Everyone knows how to burn a candle, RIGHT??? You just light the wick on fire and walk away. It would seem that this is the correct answer because that's what we have all done for years, however, it couldn't be farther from the correct way to burn a candle. During my pouring events one of the first things we go over is proper burning techniques. Why is this important? Well...we are all guilty of breaking at least one of these 5 important rules. I will go over them here and explain why it is so important for you to follow the MCC candle burning care tips.
- First of all...READ the WARNING LABEL on the bottom of your candle. It is there for a reason. On pretty much every candle on the market there is a warning label attached to the bottom of the candle. Let's go over that now - WARNING Follow these instructions carefully to prevent fire hazard or injury. Never allow candle to burn while unattended, keep out of reach of small children and pets. Allow candle to cool completely before handling. Always burn candle on heat resistant, level surface. Do not burn around flammable materials.
- Check the length of your wick before you light it. Your wick should be trimmed to 1/4 of an inch at all times. Why is this important? When you light a wick that is extremely long or covered in carbon you CAN get an erratic flame. Have you ever noticed a flame that seems out of control or sputters? If so, then this was most likely the issue. You want to TAME your FLAME and the way to do that is to keep a proper length on your wick and to pinch off any debris.
- Only burn your candle up to 4 hours!!!! WHAT??? Yes, after 4 hours your wick begins to accumulate carbon build up. NOW, you do want to burn your candle long enough for the entire top of the candle to become liquified, this will prevent tunneling, but you never want to burn your candle longer than 4 hours at a time. Please don't be that person that lights your candle, you get a little tiny puddle around the wick and so you blow it out...NO!!! THAT CAUSES TUNNELING and you all hate that - it's a good waste of candle wax.
- Your candle is finished when there is only 1/2 an inch of wax in the bottom...READ THIS AGAIN...YOUR CANDLE IS FINISHED WHEN THERE IS ONLY 1/2 AN INCH OF WAX IN THE BOTTOM. This is important! This is when a fire can happen. Of all the rules thus far, #4 is the most important one. When there is no wax left in the bottom of the candle you are basically burning the vessel. This is an important rule for all types of vessels, glass, ceramic and mostly wood! So please, once your have 1/2 inch of candle wax remaining, just plan on buying a new candle. You can do that using this link www.meltoncandlecompany.com ;)
- Extinguishing your candle. So I have a really cool way of doing this that also aids in great burning of your candles. Once you have burnt your candle less than 4 hours, but long enough for the top to liquify, take a toothpick and lay the wick over into the liquid wax. This will extinguish the candle will no terrible smoke scent that ruins your beautiful candle scent. Then take the toothpick and stand the wick back up once the flame is out. This process is great because it re-waxes your wick for a better burn the next time you light up your candle.
I hope that all of you candle lovers out there have learned something new about candle burning. It really is so important that you never walk away from an open flame, burning candle. It is so important to me and the team at MCC that you enjoy your candle to its fullest potential but in a safe way.
Laura Melton Mathis
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