Five Easy Ways to Extend the Life of your Candle

If you're anything like me, you hesitate to burn your candles because you don't want to use it all up...which in my case is especially crazy since I'm the candle maker and can just make more! I totally understand that feeling though. If you want your candles to last as long as they possibly can do these five things every time.

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TLDR:

• Burn to outer edges 

• Don’t burn too long

• Trim wick every time you burn

• Burn on a flat even surface

• Put it in a wax warmer/under a candle lamp once you get down to the bottom ½ inch of wax

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Burn your candle to the outer edges of the glass. This is important to prevent tunneling, or when your candle burns down the center without getting all the wax off the outer edges. Candles have 'memory' so that first burn is especially important. Make sure you burn the candle long enough that the melt pool (the liquid wax) reaches the outer edge; this can take between 30 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the size of your candle.

On the flip side, don't burn your candle too long. There is a maximum time you should be burning your candles. Any longer than four hours, and you shorten the life of the candle. The temperature of the candle burns hotter as it melts down further, which consumes the candle quicker, thus shortening its life. Never burn your candle for more than four hours at a time. Once you hit four hours, blow it out, allow the wax to reharden and then you can relight it.

Trim the wick to 1/4 inch each time you light your candle. This prevents the flame from being too large and being a safety risk. It also means the candle will burn slower because the larger the flame, the more quickly the candle is consumed. We've actually done a side by side burn test and the candle we trimmed down each time burned two times longer than the candle we didn't trim (50 hours vs just 25).

Burn your candle on a flat, even surface. This will ensure all of the wax in the candle is consumed evenly, again preventing tunneling. It also prevents things like the flame overheating one section of the glass and cracking the glass.

Put your candle under a candle warmer. Once you get down to the last 1/2 inch of wax in the jar, you should stop lighting your candle. With such a small amount of wax left it is no longer recommended to burn your candle via flame, but you can still enjoy that last little bit! Pop your candle under a candle warmer and you'll get hours more enjoyment out of that last 1/2 inch of wax safely.

If you follow these five guidelines every time you light your candles, you'll not only be ensuring the safest burn possible, but you'll also get the most amount of time out of your candle as well.

Have questions about any of these points? Text or email Mackenzie!