That time of the year. Holiday Candles everywhere. Lets look at a few tips.

Trim the Wick

Why

Each time you want to burn your candle, start by trimming the wick to between 1/8 and 1/4 inches long. We have very good results if it is 1/4 inch. (how to fix a short wick below) First, trimmed wicks will give you a cleaner, brighter burn. Untrimmed wicks are a lot more likely to take on a weird mushroom-esque shape that dulls and obscures the flame.

How to Fix a Candle Wick that’s Too Short

Even if you allow the candle to burn long enough, wicks can become too short for other reasons. Perhaps you trimmed it too far by accident, or it came that way from the store. It’s also possible for the wick to break off while hot and brittle. Fortunately, you have a few options for fixing a candle wick that’s too short:

• Light the wick and let it burn for 20 to 30 minutes. Check the flame height occasionally to see if the problem works itself out.

• If the flame remains weak, blow out the candle and pour the wax it melted onto a paper plate. Once it cools, dispose of the wax and plate in the trash. Alternatively, you can soak up the liquid wax with a paper towel or cotton swab (after the candle is extinguished, of course).

• The newly formed indent in the wax exposes more of the wick. Relight the candle and check it after 20 to 30 minutes. If everything looks good, let the candle burn all the way to the edges before blowing it out again.

• If the wick is too short even to light, melt a bit of the wax with a heat gun and pour it onto a paper plate. You can also scrape out room-temperature wax using a butter knife to expose the wick so you can light it.

First Burn

Just like the first cut is the deepest, that first burn is the most important. Candles should burn one hour for every 1 inch in diameter of the actual candle size. For example, a candle that is 2 inches across should burn for 2 hours. If a candle is not burned for long enough to allow the wax to liquefy or to melt from edge to edge of the container, it will create a “memory ring.” Once a candle has a “memory ring,” it will continue to tunnel for the life of the candle. No worry, you can fix this.

Keep the flame away from moving air.

When burning a candle, avoid proximity to fans, air conditioners, open windows, or crowded areas with people walking back and forth. Moving air can disturb the flame, resulting in those pesky black marks on the glass.

Store your candles properly.

Store candles in a cool, dark and dry place with the lid on to keep them clean of dust and debris, and to help protect the wax and fragrance. Highly fragrant candles have a life span of 6 to 12 months, depending on the scent. If you enjoy fragranced candles, then use and replace them often to avoid deterioration in appearance and performance.

We test and test than do more tests on our candles. A 2.5 inch candle with Balsm fragrance with 7% fragrance load might need an ECO Wick 8 but our Sandle wood may need an ECO 10 Wick. They both will burn but you may notice one may burn slightly better and sometimes they burn the same.  If you have any questions, email me for FAQ’s. Dont forget the first burn rule above.