Here are five tips for burning your candles correctly. Candles can be good, or they can be cheap, but they can't be both. Help them last as long as possible!
It's all too common for a lower quality candle to be wicked improperly. If it drowns itself out, it's probably under-wicked. In that case, you could set the jar on a warmer (a coffee mug warmer works well) and gently warm to release it's fragrance.
If it's over-wicked, the flame will become too large and flicker-y, creating soot and making the jar too hot to handle. Hopefully, you bought a good one! Here are five tips to give you the best results from any candle:
- Trim the wick to 1/4" every time you re-light your candle, and you'll always enjoy a like-new burn! Already combusted wick material does not burn well, and can make a sooty mess of even the best candles. A metal wick trimmer lasts forever, it's a great investment for any candle lover.
- Don't light it and forget it. Hours on end power burning is necessary for safety-testing, but not recommended for the consumer. For best results, burn your candle in four hour increments.
- If you don't have enough time to let the candle form a full melt pool (the melted wax reaches all edges of the jar) then wait until you do. A full melt pool prevents tunneling, while releasing maximum scent.
Most candles melt at about an inch (in diameter) per hour. This means a candle that measures 3 inches across should take about 3 hours to form a full melt pool. The melted wax should be about 1/4" and 1/2" deep. - Look for a steady, compact flame. If the flame becomes tall or flickers excessively, extinguish it, trim the wick and re-light.
5. Blowing out the flame can introduce wick debris into the wax. Instead, extinguish your candle with a wick snuffer, or briefly rest the lid on the jar. When the flame dies, remove the lid to release the trapped smoke and heat.
Proper candle care makes a huge difference, so I hope you find it helpful!
