Tips for Burning Candles

1. Wick-Trimming

If you're burning quality candles, forget about trimming the wick. This is just completely not necessary.

2. Candle Burning

A. Probably the most important tip is to burn the whole top surface of wax all the way across every single time you burn a candle. The more wicks the candle has, the less time it takes for this to happen. So for example if you are burning my favorite - a Slatkin 3-Wick, the surface area is burning in more areas so the wax melts all the way across pretty quickly. If you are burning a large 1 wick candle, like the large jar candles from Yankee, you will need a lot of burn time. I always think about this before I light a candle because once you have to blow it out too soon one time, it's hard to get it to burn evenly again.

B. Sometimes when you burn a candle, following all instructions properly, the flames get very low and they are still burning but the wax is not melting as quickly. Do not blow out! Keep burning! I find this happens with Slatkin candles sometimes and if you keep burning the candle, the flames will eventually rise again and melt the wax quickly and evenly again. I don't know why this happens, but if you blow them out while this is happening, sometimes it's very hard to light the wicks again at all.

3. Putting the candle out

I like to blow out a candle instead of putting a metal lid back on to make it go out (like some have been known to suggest) because that really blackens the lid. Plus you get a strong smell of the candle right after it is blown out and you don't get to enjoy that when the lid is left on. You could also use a snuffer but I just don't think it's necessary to buy an extra tool and then have to find someplace to store it.

4. Cleaning the Wick

Some people recommend taking off the black bulb-type things that collect on the top of the wick. This prevents them from falling into the wax and keeping your candle clean and pretty. However, I don't feel that this is necessary if you don't care about the black pieces collecting into the wax. You only see them when the candle is being burned and it doesn't affect the candle burn or fragrance. Also, a couple times that I have done this, with either a tissue or my fingers, it has broken the wick off which is not good. Trying to burn a candle with a wick that's too short is pretty difficult and sometimes impossible.

Stay tuned...Different brands and different forms of home fragrance to come!

{Currently Burning - Christmas Cookie by Yankee Candle}