Want Your Candles to Last Longer? Here's How to Burn Them the Right Way

A Handy Candle Care Guide

Have you ever bought a beautiful candle to enjoy, only for it to burn in all the wrong ways or completely loses its scent? If yes, do not despair yet! You might just be missing out a few crucial points on care and maintenance to preserve your candle's lifespan. 

Below are a few notes and tips on how to care for your candle as well as ways to reuse the container after it's finished. With these points in mind, your candle will work to its greatest potential!

What's tunneling in wax, and how do I stop it?  

Don't underestimate the First Burn!

Tunneling is when your candle only burns down the centre of the wick unevenly without melting the sides, and this creates a lot of wasted wax that cannot be burnt anymore.

To avoid tunneling, never underestimate the importance of the first burn - Let it burn to the edges of the jar until the entire surface of the candle melts. This usually takes around 2-4 hours, depending on the candle size.

This way, your candle will burn the right way every time as it remembers where it was burnt to the last time. 

Why can't I smell my candle anymore? 

It may be tempting to fall asleep to a candlelit room, however never leave your candle unattended and do not burn it for more than 3 hours at a time. When you reach the second third of the candle, burn it only for 1 to 2 hours at a time. 

The reason for this is because the melted wax still emits fragrance while it's still warm, so there is no need to leave your candle burning for long hours. If it burns for too long, the candle will gradually lose its scent!

Safety First

While your candle burns, it is very important to keep it on a stable surface away from children, pets and other flammable sources like stray curtains and paper.

Stop burning your candle when the wax reaches to the bottom 5mm of the container. If you try to burn your candle without enough wax, it will burn unevenly and even cause a safety hazard.

How do I stop black smoke appearing while burning?

The First Rule of Thumb: Trim your Wicks!  

Never forget to trim the wick to 5mm before lighting every time, and only on candles that have cooled down. This step is in order to ensure the candle burns evenly each time. To avoid black smoke, and the wick should remain centred and away from the sides of the vessel. We highly recommend using a wick trimmer that will give your wick a clean cut without fraying. 

Note: Never leave the snipped trimmings in the candle jar, as the debris will affect the even burning of the wax. Do not attempt to trim the wick while it is burning either! 

Put out the candle in the right way!

Alright, my candle's entire surface has melted what should I do to put out the candle?

To avoid creating too many fumes, try not to blow out the candle. Instead, use a candle snuffer, candle lid or the wick dipper to put out candle flame easily and make your candle last longer.

Instead of blowing out the flame, use the curved end of the wick dipper to push the wick into the melted candle wax pool to extinguish it. This will avoid black smoke or smell. Remember to re-straighten and centre the wick with the wick dipper to ensure a perfect candle experience next time.

Then, store your candle in a cool and dry place, preferably between 14-26 degrees celsius.

Now that the candle's finished, here's how to clean it. 

Cleaning the residue wax left at the bottom of the jar may seem like a daunting task, so here are two super easy ways to clean out the remaining wax inside your candle jar.

Bake in an oven

Place your candle jar in the oven and melt the remaining wax at the lowest heat setting. Dispose of the wax and the wick holder with a utensil, preferably a spoon. Wipe the inside with a clean cloth, then rinse and dry.

Place in the freezer

Place your candle jar in the freezer compartment until the wax hardens. Then, scoop it out with a spoon and dispose of the wick holder. Wipe the inside with a clean cloth, then rinse and dry.

Again, make sure that your candle is completely cooled down before you start cleaning it.

How to reuse your candle jar that's too pretty to throw away? 

Candles often come in beautiful containers, and there are so many ways to reuse it instead of throwing it away! 

For Glass Containers

Use it as a planter for your succulents, or even as a stand to store your makeup brushes, art supplies and jewellery.

For Tin Containers

While tin containers may be smaller, they are a great place to store small objects like rings, paperclips, as well as enamel pins and hairpins. 

Note: Do not store food items in these containers as they may not be food safe.

Want to Try Out Some New Scents?

We found out that more than half of our customers like to try new scents rather than sticking with the same one, so why not try and add some new candles to your collection? For candle beginners, why not browse our selection of brands and enjoy the blissful effects of aromatherapy!

Here are few of our favourite aroma candle brands that will please your senses:
 

P.F. Candle Co 

Cire Trudon

 
What does luxury smell like? Try a Cire Trudon candle, and you’ll know! Being the oldest candlemaker in the world since 1643 (that was more than 100 years before Napoleon was born!), Cire Trudon candles are of extremely high and outstanding quality. Each candle is made to perfection and burns with an exquisite fragrance.

Apotheke Fragrance