There's no reason for a well-made candle to smoke, collapse, or to not burn down completely. Follow these 3 easy steps to make your beautiful new pillar candles last longer, burn cleaner and keep straight:
1. Trim the wick
Yes that's right, trim that wick. It may seem counterintuitive, but to promote a clean, even and smoke-free burn, trim the wick right down to ~6mm (1/4 inch). Read why here.
2. Set the memory
To avoid tunnelling, where the candle burns down leaving a thick, unused rim, burn your pillar candle for at least 1hr per each 2.5cm (1 inch) of diameter the first time you light it, so the wax melts all the way to the edge of the candle.
This is because the size of the wax pool during the first burn determines the life of the candle. Subsequent burns won't melt the wax beyond the initial wax pool, so if it didn't melt close enough to the edge of the candle the first time, it could leave a thick, unused mantle.
3. Place them apart
To avoid melting and warping due to heat from neighbouring candles, keep your lit candles at least 10cm apart. This prevents the flames from melting the wax of the candle next to it.
And that's it. Keep these three points in mind and enjoy your beautiful candles.
For the do's and don'ts when it comes to burning candles, read the full article on how to burn candles.
