Burning Candles: Light Up Your Life!
Nothing warms up the ambience of a room in winter faster than a romantic, deliciously-scented candle.
Although you might be familiar with the fact that you can buy candles smelling of exotic fruits and musk, fresh cake, ginger soufflé, and every sweet flower, you might not be as well-versed in the care and upkeep of these beautiful accoutrements.
For tips on burning candles, read the following:
- You should never blow out burning candles. Snuffing it out cuts the risk of blowing droplets of wax on the furniture and carpeting.
- The myth that's going around about storing candles in the freezer to help them burn longer and not drip is NOT TRUE! The extreme cold will cause the candle to crack, and the moisture on the wick will make it difficult to light. You can, however, wrap your candles in foil or plastic wrap before storing them in the refrigerator where it is cool and dry.
- If you smell a candle in the store, and it smells just right under your nose, chances are it will not smell stronger when it burns! If you smell a candle that almost smells too strong, it will probably smell just right when burning.
- If you buy a candle and don't like how it smells, burn another right next to it. Chances are the combination will be more to your liking.
- Allow a candle to burn long enough so the pool of melted wax burns almost the full circumference of the candle. Burning candles have a memory. Once the melt pool reaches the edge of the diameter of the burning candles, extinguish it and let the burning candles set. Then you can relight.
- Trim the wicks to ¼ inch and retrim before each burn. How long the wick is determines how high the flame rises. Trimming the wick will also prevent soot from filling the container while burning candles .
- Keep your candles away from drafts that can cause your candle to burn on one side. Rotate your burning candles if you see this is happening.
- Stop using the burning candles when they reach one inch from the bottom. It's unsafe to burn beyond this point because the fragrance oils collect at the bottom and may catch fire.
- Be careful to put your burning candles on a heat-resistant surface—not the top of the TV! And keep them out of direct sunlight or they will fade.
- If you do blow out burning candles, place your finger in front of your lips. This prevents a gust of air from splattering the wax pool.
- To prevent your pillar candle from leaking as it softens, mold the outside layer toward the center of the candle. This allows the melted wax to pool inside the candle instead of on your table.
- To get wax out of candleholders, run hot water over them.
- Use a toenail clipper to trim wicks in jars where scissors won't fit.
- Before a party, light and extinguish burning candles—they will light more quickly and easily later.
- And most importantly, the AVOID list for burningcandles: Avoid walking with lit candles. Avoid lit candles around children and pets. Avoid placing them near flammable objects like curtains, the wall, etc. And, most importantly, never leave burning candles unattended!
