You’re doing your candles and yourself a disservice if you just light and blow out your scented soybean candles without any maintenance. A few simple steps, such as trimming the wicks or protecting the wax from dust, will help your candle burn more evenly and last longer. Learn six tips to take care of your candle, including why you should trim its wick.
Why You Should Trim The Candle wick?
It is so minor that trimming a candle’s wick shouldn’t have any effect on the candle’s performance. Your candle will burn regardless of how you trim it. Although technically this is true, trimming the wick can prolong the candle’s life by up to 25% and make it look nicer.
A longer wick means a bigger flame. This will melt more wax and provide more fuel. Incomplete combustion can result in a larger amount of fuel, which in turn will create more soot and make your candle container dirty. Long wicks can also curl at the top when they burn. This creates an uneven shape and tends to shift around, which further exacerbates soot formation.
The wick of a candle can be kept trimmed to reduce the amount of melted butter (i.e. fuel) it has. This helps reduce the soot it produces. Trimming the wick will also help the candle burn evenly and reduce soot, which can prolong the candle’s life. It’s also easier to recycle the candle jar after you’re finished burning the candle by reducing the amount of soot.
After burning a candle for 4 hours, turn off the flame and allow the candle to cool to room temperature. For larger candles, this usually takes around two hours. After trimming the candle wick to one-eighth or one-fourth of an inch, light it again. While you can still use scissors in the beginning, it is easier to use nail clippers as the candle cools.
Other Candle Care Tips
You can also care for your candle by trimming the wick. These six tips will keep your coconut oil candle looking just like it did when you first bought it.
- Keep the candle lit for at least two hours. This will make sure that all of the wax is melted and becomes liquid again. The candle will only melt if it isn’t burned for enough time. Tunneling can occur when the candle’s centre is not burned down. This leaves a layer of hard wax around the candle’s outside.
- Do not burn the candle for more than 4 hours at once. The wax will superheat and cause the candle to lose its scent. The candle’s container will be tarnished by smoke and the scent may also be affected.
- You should update the wick if the wick moves or bends during lighting. Let the candle cool down before blowing out the flame. Next, move the wick towards the centre using your fingers, tweezers, or tongs. Then, straighten it. It will be easier to prevent it from slipping if you keep the wick short.
- Keep the candle out of direct sunlight. It can cause uneven flame distribution and even complete extinction. Avoid flames that are exposed to fans, vents, windows, AC units, and open windows.
- Keep your candle’s top clean and free from dust. We don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t. The top of your candle will collect dust and other particles. It is best to keep it clean by covering it or changing the lid if you have one. You can wipe any dust off it with a damp cotton pad.
- Do not allow soot to build up on your glass. This will make it much more difficult to remove. Use a small amount of soap to clean the glass. Allow the glass to dry completely before lighting the candle.
