Candle Safety and Care
A well-made candle is a simple thing. Wax, fragrance, a wick, and a flame. Treated with a little attention, it fills a room and fades quietly. Treated carelessly, it becomes a hazard. These are the practices worth knowing before you light.
Trim the wick before every burn
Before you light, trim the wick to a quarter inch. A long wick produces a tall, unsteady flame that throws soot, accelerates burn time, and drags wax unevenly. A wick trimmer works best, but scissors will do. Remove the trimmings before lighting. Debris in the wax pool can catch and create an uncontrollable flame.
Choose your surface
Set the candle on something that won't transmit heat. A ceramic coaster, a heat-resistant tray, or a purpose-made plate. The container alone will not protect whatever it rests on. Avoid wood surfaces, paper, and fabric. Cold surfaces can shock a glass container as the wax heats. If you're unsure, add a layer between the two.
Give it room
Clear at least twelve inches above the flame, and several inches around the container. Keep the candle away from curtains, shelving, books, and anything flammable. A draft you can barely feel is enough to push a flame toward something it should not reach. Burn away from open windows, fans, and vents.
Stay in the room
A burning candle is not something to leave unattended. If you're stepping out, extinguish it. The same applies before sleep. A candle left alone, no matter how carefully placed, is a risk.
Keep children and pets away
A candle at the edge of a table sits within reach of a child's hand or a pet's tail. Position candles high, centered, and away from edges where they could be bumped or pulled.
Burn in sessions
Burn for no more than four hours at a time. Beyond that, the wick begins to mushroom, the container heats unevenly, and scent throw diminishes. Let the candle cool completely before relighting or moving it.
Do not touch the container
The container gets very hot during use and stays that way well after the flame is out. Never touch or move the container while the candle is burning, and wait until it is completely cool before handling it. If you're unsure, wait longer.
Know when to stop
Stop burning when approximately half an inch of wax remains at the bottom of the container. Burning past this point overheats the container and the surface beneath it. Allow the candle to cool fully before handling, moving, or reusing.
How to put it out
Use a candle snuffer, or dip the wick briefly into the melted wax pool with a wick dipper and straighten it immediately. Both methods extinguish cleanly without smoke. Never use water. It can cause hot wax to splatter or shatter a glass container. Never use the candle lid to extinguish the flame. It traps smoke inside the container, which can transfer to the wax and affect the scent. If the lid is wood, it is also flammable.
Between burns
Trim the wick again before every lighting. On the first burn, allow the melt pool to reach the full diameter of the container before extinguishing. Wax has memory. If the first burn is short, the candle may tunnel straight down the center and leave wax walls behind that never melt.
Follow the label
Read the safety instructions on every candle before lighting. Manufacturer guidance reflects how that specific candle was made and tested. When in doubt, follow what's on the packaging.