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Candle Tips
Container, Jar and Votive Candles
BASIC CANDLE BURNING SAFETY TIPS
- Read and carefully follow all manufacturer instructions.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Keep burning candles away from children and pets.
- Please do not place lighted candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.
- Always keep a burning candle within sight.
- Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.
- Do not place burning candles near flammable objects.
- Place on a protected, heat resistant, level surface.
- Please keep burning away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper, flammable decorations, etc.
- Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
- Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents and air currents.
- This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, smoking and excessive dripping. Drafts can also blow lightweight curtains or papers into the flame where they could catch fire. Ceiling fans can cause drafts.
- Never walk with a lit candle unless you have it solidly placed in a candle carrier.
- The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax. Be sure the candleholder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
- Do NOT burn the candle for longer than the manufacturer recommends.
- Never touch or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.
- The containers may be so hot that you might drop it and the liquid wax could cause a serious burn to you or your furniture.
- Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container.
- For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches (2”) of wax remain (1/2 inch if in a container). This will also help prevent possible heat damage to the counter/surface and prevent glass containers from cracking or breaking.
- Extinguish pillar candles if the wax pool approaches the outer edge.
- Keep wick trimmed to 1/4 inch to avoid carbon build up on the wick (mushrooming), smoking, etc.)
- Long or crooked wicks cause uneven burning and dripping.
- Keep wick centered to promote even burning.
- Allow your candle to cool before trimming the wick or relighting it.
- Wicks trimmed too short will not generate enough heat to properly burn your candle or may become extinguished by the melt pool.
- Keep your candle free of wick trimmings, matches, or other foreign matter that could be a fire hazard.
- One of the safest ways to extinguish a candle is to use a candle snuffer which help prevent hot wax from spattering.
- DO NOT extinguish candles with water.
- The water can cause the hot wax to spatter and it can also cause glass containers to break.
- Candles should be placed at least three inches (3”) apart from one another.
- This is to make sure that they don’t melt one another or create their own drafts that will cause the candles to burn improperly.
- Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are much safer light sources than candles during a power failure.
- Never use a candle as light when you go into a closet to look for things.
- Never use a candle for light when fueling equipment such as a lantern or a kerosene heater.
CANDLE STORAGE AND USE
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Always store candles in a cool, dark, dry place. Tapers and dinner candles should be stored flat to prevent warping
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Clean solid candles with a piece of nylon or a soft cloth.
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Remove wax from holders by running very hot water over them. Another alternative is placing the candle holder in the freezer. This will allow the wax to shrink and easily pop off when the candle holder is removed from the freezer.
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Never use a knife or a sharp object to remove wax drippings from a glass holder; it might scratch, weaken or cause the glass to break the next time you use it.
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Votive candles will clean easily if you add a few drops of water to the glass before inserting the candle. DO NOT add more than a few drops of water and DO NOT add water unless you intend to burn the candle immediately afterward. Over time, a candle wick could absorb the water and no longer burn properly.
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Candles will fade if left in the light for an extended period of time. Never put candles in a window or directly expose them to bright outdoor light or indoor spotlights.
PILLAR & FAT ROUND CANDLE
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Remove all packaging material before burning pillar or grubby candles.
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Only burn in a holder designed for the candles.
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Never place any candle directly on furniture.
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Burn your freestanding candles 1 hour for each inch in diameter and keep the wick centered. This allows the flame time to melt the wax to the outer edge.
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Not allowing your candle to burn until the wax melts to its outer edge will cause the candle to core down the middle & shorten burn time.
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Do not trim the wick too short or it will not generate enough heat to melt the wax sufficiently.
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Keep your candle wax free of matches, wick trimmings & flammable materials
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To extinguish a candle with little or no smoking: use a candle snuffer.
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Dip the wick into the melt pool and then retrieve it. Wick will be primed and ready for next lighting. The wax on the wick will light quicker than a “dry” wick.
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Do not burn in drafty areas.
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Your candles will have a more even burn if you give them a little (about ¼ turn) about every hour or so.
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Crooked burning does happen if the wick becomes off center. To rectify the crooked burning, you can use a butter knife to gently push it back to center. If there is a draft from a fan or an open window, rotating the candle can help the candle to burn more evenly.
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Remove candle wax from the candle holders by running very hot water over them.
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The second way to remove wax from a candle holder is place the candle holder inside the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, take it out and hit the bottom of the holder with the flat of your hand. Usually the old wick and what left over candle wax pops out. I have had to use a butter knife to push down on the edge of the left over wax to help it come out.
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To remove wax from washable fabrics, scrape off excess wax and run boiling water through the material.
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To remove wax from carpeting, use a paper bag from the grocery store, get your iron very hot, iron the top of the grocery bag and most of the wax will come out.
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If your candle is lit and in another room, it might be a good idea to check on it every hour.
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A small amount of wax left at the bottom of containers/votives, and sometimes an outer shell of wax left on pillars is normal. The remaining wax at the bottom of a candle is a result of wick tabs with long necks that are specifically manufactured to keep a fire from starting if a candle is burned too low.
CONTAINER, JAR AND VOTIVE CANDLES
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Always trim your wick to ¼ inch before lighting.
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Do NOT trim wick too short or candle will NOT burn hot enough to create a sufficient melt pool.
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Allow your candle to burn until wax melts to the jars’ edge, usually a minimum of one hour per inch in diameter on candles that have one wick.
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Maximum scent throw is achieved when the melt pool reaches outer edge of jar and becomes approx. 1/4 deep.
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If necessary you may use a knife to carefully carve away any wax left clinging to the sides of the jar.
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Do not burn a candle in a container that is damaged. Stop burning when there is approximately 1/2 inch of wax remaining in the bottom of the jar.
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Containers may become very hot, handle with care!
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Allow your candle to cool before replacing the lid on the jar.
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Container candles & votive containers should be set in a wire holder or on a trivet to protect surfaces from heat. Hot candle jars can damage furniture.
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All candles, especially highly scented ones, will produce some smoke and soot; however, proper burning (keeping wick trimmed and avoiding drafts, etc.) will help eliminate this problem.
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Burn your votives like you would a container candle, they are meant to liquefy when burning. Votives will burn best and longer in a close fitting votive holder or candle cup.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Do scented candles burn differently than unscented candles?
No. A well-made scented candle – like an unscented candle – produces harmless water vapor and carbon dioxide when burned. The only difference with a scented candle is that a fragrance is released as well. Reputable candle manufacturers carefully monitor the addition of fragrance to ensure a clean and proper burn. There is a maximum amount of fragrance that can be added to a candle before it will no longer burn cleanly or properly.
What should do if my candle smokes?
A well-made candle will create virtually no smoke when burning properly. However, noticeable smoking will occur whenever a candle’s flame is disturbed. This allows minute particles of unburned carbon (soot) to escape from the flame. Any candle, regardless of formulation or wax type, can be made to smoke by causing the flame to flicker. To minimize flickering, trim the wick to ¼” before lighting along with placing burning candles away from vents, drafts and other strong air currents. If a candle continues to significantly flicker or noticeably smoke, it should be extinguished. Allow the candle to cool, re-trim the wick, check for drafts (even a stove fan can cause a strong draft) and then relight your candle.
Why do candles fade in color?
Your candle will fade in color if it is exposed to strong lights or direct sunlight. In order to keep your candle looking its best, be sure to store your candle in a cool, dry place andkeep your candle out of direct sunlight
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Why do I need to stop using the candle when the wax content is less than ½” from the bottom of the container?
This is a precautionary safety measure for you. Usually when the candle is this low, most of the wax has been used and the jar will get extremely hot. This could cause you to either drop the jar or burn your fingers while setting the jar down. This also happens whether it is a glass or a metal container.
Why does the flame seem so high? How do I fix this problem?
If the flame of your candle seems too high, chances are your wick needs to be trimmed. Blow out your candle, trim the wick to ¼” and relight your candle. Sometimes you might want to wait until your candle wax has begun to harden so your wick won’t tip over while trying to trim it.
Why is the flame so low? How do I fix this problem?
The flame may become low if the candle has burned for more hours than normal. Wax that has formed on the sides of your container melts and reduces the length of the exposed wick. If the flame is too low, and there is melted wax in the pool under the flame, blow out the candle carefully, pour out a small amount of wax and relight your candle. While doing this, carefully expose more of the wick by digging out a little wax around the wick. This should allow the candle to be relit.
How do I remove wax from carpeting or fabric?
When the wax has hardened, gently remove the pieces of wax. After you have removed the larger pieces of wax, get a clean paper towel and place it over the wax spill. Warm the paper towel by using an iron on the lowest setting, or a blow dryer on its lowest heat setting. The wax under the towel will begin to melt and soak up into the towel. Blot the wax and repeat as necessary until the wax is removed. Another way is to use brown paper bags from the grocery store. Open up the bag, lay it across the wax, turn the iron setting to high, iron across the brown paper bag and the wax will be absorbed. This tip is for a large area of wax on your carpeting. We highly recommend consulting your fabric/carpet manufacturer’s instructions before trying either of these methods. Should the wax still be present after using either one or both of these methods, we suggest you consult your home owners insurance and see if your carpet can be replaced. I had to do this when a huge 3 wick candle blew out its side and red wax melted onto a large area of my carpeting. After removing 95% of the wax, the wax residue and the red coloring made a huge mess on my carpeting. Our home owners insurance did pay to replace my carpeting.
How do I remove wax from wood surfaces?
Follow the instructions above for removing wax from fabric/carpeting. Be sure to use a dull object when removing the larger chips of wax so you won’t ruin your wood finish. Once you warm the paper towel over the wax spill, just wipe away the wax from the surface.
How do I get all of the wax out of my candle holder?
Allow your candle holder to cool, place it in the freezer for approximately 10-15 minutes to allow the wax to harden. The wax should pop out into your hand. If this does not work, use hot water to dissolve the wax. Be sure to dry the holder before using it for another candle. You can also remove the wax from your container by using a hair dryer, when all the wax is melted, wipe away with a clean cloth. Be careful. The container can get very hot if your blow on it for a long time.
Do candles contain lead?
There is NO lead in the candle wax and no member of the National Candle Association (NCA) – which accounts for 90% of all candles made in the USA – uses lead wicks. NCA members voluntarily agreed more than 25 years ago not to use lead wicks. Although some candles – primarily imports – reportedly contain lead wicks, the majority of wicks manufactured in the USA are made of 100% cotton or cotton-paper combinations. Although some USA made candles contain metal wicks, these are typically zinc or tin wicks which are known to be safe and non-toxic.
What sort of chemical reaction is created by burning a candle?
When your candle burns, the flame “consumes” the wax to produce water vapor and carbon dioxide, the same harmless byproducts humans produce when exhaling. This is true for all types ofcandle waxes
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Are certain candle waxes better than others?
NO. All types of quality candle waxes perform well, burning cleanly and safely when formulated and used properly. Candle manufacturers select waxes or blends of waxes based on their characteristics and their suitability for specific types of candles.
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