For me, a home is nothing without a scent, which is why it’s so important we try and prolong the life of a candle for as long as possible. Scents, whether they come in the form of a diffuser or a candle burning, become an integral part of your home. It is the thing people will remember about your home, not consciously, but when they smell something similar, their minds will be taken back to their visit to your home. Whether it was the dinner, you cooked or the joyous evening.Candles are often the centrepiece to an evening or a moment—for some, a bubble bath is nothing without their candles. For some, romance is nothing without a candle, and for others, it’s their special treat at the end of the month.
We’ve mastered incorporating them with our decor, letting their presence be effortless and warming, but how do we keep our candles living as long as possible when their shelf life is limited? How do we ensure the scent is available each time we go to light it?
Especially when scents, and tastes, have a way of unlocking our minds, taking us on trips through our subconscious—especially emotional memories. Below, I’ve written some tips on prolonging the scent and life of your latest purchase or gift. I must stress, though, if any of the tips below mean that your candle will not be in a safe place, then to proceed with safety instead of prolonging your candle. Candles can become unstable, due to wind, wick bending or glass overheating, so be aware of any drafts or air currents when lighting then.
Placement
Avoid placing candles in the path of drafts or wind, fans or windows (where there may be vents). Doing so can cause it to burn unevenly, and you may find yourself with those annoying black stains on the container that seems to get everywhere. Speaking of which, it’s essential to clean the glass when the candle has cooled.
The reason these marks appear is due to a disturbance in the way the wick is burning, so it’s crucial to ensure that your candle can burn in the way it has been designed to do so. Not doing so can risk the glass or container becoming unstable and shattering. Drafts and not trimming the wick, (something we will come to later), is vital in ensuring the correct, safe use of a candle.
Letting It Cool
When you have extinguished a candle, it is essential to let it cool completely before re-lighting. Doing so is one of the most effective ways to prolong a candle’s lifespan. I know this can be frustrating when the wind accidentally blows it out, or you need to nip out, and for safety reasons, you have to extinguish it. But, not only does this mean zero accidents when trying to re-light, but proper and safe use of trimming the wick, which needs doing. It’s also wise to ensure there is no wax blown or cooled where it isn’t supposed to. Speaking of cooling, when choosing to extinguish a candle, you should try not to blow. This can cause the hot wax to blow outside of the candle container. It also means debris can fall into the wax—which can prevent the fragrance from diffusing. Investing in a snuffer or dipper is something to consider purchasing.
Also, most people aren’t aware that most candles can take roughly 2-3 hours to cool completely, so even if it appears as if it’s cooled on the surface, it may not have. When a candle is cooled, check for any cracks or chips, you shouldn’t use a candle if the container it is in shows any cracks or chips as this can make it unstable and may shatter.
Wick Trimming
Briefly mentioned in point two, but ensuring that the wick is kept trimmed can be the life or death of your candle. You can purchase one of these either on its own or as part of a set here at Ahloki. The reason this is so important is an uneven wick can result in uneven burning (similar to point one). Not doing so can lead to smoking (creating carbon particles) and that annoying black stain mentioned previously—these can be wiped away when the candle is completely cooled.
Still, there is little you can do when the candle begins ‘smoking’ or releasing black soot. Not trimming or maintaining your candle can lead to the wick taking an odd shape when burning, and reduce the burn-time off a candle.
If you ever notice your wick has moved out of place, when cooled, carefully position again—or use a pair of tongs to do so if still warm. The reason for this is if the glass or container begins being burnt, and not the wax, the container can become stressed. This is down to the blend of heat from the flame, and coolness of the container, which then causes it to shatter.
Putting A Lid On It
If your candle came with a lid, it’s always advised to keep this. Often, people throw these away, not sure of their uses. But the reason they are important is to ensure your candle remains its best. Putting this back on when not using the candle (if applicable, of course) can be used to snuff out the candle. Between uses, if you weren’t provided with one, ensuring your candle is kept in a dry, cool place between use is best. Due to fluctuating temperatures, your wax and oils can cool or warm depending on placement, which limits the effectiveness of the candle. The provided lid is also essential for preventing daily dust and nuisances from entering the wax in between uses.
Let It Burn
Finally, most aren’t aware but, when it comes burning a candle, it’s recommended you don’t go over three to four hours. Anything longer than four hours can cause a build-up of hot wax, which is harmful to the oils and scent of your candle. The reason for this is due to the wick becoming unstable, similarly to what we mentioned if you don’t trim wicks. But, when burning, it begins to produce a large amount of carbon, and the flame will likely be a lot larger than what it was previously. You’ll begin to notice smoke billowing out from your candle, and may see a build-up of soot around your nostrils if the room isn’t well ventilated. Allowing a break between use is also advisable. Of course, please ensure you let your candle cool before re-lighting—as mentioned above.
A final point I’d like to suggest is investing in buying products to help. Like we mentioned previously, you can use the lid your candle came with to snuff out your candle, but there are also some fantastic products that you can use on all candles. It may seem odd to invest in your candle burning. Still, with candles being an expensive market, it’s worth considering how valuable these products can be in reducing some of the issues we’ve mentioned above. They also make for excellent gifts for those in your life that also love candles.
Investing in a snuffer, for example—you can find one Ahloki sells here—or a dipper to extinguish a candle is something to consider if you love having burning candles in your home. As mentioned, these can prevent wax from blowing over your lovely furniture, (if it’s on a shelf) or on your wall. At Ahloki we also sell a set of these to purchase here. Using these accessories can safely and cleanly extinguish your candle without blowing hot wax all over the place—especially if your candle is placed on furniture or near a wall.
Investing in a wick trimmer is also beneficial, as doing so reduced the amount of soot appearing between uses. All of these products can help get the most life out of your products, so it’s wise to consider them if you love these products. I’d like to leave you with one additional reminder for all to never leave any candles unattended—including a quick trip to the corner shop. Candles, as beautiful as they are, are still a danger and must be treated as such. Also, leave out of reach of children and pets.
