5 ways to burn a scented candle evenly and cleanly

Sometimes the candle burns unevenly, which can be frustrating, especially if you want to keep the beautiful package as a decoration and use the candle to its best advantage. Uneven combustion can lead to wasted precious fragrant wax, unwanted smoke, and even the formation of a tunnel in the candle. Fortunately, you can prevent it!

You happened to buy a beautiful looking scented candle in decorative glass or ceramics and unfortunately it did not burn evenly? You want to take full advantage of the power of your candle's fragrance, but there is still wax left on the walls? Or maybe your candle suddenly started to smoke, and the glass became covered with unsightly deposits? All these problems have their causes - and fortunately there are ways to avoid them!

What to do to make the candle burn evenly?

Cue 5 proven ways recommended by experts Candle World, thanks to which your scented candle will burn evenly and you will use its full potential. Do you know them all?

1. The first burning of the candle is crucial

The first burning of the candle is extremely important! The wax should melt all the way to the edges of the dish. If you extinguish the candle too early, a tunnel may form, making subsequent burns uneven.

2. Trim the wick before each candle lighting

Wick length has a huge impact on candle burning. If it is too long, the candle may smoke and burn out faster than it should. It also does not affect the diffusion of the fragrance well. Typically, the wick length recommended by manufacturers is about. 5 mm - it should be trimmed before each lighting. Of course, if you bought / bought a candle where the manufacturer recommends a different wick length, follow his suggestions.

3. Take care of a stable base for the candle

The candle should stand on a level, stable surface, away from drafts. Wind or uneven alignment can cause uneven combustion, making the wax melt unevenly. You don't have to run around the house with a level, but pay attention to whether the candle is vertical.

4. Don't burn the candle too short or too long

Is there one universal recommended candle burning time? Of course not! After all, we can't compare a small tealight with a large candle in a glass jar. Therefore, we can only be tempted to give an approximate optimum burning time for the candle. It is approximately 2 to 4 hours. Smoking too short promotes tunneling, and smoking too long can cause intense smoking. Always burn the candle until the wax has melted all over the surface (until a liquid wax sheet has formed).

5. Use candle caps and candle savers

Special candle covers, or popular candle caps, can help with even combustion, and candle extinguisher called a saver will prevent smoke and dirt on the glass.

With these simple rules, your candle will burn evenly and cleanly, and you will take full advantage of its beautiful fragrance and appearance!

How to level the surface of a candle?

If your candle burns unevenly and a tunnel forms, there are several ways to level the wax surface. One of the most effective solutions is aluminum foil method - Simply wrap the top of the candle with foil, leaving an opening for the flame. The heat will evenly melt the wax, smoothing its surface. You can also try gently heat the wax with a heat gun or hair dryer and even it out with a chopstick. If the tunnel is deep, it may be helpful to removing excess wax around the wick or moving the candle to a warmer place, so that the wax dissolves more evenly during burning.

We answer your questions on how to burn a scented candle evenly and cleanly

In this part of our comprehensive guide to burning your candle evenly and cleanly, you will find the most common questions and answers from our experts We will explain the causes of a phenomenon and show you the steps you can take to prevent it in the future or even reverse a negative phenomenon, such as tunneling or mounding.

1. My candle "tunnels" and the wax stays on the walls. What I'm doing wrong?

The most common cause of the phenomenon of "tunneling" of the candle, i.e. leaving wax on the walls, is burning the candle too short at a time. If you burn the candle too short, the flame does not have time to sufficiently dissolve the wax and a so-called tunnel is formed. What you can do to avoid this? Always follow the recommended one-time burning time for a scented candle. What time is it? Approximate time depends on many factors, mainly on the type of wax the candle is made of. The general rule is that candles made from a blend of vegetable waxes and soy candles it is recommended to burn a minimum of 2 to 2.5 hours, while mineral wax (paraffin) candles 3 to 4 hours.

However, sometimes it can happen that the candle fully dissolves over the entire volume faster (that is, the so-called "pool" is formed), usually this applies to candles with more wicks. It may also happen that despite maintaining the recommended smoking time, the "pool" has not formed. Usually in such a situation, the cause should be sought in mismatch between the wick and the dimensions of the candle,room temperature too low and in the existence of... draught, which disrupts the combustion pattern of the candle.

In summary, in order to avoid "tunneling" of the candle, it is recommended to follow the approximate burning time of the candle - it can be assumed that this is until no "pool" is formed, that is, the wax in the candle does not dissolve all over the volume. In the photo below, we see candles burning far too short, visible tunneling phenomenon. Wick too long.

2. My candle burns unevenly, wax stays on one side. Why?

If we have ruled out the phenomenon of "tunneling", look for the cause in the... the substrate on which the candle stands. This seemingly trivial cause can be crucial - if the scented candle is not placed on an even surface, it can result in uneven burning. Another reason for wax to stay on one side of the candle is poor wick placement, if the wick is not in the middle of the candle, the candle may burn out faster on one side. Sometimes the wick is crooked in only one part of the candle and after straightening it out, the candle may continue to burn evenly.

Remember! If you have a candle with more wicks, like two or three wicks, always light all the wicks at once! If you light only one or two, there will certainly be the phenomenon of tunneling and uneven firing, moreover, the other wicks lit next time may lead to flooding of the wick lit previously. So put the candle on a level surface, check that the wick is centrally located and always light all the wicks at once.

3. My candle started to smoke and the glass got dirty. What happened?

If your candle has been burning cleanly and evenly up to now, look for the cause in the pin! Too long a wick can cause the candle to mound. So what length should the wick be? It is assumed that the optimal length of the wick is about 5 mm. If the wick is longer, the candle may mound. Trim the wick before each candle lighting, this is very important. Remember to check after trimming the wick to see if any remnants of the wick fell into the candle, if they did - remove them. What if the candle has been lit for many hours and suddenly it started to smoke? Check the length of the wick - when burning the candle for a very long time, the wick can curl up and form a characteristic "mushroom". This is a clear signal to extinguish the candle and trim the wick.

If the candle is smoking despite a properly trimmed wick, it is possible that it is standing in a draft that is causing the candle to burn unevenly and smoke. Move the candle to a secluded spot.

The candle still smokes? Perhaps the raw material from which it was made is to blame. Cleaner burning candles provide those created from natural vegetable wax, while paraffin wax manifests a greater tendency to smoke. You can also choose soy candles available in the store Candle World.

4. I blew out the candle and there was soot on the glass, why?

Never blow out a candle! To extinguish the candle, use candle saver. If you blow out the candle, the wick will glow and start to smoke. Always use a candle saver, then you will avoid the appearance of soot.

5. The candle did not burn all the way to the bottom, there was a lot of wax left at the bottom.

This is a normal phenomenon. Reputable candle manufacturers recommend ending the burning of the candle when the amount of wax reaches about 7-8 mm. This is important for safety reasons, to minimize the risk of the glass container breaking and wax spilling out. Most candles are specially created in such a way that the burning ends when there is this minimal amount of wax left on the bottom. Want to know how to remove the remaining wax from the candle? Take a look at our article, in which we explain it step by step.

What to do to make the candle burn evenly?

Below awaits you a summary of what we've learned about clean and even candle burning so far. Our experts have additional advice for you in this section, which you can use if your candle burns unevenly and you want to make it "fix".

• The first burning should last until the entire wax surface is melted - this prevents tunneling and uneven combustion in subsequent uses.
• Regularly trim the wick to approx. 5 mm - too long a wick causes kicking and faster, uneven combustion.
• Avoid drafts and place the candle on a level surface - uneven surface or air movement can make the wax melt only on one side.
• Don't burn the candle too short or too long - optimal burning time is 2.5 - 4 hours. Smoking too short promotes tunneling, and smoking too long can overheat the wax.
• Don't blow on the flame when extinguishing a candle - Instead, use a saver or cover the candle with a non-flammable lid to avoid smoke and uneven burning.
• If the candle begins to burn unevenly, correct it with aluminum foil - wrap the top of the candle with foil, leaving an opening for the flame. This will help even out the surface of the wax. Note! Watch the candle all the time during this process! You can also use a professional candle cap available at Candle World.
• Always burn candles at the correct ambient temperature - a room that is too cold or hot can affect the rate of wax melting.
• Use candles with high quality wax and cotton or wooden wicks - better materials burn more evenly and minimize the risk of tunneling. Acquire only candles from reputable manufacturers that meet exacting quality standards.