We asked Jess Pimm, the owner of Jersey Candles to share her tips and tricks to get the most life out of your soy wax candle.
ALWAYS REMEMBER - Whether you are just about to burn your candle for the first time or you’re only just thought to google ‘how to burn the perfect candle’, Try to ensure that your wick is always kept to 5mm long at all times. We recommend trimming the wick every 3 hours of burn time. When trimming, always extinguish the flame, let the candle cool down to room temperature, remove any wick debris and trim the wick before relighting. Remember to also carefully re-position your wick to keep it centered to ensure you have an even burn.
LIGHT HER UP - The very first burn is the most important. You need to ensure the candle wax pools to the edge on this initial burn. Candles, like humans, are creatures of habit, meaning if your candle doesn’t burn to the edges during the first burn, chances are it won’t on any subsequent burn. This is because it tends to follow the same pattern as the last burn and will cause it to tunnel.
HOW LONG IS TOO LONG - You should try not to burn your candle for longer than 4 hours within in any 24 hour period. This will prolong the life of your candle. Burning your candle for longer than four hours can cause the wick to form a mushroom, or carbon deposit, and the more carbon, the more soot, and smoke.. now who wants that.
HOW TO FIX A TUNNELING CANDLE - If you’ve found your candle has started to tunnel, you need not worry! We have two troubleshooting tips to even out a candle.
- If the candle has only slightly started to tunnel, we recommend laying the candle on its side and use a lighter or long match to melt the wax away from the wick and pour it into the trash. After this step, relight your candle for an hour or so until the wax pool reaches the edges. Once the wax reaches the edges you can blow out the candle.
- Use a butter knife or pate knife to cut out the wax that is above the level of the wick and discard the cut wax.
Happy candle burning all!!