When you first start living with candles on a day-to-day basis, you
probably don't expect you'll be doing much more than just striking a
match, then sitting back to enjoy the candlelight. Well, there is a bit
more to burning candles. For a few of us it's a science; for most all of
us, it's definitely an art—indeed, a lost art.
The good news is that the benefits of incorporating candlelight in your
daily life far outweigh the few easy things you need to do to take care
of them. And, there's really not so much "to do" as there is to be aware
of— only a very few things you really have to do (see "Burn your candles
mindfully" below).
The greater your awareness of living with and caring for your candles,
the better they'll perform, and the richer your experience.
Discover the secrets for living by candlelight.
Some of these tips and tricks you may already know. Some you may not.
They're all very, very useful:
1. Burn your pillar candle one hour for every inch of its diameter
the first time you light it. This will allow the pool of wax to
extend to the outside rim and prevent your candle from forming a
"canyon" in its center.
2. Burning your candle this way will also set its memory. Each time
you re-light the candle it will "remember" to burn out to the rim.
3. Trim the wick of any candle— canister candle, pillar, taper,
tealight or votive—to one-quarter inch every time you light the
candle. This will ensure clean, smoke-free burning. Be sure to
remove any wick debris that has fallen into the candle.
4. If in the unlikely event that your candle is smoking, and you've
already trimmed the wick to one-quarter inch, extinguish the candle
immediately. Pinch or trim the wick just a bit more and the smoking
will stop.
5. Candles need oxygen. If you burn a candle in a small, confined
area it will smoke. So consider the size of the room when you
arrange your candles.
6. The most effective way to extinguish the flame of a candle is to
use a candle snuffer. The snuffer helps prevent the wax from
spraying, and keeps the wick centered as well.
7. If you don't have a snuffer, here's an effective way to
extinguish a candle: Position your forefinger between the candle and
your mouth, aligning it with the flame. When you blow at the candle,
the "air" will circle around your finger, and hit the flame from
both sides, rather than approaching it directly. It's a clever
trick. Try it!
8. You can keep your candles smooth and silky-looking by gently
rubbing them with ordinary nylon stockings. This will remove
scratches, and will also rub off the "bloom" that forms on a beeswax
candle.
9. To guard your candles against fading, avoid placing them in
direct sunlight.
10. Store your candles in a dry, cool, dark place.
11. Special tip: To sample a scented candle, breathe the fragrance
in from the bottom of the candle rather than the top or side.
Undisturbed by circulating air, the aroma will be intensely
concentrated there, more so than on any other part of the candle.
Important! Burn your candles mindfully.
While all of the above ideas offer suggestions to enhance your
candlelight experience, the following advice includes absolute "musts."
We strongly recommend your following these important steps for using
your candles safely.
1. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
2. Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
3. Always place your candles on sturdy, non-flammable holders, in sizes
appropriate for the candles.
4. Always light candles in draft-free areas, to prevent dripping and
smoking. If a draft cannot be avoided, turn the candle 180 degrees
every hour.
5. Never burn a candle completely. Dispose of it when it burns to within
one inch of the base or holder.
6. Remember to remove the labels on your candles before you light them.
To paraphrase the old saying, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing
right. From those of us who live by candlelight every single day of
the year—the folks who work at Illuminations.com—we hope the lessons
we've learned about candle care will be helpful for you. And as we
discover more secrets to the art of burning candles, we'll continue
to pass them along to you.
Meanwhile, welcome to the world of
candlelight by Scent~Sations!
