How to actually burn a candle
Okay - don’t be embarrassed. I know so many people and customers who admit that they are new to candles. We were all new to candles at some point! Starting a candle business certainly taught me a lot about how to actually burn a candle, as silly as that sounds. I am no longer embarrassed about how much I didn’t know, and I hope to help even a few more people with this quick blog post!
Trim your wick!
This is important to do before each burn - even the first. The shorter your wick, the longer you will be able to burn your candle and the cleaner it will burn. Failing to trim a wick is dangerous because the wick will mushroom, and will produce soot when burned. Your melt pool will also become too large if the wick is too big. This makes your candle burn faster!
We sell wick trimmers on our site!
Achieve a full melt pool on your first burn
This is important because soy wax has “muscle memory”. Full melt pool means the pool of melted wax from a lit candle grows in diameter to fill the entire surface of the candle and reach the edge of the glass. This could take an hour or two depending on how short your wick is trimmed. If you do not have enough time to achieve a full melt pool on the first burn, save that candle for a time when you do!
Do not burn a candle for more than 4 hours
Again, this is to make sure your candle lasts as long as it possibly can. After 4 hours the melt pool is simply too deep, and the wick needs trimmed. For best results, extinguish the flame after 4 hours. Candle maintenance is important!
Put lids on candles when not lit
Whenever your candle is not lit, make sure the lid is on it! Even if it is too microscopic to see, dust is everywhere. If your candle becomes dusty it could irritate your lungs when you burn it. At Triple Decker Candle Co. our candle inventory is always stored with lids for the safety of our customers.
Those are all the tricks I know. I hope they are helpful. Safety first, as always. All our candles are sold with a warning label on the bottom. Be sure to be mindful of all these safety guidelines!