“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” 😌🙏🌼

The perfect burn: How to make sure your candle lasts

I love finding a new candle that smells amazing and typically can’t wait to light it.

There is something special about a beautiful candle that smells great. It's the perfect way to enhance any room. If you're reading this, there’s a good chance you’re a candle lover too (hi, friend! 🙂).

Here are my top 7 tips to make sure you get the most enjoyment out of your candle.

 

1 | The first burn is the most important

I know the desire to burn a new candle can be strong, but remember that you should only burn when you’ll be home (or wherever you’re burning your candle) for a few hours.

When lighting a candle for the first time, it’s key to burn it until the wax melts across the entire surface to the sides of jar or container.

Candles typically burn one hour for every 1 inch in diameter of the actual candle size. So a candle that’s 3 inches in diameter will take approximately 3 hours to achieve a full melt pool.

If the wax is not allowed to liquefy or to melt from edge to edge of the jar or container, it will create a tunnel (also called a memory ring) and burn unevenly for the duration of the candle’s life (sad! ☹️).

Pro tip: Always let the wax pool

Each time you burn your candle, allow the entire top layer to become a fragrant pool of liquid wax and you'll get the biggest, boldest scent possible.

2 | BURN FOR ONLY A FEW HOURS AT A TIME

I know it can be tempting to let your candles burn all day/night, but if you burn for too long, your candle will get soot on the edges of the container. It’s not dangerous and won't impact the life of your candle, but it doesn’t look pretty. 

If you happen to get soot on the sides of your candle jar, blow out the candle and wait for it to cool. Then, get the soot off by wiping a damp paper towel on the inside of the glass.

 

3 | TRIM THE WICK

Trim the wick every 4 hours of burn time.

When wick trimming, you should always extinguish the flame, let the candle come to room temperature, and trim the wick to 1/8 of an inch before relighting.

You can trim the wick with scissors, although that can get a little messy. For the perfect trim, use a wick trimmer. 

Wick trimmers make this task easy and create a nice clean cut that properly maintains the wick. Check out our matte black wick trimmers, we think you'll love them! 

Here’s how to properly use a wick trimmer:

  1. Place the bottom of the trimmer flush with the surface of the candle.

  2. Rock the trimmer back so that the “elbow” now rests on the surface of the candle.

  3. Ensure that your trimmer is at a 45-degree angle to get the proper wick length. This will prevent the wick from being cut too short, causing the candle to burn improperly.

  4. Bring the two handles together to trim the wick. Discard the remnant wick.

If you don’t have a wick trimmer or scissors handy, I’ve also taken a tissue and pinched the wick. It’s not perfect but will do the job.

 

4 | KEEP THE WAX POOL FREE OF WICK TRIMMINGS, MATCHES, AND DEBRIS

Have you ever lit a candle and the match fell into the wax? Or worse, maybe you've burned your fingers and created a black film on the jar just trying to light the candle? So annoying!

To avoid this, don't use matches from super flimsy matchbooks.

Instead, use a high-quality match with a firm stick that is at least 1 inch in length. Alternatively, you can use a grill lighter.

 

5 | BURN IT SAFELY

Always burn your candle on a heat resistant surface, keep it out of drafts, and never leave it unattended while lit. It may seem obvious but if your candle is in a drafty area (like a window or doorway) it's not only a fire hazard, it will also burn unevenly and faster than normal. 

 

6 | KEEP YOUR CANDLE PROTECTED FROM LIGHT

Grateful Daily candles are all natural and don't use additives or chemical stabilizers, which means that if exposed to long periods of UV light, your candle may turn yellow. The candle will still burn perfectly, but might not look as pretty. 

 

7 | KNOW WHEN TO SAY GOODBYE

When only 1/2 inch of wax remains, it's time to stop burning your candle.

If you continue burning after this point, it's possible the heat will damage the counter/surface or container itself. The glass will get very hot on the bottom as the flame nears the base of the jar when most of the wax has been consumed.

I know it's hard to say goodbye to a great candle, so next week I’ll share easy ways to reuse your candle jars. More soon!   

Grateful for you, 

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