- Place a burning candle on a stable, heat resistant surface, such as a candle holder or stove top, to avoid furniture damage.
- Keep wicks trimmed to 1/4 inch. Short, straight wicks help eliminate dripping and uneven burning, which, in turn, reduces smoke.
- Extinguish candle using a wick dipper, snuffer, or similar non-flammable instrument, immersing the wick in liquid wax to minimize smoke and avoid wax spatter.
- Burn a candle for 3-4 hours at a time to encourage even burning and lengthen burn life. This allows the wax to pool completely across the surface, and the flame will burn a core in the middle of the candle. Your candle will last longer.
- Place a burning candle away from windows, vents, or fans where a draft might be present. This will help ensure that light weight, flammable objects do not blow onto the flame. This will also promote even burning, which helps prevent smoke.
- Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches, and debris to ensure a more even burn and help prevent smoke.
- Extinguish pillar candle if the inner wax has melted less than ¼ inch away from the outer edge of the candle.
- Burn candles at least three inches apart so they don’t melt one another or create their own drafts, thus causing poor burning.
- Place candle away from direct sunlight or spotlights to prevent colors from fading.
Candle Safety
- Keep a burning candle within view.
- Extinguish candle before leaving the house or going to bed.
- Never burn a candle on or near something flammable (books, papers, drapes, etc.).
- Avoid burning a candle that has less than ½ inch of wax remaining (2 inches if the candle is not in a glass container). This will help prevent stress on the glass that can cause cracking or breakage.
- Keep candles out of reach of children and pets, where candles cannot be touched or tipped over.
- Burn candles in a well ventilated space.
- Do not touch or move a burning candle or a candle with liquefied wax.
- Do not use water to extinguish a candle. This can cause wax spatter or glass breakage.