How to Burn a Perfect Candle Like a Pro

Are you captivated with the allure of the appearance as well as the practicality of scented candles? But have you ever wondered why your candles tend to burn evenly and don’t last very long? The following advice should be useful in helping you to get the most use out of your candles by ensuring that they burn evenly for the whole duration of their burn period.

1. Before lighting the candle

1.1. Place the candle on a stable surface

If you lay the candle on a surface that is not level, the wax will melt in uneven patterns, and the dancing flame will form smoke trails. If candles and candlesticks are not held in a perfectly vertical position, they will leak an excessive amount of wax. It is important that you be aware that it is not safe to set the candle on a surface that is rough or angled.

1.2. Trim the wick

Every time you want to light your candle, cut the wick to a length of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. It doesn’t matter whether you use scissors, or nail clippers, always trim. Why do we say “every time”? It is better to trim the wicks to have a cleaner and brighter burn. Untrimmed wicks will take on a peculiar form and eventually dim and obstruct your candle’s flame. It’s also important to remember that candles with long wicks produce smoky residue on glass jars. Additionally, candles with wicks that are too long will leave unsightly smokey stains on your glass jar candles.

1.3. Use long matches or a lighter

A longer match or lighter makes it easier and safer to reach the wick of a candle. In addition, this will help you get off to a steady, even burn. Mostly, people who use short matches will tilt the candle in their palm to make it easier to reach the wick. However, this leads to flickering flames as the wax begins to melt unevenly from the start.

2. While lighting the candle

2.1. Keep burning candles away from drafts

When a candle’s flame burns unevenly, it begins to flicker. You should do your best to keep a burning candle away from locations where it will be subjected to winds or drafts of any kind (fans, air conditioners, opening windows). The presence of moving air has the potential to perturb the flame, which will result in even more ugly black markings being left on the glass. When it comes to safety, this is also a very significant aspect. In some cases, this will ensure that the fire from the candle will not catch on to surrounding objects and cause a fire.

2.2. Melt the wax fully across

Make sure to never blow out your candle until the top layer of wax has completely melted. This is called “candle memory”. A process known as tunneling occurs when you don’t melt all the way through. The wick is sinking even lower, as though a tunnel is building directly through the middle of the pillar of light. The tunnel will deepen to the point where lighting the wick will be impossible. Aside from being a waste of money, all that wax on the sides symbolizes hours of exquisite smell and burn time that will never be used!

2.3. Cover the burning candle with foil

Since candle tunneling is a common issue, it’s crucial to know how to fix it. Using tin foil is an excellent method. After lighting the candle, just wrap a piece of aluminum foil over the jar’s top. It’s ideal to leave 3 inches to form a rounded cover with an aperture in the center. Remove the foil after a few hours and the tunneling should be gone.

2.4. Burn a maximum of 4 hours

It’s advisable to keep an eye on the progress of a candle while it’s burning. This will help you know when to extinguish the flame in order to prevent uneven burning. As we mentioned, it’s ideal to let the wax pool all the way over the top section. One general rule of thumb to remember is that you shouldn’t burn a candle for longer than four hours. Check with the exact candle to see whether it can tolerate a longer burn duration; certain candles can only handle a shorter burn time.

3. After lighting the candle

3.1. Dip the wicks to extinguish the flame

In attempting to extinguish the flame, many individuals mistakenly blow out candles. This is something that should be avoided. As you blow, you distribute ashy detritus into the melted wax. Therefore, snuffing out the flame rather than blowing it out is always preferable. It’s best to put a candle snuffer right on the flame, and gradually lower it until it is just over the pool of melted wax. Make sure to keep it there for at least three seconds to give the flame enough time to extinguish itself. In case you don’t own a candle snuffer, using a metal spoon is also an option. Some candles come with a fireproof metal lid. You can also use this to snuff out the flames.

3.2. Don’t extinguish with water

Using water to extinguish candle flames may seem like a logical solution, but it is a dangerous one. It is possible that even a little glass of water may cause hot wax to be splatted on the candle holder and the surface on which the candle is placed. Even worse, the wax is likely to splash out and burn your skin. This must be avoided at all costs when using glass candle jars because when the heated glass comes into touch with cold water, it will shatter.

3.3. Cover when unused

If candles are not being used, they should be covered up. Dust can contribute to uneven burn, which can also increase the amount of smoke and crackling in the burn. So, if you don’t plan on burning your candles, store them away in a cabinet or drawer. You can place them in the freezer if possible, or at the very least, keep them covered up.

3.4. Let it cool before reusing

If you’re planning to relight a candle that was just extinguished, keep it in place until the melted wax has cooled, and be sure it has adequately hardened. This is important because handling a melted candle might result in serious injury. In addition, the hot wax will drop down the sides or adhere to the jar’s edges if you splash it about.

In addition to allowing you to have candles that burn more evenly, the hints and advice that were shown above should be useful in extending the amount of time that your candles are able to remain lit. When working with burning candles, it is essential to exercise extreme caution and put one’s own safety before of anything else at all times. We really hope that this post was informative and that you find more pleasure in using your candles.

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