I have to admit, I don’t typically light candles much, except for when the holidays roll around. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I need to also admit that I am kind of OCD about my candles burning evenly. Good candles ain’t cheap, ya know? So, I like to make sure I get the most out of those babies. If a candle starts to tunnel, all that smelly goodness on the sides will never burn. No bueno, my friends.
Here’s a couple of tips to make sure you get the most out of your candles this season:
- Commit. It’s best to let them burn for 2-3 hours at a time. It allows the candle to burn evenly all the way across the top. If you burn it for twenty minutes at a time, you will start to get tunneling. Don’t blow them out until the candle has melted all the way to edge on each time.
- You know how the directions on pretty much every candle say to trim the wick to 1/4″. Seriously, do that. Otherwise, the candle will start to smoke and throw off soot. That’s bad for business–your walls will start to show the signs.
- Keep candles away from drafty areas. A draft will cause tunneling. Again, tunneling will lead to unused side wax. Unused side wax will lead to OCD overload. It’s a vicious cycle.
- Pillar candles will not light all they way to the edges. So, when you blow them out, gently fold in the edges. They will melt into the candle the next time you light it.
That’s it. If you follow these little tips, you too can satisfy your candle OCD. 🙂
~Mavis
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Carol says
Thanks, Mavis. Your first suggestion is one I hadn’t read before and the rest were good reminders!
Alison says
Hi Mavis!
I second Carol, I didn’t know that either about tip #1.
Amy says
Candles usually burn 1″ diameter per hour. For example, for a 4″ diameter candle, you will want to burn it about 4 hours each time; for a 2″ candle, two hours, etc.. That helps keep it even, like you mention! I use the 1″ rule to help not light candles if I’ll be leaving the house sooner than that. 🙂
Molly says
#1 also applies to jar candles. You really need to burn a candle of any type until the wax along the edges is melted.
I have a spare set of toenail clippers specifically set aside in my kitchen junk drawer for the express purpose of trimming candle wicks.
I would add that #2 needs to happen just before you light it. If you do it just after burning, you risk dropping your wick “trash” right into the melted wax and that ruins the romance.
#4 is called “hugging your candle”. You can search that to see videos demonstrating it. I have found that good quality candles do burn right up to the edge.
If you have a candle that has started to tunnel, try burning it for several hours (probably most of the day), to get the sides warmed and pliable. Roll or hug the sides in as they soften. Depending on how deep the tunnel is, this may take a couple burnings. Or, you could cut some of the excess tunnel walls down, if the tunnel is real deep.
I don’t have much experience with “big box store” candles, but I have lots of experience with a direct sales company and a retail candle store and all of my tips work well with both of those.
Have fun and keep your kids and pets safe from the flames. (I did have a cat catch her whiskers once.)