A Note On Candle Care

I could talk about candles all day, I don't know what that says about me other than I have an extremely boring life and past times. On the plus side I have foolishly wasted enough candles to know what to avoid and on the flip side what to do to keep them in tip top condition. No-one wants to drop £40 on a candle (yeah some of us have more money than sense) for it to tunnel, or worse burn below its suggested time period. Let me school you with a few candle care tips before I sign up for y'know some real hobbies...I hear calligraphy is simply riveting. You think I'm being sarcastic but it is something I want to master.

- Avoid storing or placing your candles where they will be directly exposed to sunlight, much like personal fragrance this can affect and alter the overall fragrance. If the candle wax happens to be tinted this may encourage it to fade.

- Before burning your candle, be it for the first time or the tenth trim the wick (this does not apply if the wick is wooden) to as close to 1cm as possible.

- When using a candle for the first time allow for around two hours of burning time or until the wax has fully melted evenly on top before extinguishing. This prevents the candle from tunnelling and results in a longer candle life span (yep really a thing). 

- Speaking of wax pools (doesn't that sound like a spa treatment?), attempt to keep yours clear from debris (dust, disregarded pieces of wick and so forth) to prevent fire hazards from happening. I realise it sounds strange and dramatic but it has happened in the past - at one point I nearly lost an eyebrow. Learn from my mistakes people ha! 

- While we are on the topic of fire hazards, do not light your candle near any loose fabrics such as curtains and bed linens. In the same vain it is less than ideal to place a lit candle in the path of a draft or breeze.

- Some candles won't burn clean and may produce an annoying black soot, for that reason alone I don't burn my candles too close to a wall as it is a nightmare to clean up afterwards. 

- I'm sure this is common sense but do not attempt to move a lit candle, especially if said candle is housed inside a glass container. It will retain heat and it will burn your hand.

- Another non-brainer is to of course place lit candles not only out of the reach of children and pets but to avoid places they will be knocked over easily in general. In the same vain do not leave a lit candle unattended ever, and I mean ever.

- Lastly to dispel any old wives tales, freezing your candle before burning will not extend the life.Yes it will burn a little slower to begin with (we are talking a few minutes at the most) but due to the heat of the wick, it will quickly heat up and burn as normal. The only time I freeze a candle is to remove any left over wax (it makes the job ten times easier) when cleaning to re-purpose the glass jar.

I apologise if anything above comes across a little preachy, sometimes I do scramble aboard my soapbox and there is no stopping me. I do hope that the points I raised can help answer a few questions or at the very least allow you to squeeze a few more hours of use from your candles. As always if you have any other tips please feel free to leave them below!