- Trim the wick before every burn. Wick is a fuel delivery system for candle. It allows the melted wax (the fuel) to travel up and fuel the fire. Trimming the wick to a correct height is not only vital for safety but also allows you to get value for your money. It is recommended to trim the wick to 1/4 inch in length. This should be done before each burn. You can trim the wick with scissors, nail clippers or specialized wick trimmer. Which ever equipment you use, do it before lighting the candle.
- Melt your wax all the way across each time. If you want your candle to burn evenly and thoroughly, it is recommended that you burn it for around 2 – 3 hours until the top layer of wax (about 1-2cm deep) is fully melted from glass to glass. People say that wax has memory. Meaning that if full pool is not achieved and you blow your candle out, next time you burn it, the rim of the wax will not melt and the candle will burn with a tunneling effect. You will then waste the wax on the rim. Instead of memory, maybe we can think of it this way – it will take more energy to melt the wax on the rim on the 2nd burn which the wick is not design for this extra energy. So to get the best value out of the candle, remember to melt a full wax pool before blowing out the candle each time.
- Length of burning. Candle should not be burnt for more than 4 hours at a time by which time the wick will need some maintaining. Wick may be slanting more to one side causing one side of the container hotter than the other side. Carbon collected on the wick may begin to “mushroom” causing the wick to become unstable. The flame may get too strong and your candle may smoke too much. Leaving it burning for too long may be hazardous.
- How to extinguish your flame. You can probably blow the flame out yourself. However if your candle is scented, the blowing out of the flame will smoke and the smell of smoke will destroy the scent in the air. It can also be potentially dangerous as the melted wax may be blown off causing scorching burn. A better way is to dip the burning wick into the melted wax to smother it and followed by straighten the wick. You can use the wick dipper or other similar equipment to do it. This way the flame will be out without smoke and the wick will be ready for your next burn. Some people will use a wick snuffer or put the lid back.
- Basic safety precaution. Each candle burn differently depending on the surrounding area like temperature, humidity, air pressure and air current. Many things can happen. The wick can float to the side, air current may cause the fire to flicker and surrounding material may catch fire. Hence for safety reason,
- Do not leave a candle burning out of sight
- Never burn a candle on or near anything that might catch fire
- Keep candles out of reach of children and pets
- Keep the flame away from moving air. Moving air will disturb the flame and may cause smoke (incomplete combustion) which will cause pollution and discolour the surrounding furniture and ceiling. Flickering flame may also result in surrounding material catching fire.