Safety & care

Candle safety is important and you should be vigilant about following some basic safety rules:

1) never leave a candle unattended & place it in view

if you burn candles a lot you may get lax about watching them as they burn. you always need to be aware of where your candle is and frequently check to make sure it’s burning correctly (you should have a small, steady flame with no black smoke). never burn candles where you can’t see them.

2) burn pillars on a heat-resistant surface, preferably with a raised lip to catch any wax

unless you use additives, there’s no way to prevent wax from dripping as it melts. i like to burn pillars in jars or on small trays with a raised lip to catch melted wax. hardened wax is brittle enough to scrape off easily with a putty knife.

2) leave 1/4” of wax at the bottom of your jars

this is important, especially with vintage jars. If the flame comes into direct contact with the jar there is a risk of it breaking. don’t burn your candles down to the very bottom—-always leave a shallow pool of wax to act as a buffer. the metal tabs that hold the wick up do create some separation but I always recommend leaving some wax in the jar just to be safe.

3) only burn for four hours at a time (but enough to melt the whole top layer)

when you burn your candles you want to make sure the entire top layer is melted but you don’t want to leave it burning for more than four hours. the longer you burn, the hotter your jar becomes and it’s important to avoid extreme temperatures. it also increases the risk of you forgetting that its burning.

4) trim your wick before you light it

every time you light your candle make sure to trim the wick. if you’re experiencing a dramatically flickering flame or see any black smoke, your wick is too long. extinguish the candle, trim, and relight. never leave the excess wick in the wax—-this can cause a secondary ignition which is a fire hazard. I trim my wicks to 1/4” every time i light them.

5) don’t burn your candle within 1 foot of other items

this is a common way that fires start. leave at least a foot of space between a burning candle and other objects. be especially conscious of plants and anything that’s made of fabric, plastic, or wood.

6) reuse your old jars for some stuff but not others

putting your finished candle in the freezer for a few hours should shrink the wax enough for it to just pop out of the container. If that doesn’t work you can try placing it in an inch of hot water. once your wax has been removed, wipe the container down with isopropyl alcohol (or hand sanitizer) to remove residue and burn marks, then wash and dry it. still, I don’t recommend drinking out of the empty containers.