Simple procedures like cutting the wicks and preserving the wax from dust will help your candle burn longer & more evenly. Learn why you should trim the candle wick and six additional candle-care advices.
Why Should You Trim The Candlewick?
Trimming a candle wick is such a minor variation that it does not appear to impact how long you may use your candle significantly. After all, whether you cut the wick or not, your candle will continue to burn. While this is technically correct, trimming the wick may significantly extend the life of your candle by up to 25% while also keeping it looking great.
They leave a long wick resulting in a bigger flame, which melts more wax and fuels the candle. This increased fuel may result in incomplete combustion, which produces additional soot, making your candle container black and unclean. As they burn, many long wicks produce a tiny curl on top, creating an irregular shape that tends to wobble about, exacerbating the soot accumulation.
Keeping the candle wick trimmed limits the quantity of melted wax (i.e., fuel) the candle has access to, limiting the amount of soot it produces. The trimmed wick helps the candle burn more evenly, reducing soot and extending the candle’s life. (Reducing soot also makes it easier to recycle the candle jar when you’ve finished burning it.)
Extinguish the flame and allow the candle to drop to ambient temperature after each four-hour burn. For bigger candles, this normally takes around two hours. Then, before relighting the candle, reduce the wick to one-eighth to one-fourth inch. You can use scissors at first, but nail clippers or a wick trimmer will be more convenient as the candle burns down.
Other Candle Care Suggestions
You can care for your candle and help it last longer by doing more than just trimming the wick. These six methods can assist you in keeping your soy or coconut wax candle looking as good as the day you purchased it:
- Burn the candle for around two hours on the initial burn. This ensures that the entire initial layer of wax melts and then hardens. Only the region surrounding the wick will melt if the candle is not burned long enough. Tunnelling occurs when just the core of the candle burns down, leaving a ring of hard wax around the perimeter of the candle.
- Do not leave the candle burning for four hours at a time. After four hours, the wax begins to superheat, which might diminish the candle’s aroma. It also produces smoke, which discolors the candle’s container and mucks up the aroma.
- If the wick moves or bends, it should be recentered. If the candle wick moves while burning, extinguish the flame and allow the candle to cool. Then, using your fingers, tweezers, or tongs, bring it to the middle and straighten it out. Keeping the wick short will also assist prevent it from falling over?
- Keep the candle away from draughts. Wind causes the candle to burn unevenly and might even extinguish the light altogether. Avoid vents, fans, open windows, air conditioning systems, and other areas where the flame may be exposed.
- Keep your candle’s top clean and dust-free. The top will collect dust and other particles if you don’t burn your candle frequently (and we don’t know why you wouldn’t! ). Keep the top clear by storing it in a covered cabinet or replacing the lid (if there is one). If dust is on it, thoroughly wipe it off with a moist cotton pad before lighting it again.
- Allowing soot marks to accumulate on the glass will make them apply a small amount of soap to a damp cotton pad and wipe it over the soot to remove the stains. Allow the glass to dry completely before relighting the candle.
