How to Properly Take Care of Your Candles

How to Properly Take Care of Your Candles

You just bought a Homemade NJ candle, got home, and are ready to burn your candle, turn on your favorite Netflix show, and grab a glass of Rosé. But...

Do you actually know how to properly take care of your candle once you burn it?

One of the most common questions I get asked as a candle maker is how to properly care for your candle to ensure a better burn.

It’s a conversation I have at every single candle-making class, and today, I'm giving you a quick Candle 101 class!

There are a few candle-care tips on the main website, but in today’s blog post, we are going more in-depth into why candle care is SO important to ensure that you get the best burn time, a nice long-lasting, clean burn, and a better life out of your candle.

Let's get into it, shall we?

Burn Your Candle from Edge-to-Edge the First Time

The first time you burn a new candle, always burn it from edge-to-edge. What does that mean?

Have you ever lit a candle and then realized, ‘oh no!’ you have to run out of the house? Notice how when you blow your candle out, there is a tiny ringlet of hot wax? The next time you burn your candle, it will keep burning into that tiny ringlet, leaving a buildup of wax on the sides of your jar. This is called tunneling.

Tunneling happens because candle wax has a memory of its own; it will always burn down the path created for it.

So, when you burn the candle from edge-to-edge, you burn it for a long duration of time, normally about 3-4 hours, or until the entire top is a pool of hot wax. You don’t want to see ANY white cool wax on top! It is really important to do this for your first burn. You do not have to do it every burn, but if you do, it will ensure a really clean burn with little to no wax left on the sides once the candle has burnt down.

Trim Your Wick

Always, always, always make sure you are trimming your wick! Trim your wick every time you burn your candle. This helps with the health and life of your candle.

When you trim your wicks, you prevent black soot and smoke from forming. You also ensure a nice even burn. You should burn your candle for no longer than 3-5 hours at a time. Leaving your candles on for too long may cause the candle to become too hot. If the candle is left for too long, becomes too hot, and burns all of the wax out, the jar itself may explode. So please always keep an eye on your candle!

You want to trim your wicks to about ½ an inch each time you burn your candles. Any shorter may cause tunneling.

Snuff Your Candles Out

Always make sure to put your candles in a place where you can see them burning (on a table in front of you, on a mantel, etc.). You want the candle to be in eyesight so you don't forget to blow it out!

When extinguishing your candles, it is recommended to snuff them out by placing the top on your jar or using a candle snuffer. Avoid blowing your candles out! Snuffing your candles rather than blowing them out helps to prevent any wax splatter and better preserves the wick for the next time you light it.

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There is SO much more we could chat about, but for now, we will leave you with these three tips! We hope this helped you, and if you didn’t already know about these candle care tips, now you can try them out!

Please let us know if you try them out and how effective they are! We know your investment in your candles is important, and we want you to have the best possible experience burning your candles. We strive here at Homemade NJ to ensure you have a quality candle experience!

Let us know what other blog topics you'd like to hear about in upcoming blogs!

We hope you enjoy your candle burning! 


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