Candle Care

Ever wondered why candles you buy only last about ten hours and then wont light any more even though the sticker on the base says thirty hours of burn time ??

Did you know that candles contain a memory once you use them ?? A couple of years ago I attended a PartyLite party where I learned some really interesting things about candles.

For every inch your candle is in width is one hour of burning time.  So if your candle is 3 inches in diameter  you need to light it three hours before you need it.

If you snuff your candle before that time it will retain a memory and burn down the center of your candle creating a canyon which when it gets deep enough will mean your candle will no longer burn for lack of oxygen. This in turn will reduce your candle burn time.

These candles have only been lit for about 30 min and you can see that there is only about half an inch of the candle melted / warmed. If I snuffed my candle now it would retain this half inch memory and the next time I lit the candle it would only burn this half inch and no more.

These candles have been alight for about four hours

You can see that the wax has melted nearly to the edge and wont go further because of the previous time I lit them the memory is retained.

To blow or snuff a candle ??

It is much better to snuff a candle than blow it out.  When you blow out a candle the force of the air on the wick moves the wick in the candle which makes it lie on a strange angle and off center thus shortening the life of your candle. It also means that the next time you light your candle it will burn off center.

It is also better to place the candle where it is needed before you light it.  Do not move once lit as this will move the wick causing it to move off center.

Hug your candle

Snuff your candle and wait for around five minutes. Gently cup your hands around the top and put a slight inward pressure on the lip.

These three simple steps will mean you will get the full burn time on your candles.

Blessings