Candle Care
Read below for some important tips on getting the most out of your candles.
Trimming your wick
Trim your wick to 5 mm every time before you light it, including before it’s first burn.
While your candle is still able to burn adequately without its wick being trimmed, there are reasons why you should trim it. Trimming your wick will help:
-
throw the best fragrance - With less wick to burn, your candle can focus on using heat energy to melt the wax and release your fragrance. The melted wax is how the fragrance evaporates and fills a room. If the wick is too long, the scent won’t smell as strong.
-
prolong the life of your candle - trimming a candle wick can prolong the life of a candle, up to 4x longer.
-
give a cleaner burn - a trimmed wick will prevent too much smoke and soot coming out of the candle giving a cleaner burn. Look for and remove any debris left in the wax pool such as wick trimmings or matches.
The best way to ensure a properly trimmed wick is with a special wick trimmer which is spoon-shaped and designed to catch the burnt wick. A wick trimmer will cut your wick to the correct height.
Normal scissors are another option - simply cut to the height of 5 mm. You can catch and remove the burnt wick with your fingers. You can also try using a tissue to tear off the burnt part of wick away. Whilst you’ll be able to catch the burnt wick bits in the tissue, you’ll have less accuracy in the height of the wick.
If your wick is wood it could be easier to use nail clippers. If your candle has more than one wick, trim them to the same height so the wax burns evenly.
‘Dipping’ your wick into the melted wax after it’s extinguished will make the wick stronger and easier to trim later. Dig out your wick out of the wax using something non-flammable like a knife, toothpick or tweezers to avoid burning your fingers.
Warning: Never trim the wick when it’s lit or while the wax is still hot and liquid, as you risk injuring yourself or dropping excess wick into the melted wax. Ensure the candle has completely cooled from the previous burn before trimming the wick.
Sweating
Let’s talk about sweating!
Those beads or puddles of oil on top of a candle are extremely common, particularly in summer. You can leave it or dab it away with a tissue. Sweat does not affect the burn quality or scent throw and generally sweat will not show up again after your first burn.
100% soy candles are notorious for sweating.
Soy wax is sensitive to extreme temperature changes, causing the natural oils to separate from the wax, leaving the pools of oil we see on top.
Paraffin wax (mineral by-product) doesn’t sweat, so if your candle sweats you can be assured you have a natural product.
Bottom line… don’t worry about it, enjoy your candle!
The Melt Pool
It's super important to allow a full “edge-to-edge” melt pool the first time you burn your candle.
This ensures a clean, even burn all the way down - this maximises your candle’s life.
If the first burn is too short the candle will only burn down the middle leaving wax on the side, creating a “tunnel” which deepens each time you light your candle. This shortens your candle’s life.
How long it takes to achieve a full melt pool depends on the size of the candle. Most Wine Candles will take something like 3-4hrs.
Make sure you light your candle early enough in the day or evening to allow it to reach a full melt pool. Don’t light your candle late in the evening because it’s unlikely you’ll reach a full melt pool!
Hopefully the above tips help you enjoy your Wine Candles for longer. Please contact us if you have any questions.
