Candles are a great way to create a soothing atmosphere and add a touch of warmth to your home. They are also a popular choice for creating ambiance at dinner parties, family gatherings, and even romantic evenings. While candles can be a beautiful addition to any space, it’s important to keep safety in mind when using them. As with any open flame, candles can present the potential for fire hazards if not handled properly.
What Are The Hazards That Come With Using Candles?
Candles pose several hazards when they are not used safely. Fire is the most obvious hazard, as an unattended or knocked-over candle can start a fire. Additionally, candles can cause burns if handled improperly or accidentally. Candles also emit smoke, which can irritate the respiratory system and lead to coughing and other health problems.
To ensure that you and your family remain safe when burning candles, here are 5 Candle Safety Tips tips you should always remember for a proper burn.
# 1. How to trim candle wick?
Always use a wick trimmer to trim the wick a quarter inch (1/4") before each use, never after or during a burn. Make sure to keep the wax free of wick trimmings and any debris at all times.
Why trim the candle wick? Trimming the wick of your candle before each light, will improve the overall flame performance, scent throw, decrease soot, preventing uneven burns, dripping, and or flaring.
# 2. How to burn a candle?
The first time you burn your candle is the most important to preventing tunneling. Make sure to allow your candle to burn edge to edge of the container, known as a complete melt pool.
# 3 How long should you burn a candle?
It is suggested to not burn a candle for more than four hours at a time. For the best experience, it is recommended to light the candle for two to three hours each session. This will allow for an even burn of the wax. For safety reasons, do not let the wax go below a quarter inch in the container before extinguishing.
#4. Heat-resistant Surface
Always put the candle in a secure, heat-proof area to guard against heat damage to any surfaces, and to avoid any glass containers from splitting or shattering.
- Keep away from vents and breezes to avoid the candle burning too rapidly, producing soot, and dripping too much wax.
- Never set a lit candle near something that can ignite. Keep it away from furniture, curtains, beds, carpeting, literature, paper, combustible decorations, etc.
- Do not leave the candle where children or animals can reach it and potentially knock it over.
- Space out multiple burning candles at least three inches apart from one another.
- Always make sure to put out all candles before you leave the room or go to sleep. Never leave a lit candle unattended and never touch a candle when the wax is melted.
# 5. How to put a candle out?
When extinguishing a candle, it is always better to snuff, than to blow out your candle. Use a candle snuffer to extinguish a candle, if available, as it’s the safest way to prevent hot wax from splattering.
Here’s a little trick you can use to remember, SNUFF, DIP, and CLOSE.
- SNUFF IT OUT: use a candle snuffer to quickly extinguish your candle with a minimal smoke release.
- DIP IT OUT: use a wick dipper to plunge the wick into the melted wax and stop the flame with the least amount of smoke.
- CLOSE THE LID: if your candle has a non-flammable lid, you can close it on the open flame and it will suffocate the fire.
When attempting to put out a candle, avoid adding water it can cause the wax to fly out, possibly damaging a glass vessel. Before leaving the area, verify that the flame is fully extinguished and the wick is not glowing. Do not touch or move the candle until it the wax has hardened to a solid form.
Key Takeaway Candle Safety Tips
Candles can be a great way to add ambiance to a space, so knowing the safety risks associated with using them is very important. By following these tips for candle safety, you can help keep your home and family safe.
- Always use a wick trimmer to trim the wick a 1/4" before each light.
- Allow the top layer to achieve a full melt pull for the best scent throw.
- Only burn a candle for a total of 4 hours at a time.
- Place candles on secure, flat surfaces.
- When it doubt, snuff it out, dip it out, and close the lid.
At Savvy, we believe the future of home fragrance and décor should be clean, chemical-free, and sustainable.
Our products are sustainable and naturally made in small batches.
The Savvy Candle product line features our natural soy wax, organic cotton wicks, and non-toxic fragrance oils infused with essential oils for a cleaner and longer-lasting burn.
Think of all the ways you can use our candles in your home! Enjoy a relaxing candlelit bath or set the mood with fresh scents. For office settings, we offer a variety of styles of candles for an elegant, professional look.
Shop for our products at savvycandleco.com, and join our rewards program that gives you back points for every purchase that you can redeem as real cash towards each purchase.