5 tips to get the most out of your scented candles
By Alex
Christmas, birthdays, weddings and to say sorry for that time I borrowed your car and reversed it into a tree (I’ll just leave that there). Candles are gifts for all occasions, and I buy them as ‘me gifts’ ALL the time.
But, I’ve got a confession.
*Honesty Claxon*
Before I started making candles, I didn’t know how to burn them. There. I said it. Terrible right?
My containers would soot-up, my wax would tunnel, and my wicks would mushroom.
That’s just what candles do, I thought. This is how everyone’s candles look, I told myself.
I was wrong. There’s another world. A perfect world. A world where my containers aren’t dirty, my wax burns evenly, my wicks look like, well, wicks, and the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl.
And I wasn’t the only one doing it wrong. Since I started I’m a little candle, so many of you have said how useful the burning instructions included with our candles are.
“I’ve been doing it wrong for years,” one customer – who, understandably, wanted to remain anonymous – told me.
To help you stop doing scented candles wrong, here are five top candle burning tips to get you started.
1. Location, location, location – get it right
Use your candle in the right part of the right room. Candles don’t like draughts, so make sure they aren’t near open windows. A small candle is perfect for your bathroom, bedroom or small to medium-sized lounge. For a bigger lounge or if you have a bedroom like the Queen’s (I bet Liz has a massive bedroom), you’re gonna need a bigger candle.
2. Trim the wick every time
Cut the wick to around 4mm-5mm before you start so it’s close to the wax. Lots of people will tell you to do this with a fancy pair of wick scissors. You really don’t need those – although they are nice to have. Use a regular pair of scissors or your finger (then wash your hands you filthy animal!).
If you light a long wick, the wick can mushroom. It sounds technical, but it just means it’ll look like, erm, a mushroom. The flame will dim, it’ll give off soot and smoke, and your candle won’t burn as efficiently as it could.
3. Burn until the melting pool reaches the sides
With candles, like in life (*puts on best business coach voice*), first impressions count. That’s because candles have memories. The way they first burn will be the way they burn every time thereafter.
If you don’t burn the candle to the edge of the container the first time, the candle will create a tunnel when you burn it. But by creating a pool of wax that reaches the edge of the container the first time, your candle will burn right the next time, which means more great scent and no wasted wax.
4. Four hours, max
A deep pool is great news for your candle, but you also have to keep an eye on the burn time. Three hours works well for me, four hours max. If you burn the candle for too long, you can melt too much wax and your wick could change positions. This can create an uneven burn the next time you light your candle.
5. No wishes
So, you’ve placed your candle in a perfectly sized, non-draughty room; you’ve trimmed your wick, you’ve got a nice deep wax pool going and it’s been about three hours. It’s time to put out your candle. (I know, another rule. I really take the fun out of candles 😊)
It’s really tempting to blow and make a wish. But that’s not the only way. First of all, scented candles aren’t birthday candles, so your wish won’t come true (duh!). Second of all, blowing will create a lot of smoke, black powder will fall on your candle and sparks can carry in the air. Try taking a spoon and snuffing it out, or just cover your candle with a lid. You could buy a snuffer, but it’ll make you look a bit like a medieval butler and I’m not sure you really need that.
Now that you know how to get the best out of your scented candles, why not buy one? Check out our latest candles.