Do you have any tricks to make your scented candles burn well and last longer? After the weekend’s conversation I was thinking that I should have mentioned how to care for scented candles…There are certain ways to ensure that they they burn well and last the longest…
I trim the wick before lighting the candle …if it’s too long, the candle will smoke and the glass will become covered in soot… too short and the candle will burn out… I leave about half a centimetre of wick above the wax line… Diptyque and Cire Trudon have excellent wicks… as do the Astier de Villatte range of scented candles.
The first lighting should only be for one hour… this will start the wax melting in an even fashion… Blow them out after the hour and let the wax solidify… Once the candle has set… light it again for a little longer… two hours… This prepares the candles to burn evenly and to burn right to the bottom of the glass…
After each burning I trim the wick… just a little to remove the softened/burnt end… not too much or it will be hard to re-light…
I try not to leave scented candles in a draft… a direct flow of air can make them burn unevenly…
This does seem like a lot of fuss for a scented candle … but…these steps work and your candles will last longer… significantly longer… There is nothing more frustrating than wicks that won’t burn or a candle that burns unevenly, leaving half the wax on the side of the glass…
Any steps I am missing?
I read with interest about the Paddywax range of candles… they came highly recommended by several of my readers… I haven’t tried them … but I am certainly going to… In case you would like to … xv
Paddywax Library Collection
Jane Austen… here
Walt Whitman… here
Oscar Wilde… here
Leo Tolstoy… here
Edgar Allen Poe… here
I like the sound of this one… Pomegranate and Current… here