Candle Care

While sales of luxury items like clothing and jewelry dwindled during the pandemic, high-end candles, on the other hand, boomed. They were among the few things that burned bright, literally and figuratively, during such dark times. And today, their sales continue to soar into the holiday season.

Because nice candles are little luxuries well within reach for most of us, learning how to care for them properly is key. Ahead, we share three handy tips to help burn your candles clean and bright for maximum enjoyment.

Keep your wick trimmed.

Is your candle flame strangely tall, emitting black smoke, or mushrooming after burning? All of these issues can be resolved by trimming your wick to 1/4 inch at all times. Make sure to trim your wick before the first burn, too. And to help ensure a nice, clean-cut at the appropriate length, invest in wick trimmers.

Get it right the first time.

Did you know that the first burn is most important? Candles should burn one hour for every inch of its diameter. (For example: a candle that is three inches across should burn for three hours.) If a candle isn’t burned long enough to allow the wax to completely melt to the vessel’s edges, it’ll develop a memory ring – which will continue to tunnel for the life of the candle.

Put it out the right away.

How you end your candle-burning experience is just as important as how you start. If you want to blow it out: do it carefully so you don’t splatter hot wax, and put the lid on right away to prevent smoke from escaping and to keep your candle free of soot and debris. Alternately, you can buy a candle snuffer. Used for centuries, the bell-shaped metal tool quickly and safely extinguishes flames and can be used on all shapes of candles, including pillars and tapers.