If you've been lighting and blowing out your candles, you're off to a great start! However, a few simple tips such as trimming your wicks will help your candles burn longer, more efficiently and evenly. Discover why you should trim your wicks and other small steps to take better care of your candles.

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Why you should trim your candle wick

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Trimming a candle wick is such a small difference that it seems like it shouldn’t affect using your candle too much. After all, your candle will still burn whether or not you trim the wick, right? While this is technically true, the small action of trimming the wick can help prolong the life of your candle by as much as 25 percent and keep it looking nice.

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Leaving a wick long means that you’ll have a larger flame, which will melt more wax and give the candle more fuel. This larger amount of fuel can lead to incomplete combustion, which in turn creates more soot, making your candle container black and dirty. Many long wicks also form a little curl on top as they burn, creating an uneven shape that tends to waver around, which exacerbates the soot formation. Keeping the candle wick trimmed helps control the amount of melted wax (i.e., fuel) that the candle has access to, which helps limit the amount of soot it creates. The trimmed wick also helps the candle burn more evenly, controlling the soot and prolonging the life of the candle.

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Every time you burn a candle for four hours, extinguish the flame and let the candle cool to room temperature. 

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  1. For the first burn, allow the candle to liquify (melt) to the edges of the tin.

This will  ensure maximum fragrance and efficiency of your candle. As a guide this will take 2 hours for a SMALL candle and 4 hours for a LARGE Candle. Do not burn any longer than this on their first burn. If you don’t burn the candle for long enough, only the area immediately around the wick will melt. This can lead to tunnelling, in which only the centre of the candle burns down, leaving a ring of hard wax about the outside of the candle.

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  2. Don’t burn the candle for more than four hours at a time.

Once you get past the four-hour mark, the wax begins to super heat, which can reduce the candle’s scent. It also contributes to the creation of smoke, which marks up the candle’s container and further messes with the scent.

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  3. Do keep the top of your candle clean and dust-free.

If you’re not burning your candle often (though we don’t know why you wouldn’t!), the top will accumulate dust and other particles. Storing it in a covered cabinet or replacing the lid (if there is one) can help keep the top clear. If you do notice some dust on it, carefully wipe off the top of the wax with a damp cotton pad before lighting it again.

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  4. Candle decorations are for initial decoration only

Decorations must be removed prior to lighting candles, as this may affect burning integrity and hot throw. 

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Basic candle safety

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• Place candle on a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface before lighting. 

• Keep candle away from anything that could catch fire. Keep away from drafts, moisture and water. 

• Never use water to extinguish candle. A candle snuffer is highly recommended. 

• Never leave burning candle unattended and ensure it's extinguished before leaving room. 

• Never move candle while burning or if there's liquid wax, ensure wax is solid before handling.

• Do not touch wax when in liquid state.                                                

• Keep wicks centred in jar, don't allow it to float too close to edge as this can cause the glass to overheat. 

• Keep candle out of reach or children and pets. 

• Do not use lid to extinguish candle. 

• Cease burning candle when there is 10mm of solid wax remaining in tin.