CANDLE BURNING 101

By following some simple candle maintenance rules, your candles (for us or elsewhere) will burn better and brighter. The good news is that there really isn't as much to do as things to be aware of.

The first time you light candle, let it burn till it pools across the top.  This usually takes one hour for every inch of its diameter, sometime more. This will prevent a candle from forming a "canyon" in its center. 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.

Keep your wicks trimmed!! This is essential for a clean, smoke free burn.  By trimming the wick to ¼ inch every time you burn the candle, you can usually eliminate any smoke.  This is true for all types of candles. 

If your candle is smoking despite trimming the wick and checking for debris in the melt pool, extinguish the candle immediately.  Trim the wick again a little more and allow to cool before relighting.  The smoking should stop.  With a quality candle, you shouldn't have problems with smoking, but it is worth remembering that you have more of a chance getting scented candles that will smoke more than unscented candles.

When you burn a highly scented candle, sometimes "mushrooming" will occur on the wick. Treat this as a friendly reminder that you need to trim the wick.

Never "blow out" a candle. Blowing will spray the wax everywhere and cause the candle to drip and smoke. The most effective way to extinguish the flame of a candle is to use a candle snuffer. If you don't own a snuffer, the best way to extinguish the candle is to place your forefinger in front of the flame before you blow. This clever trick means that the air will hit the flame from the sides instead of hitting it directly.