Candle Care: How To Light Your Candles The Right way
Candles create an ambiance of tranquility and relaxation. We love how candles conjure up memories and help us unwind after a long day. Or, create peace and calm in the morning. But, do you know what it means to practice good candle care? Many people don’t. But, don’t worry, that’s why we’re here! We want to ensure your candles continue to burn bright for as long as possible. And following these proper candle care will help extend the life of your favorite scents.
Read on to learn how to care for a candle.
Before Burning Your Candle
1. Choose the Right Candle
It all starts with the right candle. Choosing the perfect candle will help you understand how to care for a candle and enjoy your scent longer. When selecting a candle you want to think about the type of wick and wax used. Candles using soy waxes and wood wicks, such as Ardor Bins are a better investment for your home and health. Not only are they healthier due to emitting less soot and toxins into your home, but they also burn longer and cleaner. In fact, soy wax burns 30% to 50% percent longer than a paraffin wax candle. So, choosing the right candle from the beginning will make your new candle care routine much easier to take on.
2. Trim Your Wooden Wicks
Trimming your wick regularly is vital to wood wick candle maintenance and overall candle care. You should trim the wick each time prior to lighting to maintain candlewick care. It prevents uneven burning for a cleaner, brighter burn. Start by trimming the wick to 1/4 inches long, removing any remaining wick left from the previous burn. This can be done using scissors or nail clippers. Or if you’re feeling fancy, you can purchase a candlewick care kit that ensures a clean trim and cleaner, safer candle burning.
Related: 20 Tips For Burning Candles Safely At Home
How to Make Your Candle Burn Evenly
3. Keep Away From Wind
Proper candle care requires you to not leave candles in a drafty or windy area. Placing candles near windows, fans, vents or heavy traffic spaces can cause them to burn unevenly. Flowing air can disrupt the flame, resulting in staining the jar or creating the pesky issue of tunneling. Tunneling is when wax accumulates on the sides of the container, making the candle harder to light. In addition to creating tunneling, drafts cut down on burn time and decrease scent throw. All things we don’t want!
4. Watch your Burn Time
The amount of time your candle burns is important for good candle care, especially for the first burn. If you burn a candle for too short a time, you run the risk of creating a tunneling effect (Yep, that thing again)! Therefore, burn your candle for at least 3 hours, but no more than 4 hours at a time. Wax has a memory, so you want to allow the wax to fully melt. This will guarantee the first layer of wax burns evenly and dries flat.
5. Keep the Wax Clean
We’ve all seen pretty bad candle care from dirty candles to using candles as ashtrays (YIKES!). Don’t be that person! Proper candle care means not leaving any debris in the wax, so no dust or matches. If you are not burning your candle regularly (If it’s an Ardor Bin candle, not sure why you wouldn’t be!), the wax can accrue dust. The dust can cause the candle to smoke and create a black charring. This will affect the delightful fragrance, creating a burnt smell. But no worries, it’s an easy fix. Simply clean the surface with a damp paper towel before lighting again. Or, cover the candle with a lid (if it comes with one) to keep the wax spotless.
What to Do If Its Not Burning Right
If your candle is not burning right, it’s ok. There are a few candle care tips to help bring your candle back to life. Let’s say your candle starts tunneling, no problem. You can heat the wax on low with a hairdryer to remove the wax from the edges. Or placing the candle in the oven at 175 degrees for 5 minutes melts the wax from the edges. These options will help smooth the wax and provide wood wick candle maintenance to ensure your candles last.
One or more of these candle care steps people often ignore or don’t know about. However, knowing how to care for a candle from wood wick candle maintenance to how to choose the right candle will help your candle last longer and smell fresh for every burn.
