Candles provide us with light, heavenly scents, and a sense of calm and relaxation. A candle can add a lot to your life and routine, so you need to take care of them. Luckily, you can use a few best practices to make your high-quality candles last as long as possible. By following these practices, you can avoid wasting your wax and get your money’s worth. Here’s how to get the most out of your candles.
Avoid Tunneling
The last thing you want is for your candle to tunnel up. We’ve all seen this at some point, where the wax burns unevenly and accumulates on the sides. As a result, you only end up burning the wax in the middle. Tunneling significantly reduces the life of your candle.
To make sure that your candle never experiences tunneling, follow this rule. The first time you burn your candle, let it burn long enough to melt the top layer of wax all the way to the edges. Depending on the size, it usually takes around three hours to do so. You’ll be glad that you did, as this will prevent your candle from tunneling on subsequent burns.
Trim Your Wicks
Not enough candle owners know about trimming wicks. For your candle to burn correctly, you need to cut that wick! Try to trim it down to about 5 mm. That’s the optimal length for a wick to burn evenly to prevent mushrooming. Trimming your wick can also stop soot from forming.
Not trimming your wick can have disastrous results, and you’ll waste your candle. An untrimmed wick can cause:
- Too intense of a flame
- Excessive smoke
- A long, flickering flame
Any of these can present a fire hazard, especially if your candle is close to flammable materials or furniture. To avoid these hazards, trim your wick every time you burn your candle.
Know When To Stop
Never burn your candle past 5 mm to the bottom. If you burn your candle without any wax, you could overheat the jar and cause it to shatter. Also, make sure you regularly clean or cover your candle to stop the accumulation of dust and dirt. A dirty candle won’t burn as well as a clean one. Also, try to keep your candle free of any trimmed wicks!
So that’s how to get the most out of your candles. Follow these simple rules to keep your high-quality candles burning with max efficiency!
