I have to admit, I don’t typically light candles much, except for when the holidays roll around. In the interest of full disclosure, I feel like I need to also admit that I am kind of OCD about my candles burning evenly. Good candles ain’t cheap, ya know? So, I like to make sure I get the most out of those babies. If a candle starts to tunnel, all that smelly goodness on the sides will never burn. No bueno, my friends.
Here’s a couple of tips to make sure you get the most out of your candles this season:
- Commit. It’s best to let them burn for 2-3 hours at a time. It allows the candle to burn evenly all the way across the top. If you burn it for twenty minutes at a time, you will start to get tunneling. Don’t blow them out until the candle has melted all the way to edge on each time.
- You know how the directions on pretty much every candle say to trim the wick to 1/4″. Seriously, do that. Otherwise, the candle will start to smoke and throw off soot. That’s bad for business–your walls will start to show the signs.
- Keep candles away from drafty areas. A draft will cause tunneling. Again, tunneling will lead to unused side wax. Unused side wax will lead to OCD overload. It’s a vicious cycle.
- Pillar candles will not light all they way to the edges. So, when you blow them out, gently fold in the edges. They will melt into the candle the next time you light it.
That’s it. If you follow these little tips, you too can satisfy your candle OCD. 🙂
~Mavis
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