6 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR FAVORITE CANDLE LAST LONGER
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Tip 1. Limit burn time to fewer than four hours.
When you allow your candle to burn too long, it can start to “tunnel,” which means it gets extra hot in the center and burns straight down through the middle, wasting precious scented wax around the candle’s perimeter. To avoid this, try a break by the four-hour mark. You can always resume once the wax cools.
Tip 2. Store your candle in a cool, dark place.
Candle wax is, of course, sensitive to heat, and storing your candles somewhere warm can cause the wax to soften and melt unevenly. This unevenness is problematic because it leads to asymmetric burning—and therefore reduced burn time. Similarly, always allow your candle to fully cool before you put it away. Moving a candle while it’s still liquid-y can cause the wax to shift, reform and harden unevenly.
Tip 3. Trim the wick before you burn.
Keeping your wick trimmed to about ¼ inch extends the lifespan of your candle (longer wicks burn faster), and minimizes smoking while burning. Consider investing in a wick trimmer, which is specifically designed to neatly trim, capture, and easily discard the excess wick.
Tip 4. Keep the wax pool clean.
When your candle has been burning for hours, charred bits from the wick may fall into the wax. These bits can interfere with your candle’s scent quality, as well as cause the wax to melt unevenly. To prevent polluting the wax pool, try to limit an individual burn time to less than four hours. And, if you do see bits in the wax, just blow out the candle and carefully fish them out with tweezers.
Tip 5. Steer clear of breezy spots. Carefully consider your candle placement: even a slight breeze or draft can impact the direction of the candle’s flame, causing the wax to heat (and melt) unevenly.
Tip 6. Keep your jars clean.
After burning a candle for several hours, you may see black scorch marks on the inside of the jar. It’s important to remove the marks before you burn the candle again because those sooty spots can cause the candle to smoke and burn unevenly. To clean things up, simply dampen a small cotton pad with warm, soapy water and wipe away any streaks. Let allow the spot to fully dry before relighting.