Candle Safety 101
I will apologize to those of you who already know all this, and truly, I'd love to live in a world where posts like this don't need to exist, but I gave up on fairy tales when I was 6 or 7 years old.
I want to talk with you about safety. Candle safety is critically important to me in this business, because believe it or not, I care about my clients, and it would devastate me to think that not having this talk could result in someone's suffering a brain-fart, and causing damage to their bodies, lives or homes.
So, here we go!
Never, ever, ever...under ANY circumstances, leave a candle burning unattended. Ever. I really mean this. It only takes a few seconds for an accident to happen; a tip-over, a holder breaking, even a pet or child getting to a candle. It's so easy to extinguish and then re-light a candle. If you're leaving the room, even if you think you're going to be gone scant seconds, "Leave No Doubt-Put It Out".
Never burn a candle on an unstable surface. Make sure if the surface your candle's on is accidentally bumped, the candle won't topple, spilling liquid wax and /or the flame onto flammable surfaces. Unsteady surfaces can include delicate tables that wobble easily, temporary tables, beds, headboards. Anything that isn't solid enough to resist movement when bumped should be avoided.
Always use a suitable holder for burning a candle. Votive holders should be temperature safe and heat resistant. Stainless steel is the safest, especially if you use a small container of sand in which to put it. Remember that ANY glass holder can break, and once lit, votive candles convert to a liquid pool of wax fairly quickly. They're designed to do this. They liquefy, then feed the wick's flame by drawing the liquid wax upward into the wick. This means they absolutely, positively have to have a cup-style holder. Yes, I've seen many photos of people lighting votives on a small, flat pillar holder (see photo just above, on the right). Don't do that. Don't be that person. You'll be wasting about 60% of your candle's wax if you do that, not to mention the fire risks. You can get 3 ounce stainless steel seafood-sauce cups (pictured in photo on the left) that are perfect for these votives, for about 50 cents per holder from kitchen supply stores. These also fit into most votive holders, so bonus!
Please also remember when dealing with votives, that ANY glass container can break, even one that's been approved for votive use. I personally got to refinish my gorgeous dresser last year, when a glass votive container in an arched votive holder broke. And yes, I broke the cardinal rule...I left the candle alone, in my bedroom, burning, while I walked a few steps into my bathroom to retrieve my phone. I couldn't have been gone more than two minutes, and yet when I returned, the votive container had broken, the wax had spilled out onto the top of the dresser and ignited, then ignited the finish of the dresser. Roughly two-thirds of my dresser's top was scorched black. The fire had gone around a quarter laying on the dresser, had burned around two AA batteries, and had gone out. Just like that. I came in and saw it, and had to sit down from the shakiness. What a fool I'd been! After years of constantly preaching candle safety, I blew it! But I also learned that I do not trust glass votive containers. I'll stick with stainless steel from here on out.
For pillar candles, I recommend hurricane-style holders that protect the flame from drafts, and help protect your home, family, and pets from accidental burns. For funkier looks, you can use small inexpensive steel or aluminum buckets. Fill these half-way with sand (think craft store) in the color of your choice, and seat the candle directly into the sand, pushing it down about half an inch for stability. These protect your furnishings if the candle splits or burns through on the side. Even the best candles can do this if the wicks aren't trimmed properly. And if your candle does split and dump wax into the sand, simply extinguish the candle, let the wax solidify and remove it. And it's safer!
Speaking of wick trimming, remember to keep your wick trimmed to about 1/4 inch. This keeps the flame at the optimal level. Going along with that, you should generally burn a candle on average, 1 hour for every inch of candle diameter. If your candle is a 3" pillar, then the best length of time to burn it is 3 hours per burning. This will allow the candle to burn more uniformly.
If your pillar candle should ever get lazy and begin to lean or sag on one side, you can carefully extinguish the candle and try to reshape it, gently pressing inward on any sagging areas, being very careful not to puncture the side. If at any time you have a sag or if a puncture occurs, remember that you can let the candle cool off, and cut carefully across the top to remove any issues, paying special attention to the wick, cutting around it so you can have enough length to light it again.
Keeping candles away from drafts, vents, fans, animals, children and flammable substances and objects is important. Drafts can blow a flame to the exact place you don't want it to be; they can also cause uneven burning. Give wide berth around things like curtains, towels, flammable bathroom products, colognes, aerosol cans, paper, fabrics...and don't put on shelves that have anything above them closer than 18-24 inches from the top of the flame.
Here's a cool trick that's safe and if you're like me and you hate the smell of a candle that's just been blown out, you might like it too! I use a metal cuticle tool, and instead of blowing a candle out or using a snuffer (which still leaves the trail of smoke and the stink), I use the cuticle tool to gently dip the wick into the wax pool. It extinguishes the flame instantly, and there is no smoke or smell after. Don't forget to use the same tool to gently lift the wick back out of the wax pool when you're done. Be sure to not use anything flammable...not toothpicks, popsicle sticks, bamboo skewers, spaghetti, or things of that sort. I go to great lengths to make sure my candles are as well-crafted as possible, and don't have flaws. Wicks that aren't centered, or wicks that are allowed to be limp while curing, or wicks that are twisted or pulled too taut can all impact the way a candle burns. But even the best candle can be hazardous if not used properly. It's not a matter of just light it and blow it out and forget it till next time. You must invest the proper amount of care and concern and maintenance into your candle's safe functioning in order for it to be a wonderful experience for you. Whew! I hope you found this to be informative, and not coma-inducingly boring.
