It might surprise you to know that candles can be complicated to care for. Sure, you can just light them up and put them out after a few minutes of burning. But you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your candle and that it will burn cleanly for a long time. Here’s how.
1. Your first burn should last anywhere from two to three hours so you get a nice melt pool on the surface.
2. Don’t blow on it to put it out; either dip the wick in the melt pool or extinguish it with a snuffer.
3. Once your wick gets back down to room temperature, cut off the fluffy top. Mushrooming will cause your candle to burn too high and maybe even emit some smoke. Again, don’t trim the wick too short, because it won’t be able to heat the entire surface of your candle the next time you light it.
4. Never burn for only a few minutes or you’ll get the dreaded tunneling effect. If you just need to light it for a few minutes at a time, all right then. But the next time you’re able to burn it for longer, you can eliminate tunneling by using the foil method.
5. Keep your candle away from drafts.
Now for some basic candle care reminders.
1. Never leave your candle unattended. Put it out before sleeping, after meditation, or before you leave the house.
2. Place your lighted candle on top of a heat-resistant surface.
3. Keep the area around your candle free while you’re burning it.
4. Don’t burn your candle all the way to the bottom once the wax is used up. It’ll make your glass container too hot and possibly break.
5. Straighten the wick as needed, like when you notice it’s tilting too much to one side or after burning. (It’s absolutely okay to fix your wick!).