People love candles because they fill a room with pleasant smells and relaxing light. What most people don’t realize is that candles require some basic maintenance. With a little care, your candles can last a lot longer, giving you more value for your money.
Make sure your candle burns evenly the first time you light it.
When you first light your candle, make sure to let it burn for long enough so that the entire surface melts and becomes liquid wax. This will ensure that your candle burns evenly the next time you light it. If you don’t do this, the melted wax will only be in the center of the candle, and the sides to avoid melting.
This can cause your candle to the tunnel, meaning that it will only burn down the middle and not evenly across the whole surface.
Keep your wick from mushrooming.
Have you ever seen a candle wick topped with what appears to be a tiny piece of burnt popcorn? It is referred to as a mushroom. Before relighting your candle, remove the mushrooms from the wick. Otherwise, you risk having a huge, hazy blaze.
Find and get rid of any mushrooms when trimming your wick. Then start your candle again.
Keep your candle clean.
- When you think about taking care of your candles, you probably don’t think about cleaning them. But it’s important to keep your candles clean so that they last longer. Here are a few tips on how to clean your candles:
- Use a soft cloth to wipe away any dust or debris from the surface of the candle.
- If there is any wax buildup on the sides of the candle holder, use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove it.
- If your candle starts to smoke, it means there is too much debris in the flame. Use a candle snuffer to extinguish the flame, then let the candle cool before trimming the wick and wiping away any debris.
Trim your candle’s wick.
When you first get your candle, trim the wick down to about 1/4 inch. This will help the candle burn more evenly and prevent it from smoking. When you’re ready to light your candle, use a long match or lighter to reach the wick easily.
As the candle burns, the wick will start to curl. Use a wick trimmer or scissors to trim the wick back to 1/4 inch again. You should do this every few hours of burn time.
When your candle is almost gone, stop trimming the wick. Let it burn down until there’s only about 1 inch of wax left. This will help prevent your candle from tunneling.
Minimize mess when putting out your candle.
When you’re ready to put out your candle, make sure to minimize the mess. Use a snuffer to extinguish the flame, and then clean up any wax that may have dripped on the sides of the candle jar.
Retire your candle while there’s still wax in it.
When you’ve burned your candle down to the very last bit of wax, it’s time to say goodbye. Leaving a small amount of wax in the bottom of the jar can cause your candle to smoke, and no one wants candles to burn evenly and slowly, be sure to store them in a cool, dark place.
Heat and light can cause candles to melt and warp, so avoid storing them near windows, stoves, or other sources of heat.
that. So when there’s only a centimeter or so of wax left, it’s time to retire your candle.
Store your candles in a cool, dark place.
If you want your candles to last, it’s important to store them in a cool, dark place. This will help to keep the wax from melting and the colors from fading.
Avoid placing your candle in a windy area.
Your candle may burn unevenly in the wind, which may result in tunneling. Brown advises “keeping the candle away from air vents, windows, or drafts.” “Move the candle to an area with less air movement if you observe the flame flickering or it looks to be tunneling.”
Conclusion
Even though candles are a relatively small purchase, you can get a lot of use out of them if you take care of them properly. By following the tips above, you can make your candles last much longer and enjoy them for many hours to come.