burning info
1. trim that wick
each time you want to burn your candle, start by trimming the wick to between 1/8 and 1/4 inches long. a dedicated wick trimmer is our favorite method. you can also use scissors or nail clippers but no matter what you do, always trim your wick!
every.
single.
time.
trimmed wicks will give you a cleaner, brighter burn. untrimmed wicks are more likely to mushroom and create a dulled or flickering flame. also excessively long wicks can cause smoke stains on your candle vessel; trimming the wick helps keep the flame in control.
when trimming, check the wax pool to make sure it’s free of wick trimmings, matches, and other debris.
2. burn, baby, burn
your candle has a memory: the first burn sets the stage for how it will burn for the rest of its life. on the first burn make sure to burn the candle until the top layer of wax is melted to the edge of the vessel. a general rule of thumb is to allow one hour of burn time for every inch of diameter in the container.
whenever you fail to achieve full surface melt, you're contributing to a process called tunneling where the wick sinks into a tunnel formed in the center of the candle. this makes the candle difficult to light. more importantly, the unmelted wax on the sides represents hours of beautiful fragrance and burn time you bought but won't ever get to experience.
and that’s a bummer…
you work hard for your money.
get what you paid for.
3. only you can prevent forest fires
safety first. never leave a lit candle unattended, and don't burn for more than four hours at a time.
to protect the surface below the candle from heat, place your candle on a coaster or tile.
keep burning candles away from windy areas which can decrease burn time and cause uneven burning.
keep lit candles safely away from pets and children.
though tempting, don’t fall asleep with your candle burning.
some very thorough safety advice from the experts at candles.org: