I never thought I would be writing a post on “tips for properly burning a candle” because that seems like a no brainer, right?! Well, if you saw my candle mess on InstaStories a few weeks ago you understand why I might be writing this. If you didn’t see it, let me fill you in….
I went to wipe a black mark off my bathroom wall that my candle had made. I assumed this would be no big deal and that I’d just be wiping that one spot and then I’d be done. WRONG, SO VERY WRONG. I didn’t realize what I was actually getting myself into. As I kept wiping I realized that this entire area of the wall was covered in the same black stuff (a.k.a soot). So I kept wiping to try and get rid of it. Little did I know I was creating a huge mess for myself. The soot was literally all over the entire wall and ceiling, along with the two side walls. As I kept wiping, it kept revealing just how much soot there was. So right now, you can see everywhere I attempted to clean but is really just smeared soot everywhere. Am I painting you a good visual? If not, I will film another InstaStories and save it under my home decor highlight.
Posting about this on InstaStories yielded a bunch of great tips on candle burning. I also found out that I am not the only one who has a turned a room in their house black from a candle. Who knew, right?! Since it seems I am not the only one who has this problem and because I received some great tips, I thought I would share them all here so everyone can have them.
Tips for properly burning a candle
Tip No. 1: The First Burn
- I actually learned this one when I visited CandleFish in Charleston. When you first light a new candle, the first burn should be no less than 2 hours and no more than 4 hours. This will allow the candle to burn evenly during it’s entirety.
Tip No. 2: Cut The “Mushroom”
- You know that little part at the top of the wick that becomes round and rather large if left untouched? You need to actually trim that before relighting the candle. Wick trimmers or scissors are perfect for this.
Tip No. 3: Use a Wick Dipper
- This puts the flame of the candle out with no soot or smoke and eliminates splattering wax from blowing on it. I just ordered one on Amazon and can’t wait to try it!
Tip No. 4: Keep Away From a Draft
- This is especially important if you haven’t been trimming the wick. The draft can cause the flame to move around sending that black soot all over the place. This might explain my bathroom debacle because I never trimmed that wick and it was placed right by the window…
Tip No. 5: Clean The Glass
- If the candle leaves the black soot around the edges, make sure and clean it before relighting the candle. This will help the soot from spreading further.
Tip No. 6: Trim The Wick
- Even if the wick hasn’t formed the mushroom, you should trim it before each light.
Hope y’all found that helpful if you’ve ever had the same problem!
