IF THE WICK FITZ BLOG POST
How to properly care for your Candles
Candle Safety is important, and knowing how to properly care for your candle will help extend
its life getting you more for your money.
Before Lighting
- Trim the wick to about ½ cm each time before burning. A wick trimmer is best for this as long or crooked wicks can cause an uneven burn. If using a scissors just ensure you are trimming the wick straight
- Candles MUST be burnt for a minimum of 3 hours. This is to allow an even burn to occur. This is when the entire surface of the wax melts evenly. If burnt for a shorter period of time the wax will not melt all the way to the edges. Causing tunneling to occur.
- Tunneling happens when only a small portion of the wax around the wick melts. Leaving the wick to tunnel down into the candle can drown the wax and ruin the wick.
- Always use a container specifically designed for candle use. Our containers are heat resistant, sturdy, and quality tested. For wax melts be sure to use a quality melt warmer.
Location Tips
- Be sure to place all candles on a heat resistant surface as the high temperatures can leave heat marks on furniture.
- Always keep a burning candle well away from any fabric and never leave it near any gusts of wind as this can encourage the flame to rise by feeding it oxygen.
- Although many are used for decorative purposes, when lit never leave a candle under a shelf. This can be dangerous especially if the shelf is made of wood.
Only burn candles in a well-ventilated room. Although Soy candles produce 90% less then paraffin. All candles produce C02. Flames need oxygen to stay lit. A ventilated room will prevent the flame from going out.
While Burning
Never touch or move a burning candle as the container will become hot.
Candles should not be burnt all the way down, discontinue burning a candle when 1cm of wax remains. Without enough wax as a buffer, the flame can ignite debris (like some of the petals, or black ash from the wick) and cause a blaze to flare up.
If you forget or don’t trim the extra soot (black ash around the wick) it can cause the flame to get too high or flicker repeatedly. Extinguish the candle immediately and allow to cool for several hours before trimming.