the wax rim that runs around the bottle’s edge. The wick was too small. (Please ignore that chipped bottle. It was only for the test.
BUT DON’T BURN WAY TOO LONG
Burn the candle for no more than 4 hours at one time. After 4 hours, the candle becomes too hot and starts to evaporate fragrance oil. The candle will burn quicker. We recommend you burn your candle in 2-3 hour increments.
If the candle heats up, depending on the candle, the wax may liquefy completely. In this case, the glue holding it together can break and cause the glue to slide across the bottom of your container. Be careful: If that happens, the flame may touch the glass directly and crack it. Once 1/2 inch of wax is left, you should stop lighting a candle.
Pro-tip. Sometimes 4 hours isn’t enough. We get it. So, we recommend that you keep multiple candles handy so you can swap them around if you have to burn candles for longer than four hours. So you can alternate fragrances and always have an additional of your #1 favorite.
EXTINGUISH IT
There are several options available to you when trying to extinguish the flame of a candle. Use a flame-sensitizer or a dipper.
Pro tip: Place your index finger in front of the flame when lighting a candle. Blowing gently will help reduce the risk of hot wax splashing and increase the surrounding airflow.
A Wick Dipper and candle snuffer are the same things: they extinguish flames without wick smoking. To exhaust the flame’s carbon and hydrogen supply, place the bell from a candle-snuffer above it. This will extinguish the flame. Use a wick dipper to insert the wick into a hot wax pool. Then, lift it out of wax for the next use.
Pro tip Wick dippers although not as well-known as candle snuffers, are typically less expensive and do the same job.
CLEAN UP
Spills can happen.
The first thing you should do if there is a spillage is to identify the wax that your candle is made from. Soy wax is biodegradable and can be easily cleaned up with soap or water.
You can find the most common spills here:
Leave the wax to harden before you scrape away any extra wax. To make any wax drippings more brittle, use an ice cube. You can use a stiff plastic spatula, or a credit card to scrape away frozen wax.