If you love candles you know they can sometime be expensive to buy, plus they are usually gone before you know it, so it’s handy to know how to make sure you get the most out of them.
We use candles as a display item, for the fragrance or to encourage relaxation. You will find that most interior lovers say they are a must in their home.
When you find one you love you’ll want to make sure you get the most out of it.
Here are some tips on how to make a candle last longer –
Set the memory of your candle
A common mistake is to not let the candle burn for long enough during the first burn. The size of the wax pool during the first burn determines the life of the candle and subsequent burns will remember the level of the wax pool. To avoid the ‘tunnelling’ you need to burn the candle long enough for the wax to come away from the edges on that very first burn. This is called ‘setting the memory’ of the candle.
Trim Wicks
Snipping the wick is one of the most effective ways to lengthen a candle’s life. If you don’t trim them before each time you burn the candle they smoke up, shed black debris and leave the glass jar looking black. Left untrimmed it can also lead to uneven heating.
Limit Burn Time
Don’t burn your candle for longer than 2 hours at a time. Blow it out often, let it re-set and use it again another day. This makes sure it burns slowly and wax settles evenly.
More than one wick
Candles with several evenly spaced wicks will burn more smoothly than large candles with a single wick.
Circular candles
They burn more effectively than odd shapes because all the wax is an even distance from the wick. Square candles and random shapes can melt unevenly and leave wasted wax behind.
Burn Cool Candles
Refrigerate (not freeze) your candle for 1-2 hours before burning will chill the wax and help it burn more slowly, therefore allowing the candle to last longer.
Don’t waste
A good candle is one where the wax melts evenly around the tip (not sinking in to a hole). Sometimes the cheaper candles do this I find. If this happens, don’t think your candle has gone to waste! Just scoop out some of the wax and pop it in a tea light holder. Use every little last piece of wax!
♥ KC.
