Secrets to Burning a Candle

You buy a candle and take it home and now you want to get the most of your dollar, right? It's not just lighting a match to your wick and expecting to get a great burn out of your candle! There's much more to it than that!

There are some things that you need to be aware of whenever you burn any candle. Some things you may already know and some may surprise you! If you follow these guidelines you can be assured that your candles will perform at their highest level!

• Don't burn your candles longer than 4 hours at any one time! If you want the best performance, 3-4 hours should be the maximum burn time.


• This you should know...never burn unattended!


• Here's a trick that you will find works great! Trim the wick so the length doesn't exceed 1/4". The reason is very simple, if the wick is longer than 1/4 inch, it causes the candle to burn hotter and hotter and you don't want that.


• Try to use candles that have 2 cotton wicks instead of one. The reason is you will get a more even, complete combustion using 2 wicks


• For votives, never burn them without using a snug glass holder.They will just burn too fast and then collapse and you not get the full effect of a scented candle!


• Drafts in any room will cause your candle to burn uneven and can actually change the performance of a candle. Even such things as a ceiling fan can alter things.


• Check with the manufacturer of the candle product and make sure that they have above standard flash points on their candles.


• If your flame height on your wick is more than 3/4 " you should trim the wick! You can also blow out the candle, give it a break and then light up later. A wick should only be between 1/2 and 3/4 inch at all times!


• Another secret is that if there is a little wax left on the inside of the jar while the candle is burning down is really a good thing! It means that the candle is not burning too hot.


• If your candle flame is too low and you aren't getting a real good wax pool, you can pour out some of the wax pool which will allow the flame size to increase at and burn hotter, which makes the whole candle burn better.


• You must maintain your candle wick. Keep it trimmed because all parts of the candle get absorbed and released through the wick!


• Look for low soot candles. My favorite is a proprietary blend of all natural renewable materials which makes for a practically soot free candle. Realistically, you can never say a candle is soot free because the oil used for the scent will always have a bit of soot in it. You can keep it at low levels by using a natural candle as described above.


• Buy candles that use high quality fragrance oils that don't spare any expense to give you a realistic and incredibly smelling candle.

What do you think? You should now be able to go into any store and find an all natural candle that will give you the best quality, the longest burning time and the most for your dollar.

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