Candle Tips
There are many things that can affect the quality of your candle experience. Below you will find some great information on candles.
Safety Precautions
Always remember - YOU ARE PLAYING WITH FIRE - Appropriate precautions should be taken every time you light a candle.
The following simple steps will ensure that you can enjoy your candle in a safe way.
- Always trim your wick to 1/4" before lighting (every time you light your candle)
- Trim off any mushroom top on your wick before lighting
- NEVER leave a burning candle unattended. You should be able to see your candle at all times
- Keep candles out of reach of pets and children
- Do not burn near drafts, vents or other flammable objects (e.g.: curtains, towels, walls, etc...)
- Always burn candles on a heat resistant surface
- Always leave a couple of inches between burning candles
- Always burn in a well ventilated room
- IMMEDIATELY EXTINGUISH FLAME if it smokes or if flame touches container
- Do not burn a candle if the container is damaged or cracked
- Do not touch a glass container while a candle is burning!! It can be HOT!!
- Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and other debris. This is dangerous and can cause excessive smoke and soot.
Do not extinguish by placing a lid on the container. Not only is this dangerous, but it will leave excessive soot in your container, and possibly crack the glass. The lid can also become very hot.
Jar Candles
Allow your candles to burn until the wax pool reaches all sides of your container. This averages about 1 hour per inch of diameter. If you do not burn your candle to the edges, your candle will tunnel down the center and NOT burn all of the wax.
If the wax is not melting on one side try and position the wick to that side before relighting. Our natural cotton and paper wicks tend to lean and will therefore burn hotter on one side than other.
Discontinue use of your candle when 1/2" of wax remains. Burning any further can cause the container to super heat, and crack or even explode. Anytime the candle has become completely liquid you should extinguish your candle and relight it after it has solidified.
Tealites and Votives
Always burn tealites and votives in proper container and on a heat resistant surface.
Votives must be in a fairly tight fitting container. The tighter the container the longer your candle will last and the cleaner it will burn.
Proper Extinguishing
The best way to extinguish your candle is to dip the wick into the candle wax. Use a for or a spoon to do this. Remember to bring the wick back up so that it is ready for the next time. By using this method you will not have any smoke or soot buildup. It will also strengthen the wick and make it easier to light the next time. Further the completely extinguishes the flame and does not leave the wick to smolder dangerously.
Limiting Black Soot and Cleanup
When a soy candle is burned properly there should be virtually no soot.
If your wicks are not trimmed properly, soot can form from the carbon buildup on the wick. Soot can also occur from just blowing your wick out. See the method above for extinguishing your candle. Remember to trim you wick to 1/4" before lighting. Also clip off any carbon buildup on the wick (mushroom tops).
Soy wax is extremely easy to clean up. After your candle is finished simply wash out with VERY HOT water and soap.
