If you’re anything like us and a bit of a candle addict, you’ll have noticed that after a while, candle-wicks need a little TLC. Just like anything else in your home, if your scented candle isn’t regularly maintained or looked after, it may fail to deliver those heavenly fragrances that you adore.
If your candles have experienced symptoms like black smoke, shortened length of life, and mushroom shaped tips then you need to get trimming those candle-wicks….
Wonderful wicks
To keep your wicks on tip-top form, we thought we’d share our helpful, and easy to follow guide with you.
- Always keep your wick trimmed to 4mm. After each use, wait until the candle has cooled down and then trim, ideally with a wick trimmer, or if you don’t have one, you can use scissors. It may seem a bit of an effort, but we can guarantee it’s well worth it!
- Check your wick’s length. If you notice your candle has a large flame and is a little smokey then the wick is probably too long. Blow out the candle and trim, as detailed above. On the other hand, a low, small flame means the wick has been trimmed too short, so blow it out, tip out any molten wax and relight. By now you’re probably thinking to yourself ‘too long, too short, I never knew there was so much to this candle management!’ You don’t get heavenly scents for nothing though!
- You can get too much of a good thing…. avoid placing your candles in areas where there are radiators and fireplaces, or grouping too many candles together. The extra heat can make the candle unstable resulting in rapid burn or collapse – and a very sad melty indeed.
- Put away those scented oils! Our candles really are packed full of fragrance, so please don’t add any more. Candle lovers seeking a fragrance high, and adding more oil to their candles will find that they will splutter and may set on fire!
- Place your candle in a draught free zone. Just like your favourite wall art, think carefully about where to place your candles. Burning candles in areas where there are draughts mean your candle may burn unevenly. If you’re dying to welcome guests to a delightfully fragranced corridor, make sure you monitor the candle, turning it occasionally to make sure it burns evenly and lasts longer.
- Stay safe. Candles may seem harmless, but when dealing with fire you have to be careful. All the usual safety precautions apply.
- Keep ‘em burning all night long (well as long as you’re awake!) The longer you burn a candle at any one time, the better it burns, and the more fragrant it smells.
So go on, practice your newfound technique on a whole host of fresh, new, handmade scented candles and enjoy a melty moment…
