Candle Care: 101 – the ultimate guide

Stay lit with us!

Candles. Not exactly cutting-edge technology, right? They’ve been around forever in one form or another...

Candle Care: 101 – the ultimate guide

Stay lit with us!

Candles. Not exactly cutting-edge technology, right? They’ve been around forever in one form or another. And while our ancestors all had candle-care in the home down pat, the modern world has electricity and the luxury of forgetting. We get asked all the time: “Hey Bec and Carlie, how do I take care of my candle?” So, we figured it’s time to make a definitive candle maintenance guide with a few easy-to-follow tips.

Before You Light
Location is key. Find a spot away from breezes and moving air. Beyond extinguishing your candle, blowing air can cause a flickering, topsy-turvy flame resulting in a lop-sided melt or sooty glass. Place your candle on a heat-resistant, level surface out of busy traffic, but where you’ll still be able to keep an eye on it while it’s lit.

The First Time
Ok, listen up: If there’s one thing we can impress on you, it’s the importance of the initial burn. In fact, WE’RE TEMPTED TO WRITE IT IN ALL CAPS. But seriously, this will make a huge difference in the quality of your experience. The initial burn should last around two hours for the small candle and three hours for the large – or until the wax has melted right to the edge of the jar. This gives the wax enough time to melt evenly across the surface and avoid tunneling (when the center of the candle melts straight down). It sets the wax memory for a consistent, even melt over the lifetime of your candle.

All Things Wick
We (heart emoji) wood! We chose wooden wicks for both the aesthetics and the function. They provide warmth and a bit of fireside crackle without the debris sometimes left by cotton wicks. When it comes to maintenance, there’s a few tricks:

Wooden wicks can take a few moments to light for the first time – be patient, it will be worth it. What we’re saying is, plan a bit of time to relax and enjoy your new candle. Honestly, it’s win/win.

You want to keep your wick trimmed to about 5mm. It’s quite easy to snap with your fingers or a wick-trimmer. This will prevent issues like smoking or difficulty lighting your candle.

Something’s Not Right – at a glance
There are a few issues that can arise with the use of any poured candle. If you find yourself in one of these situations, fear not. Most fixes are quick and easy. (Spoiler: Your wick probably needs trimming.)

“My candle won’t light”
Your wick is probably too long. The cells in the wood act like tiny straws, sucking wax up from the candle to the flame. If the wick is too long, it can’t get fully saturated with wax. shorten it and try again. You can even help the process along by holding the flame on the wax around the wick to melt it a bit. This will create fuel for your candle.

“My jar is marked”
As mentioned above, being in a draughty spot can cause smoking. But if you found that out too late and you’re after a repair job, you can wipe the glass with a non-alcoholic wipe, micro-cloth or even just a wet paper towel to keep it sparkling. Don’t forget to wait until the candle has cooled before cleaning!

“It’s flaming massive”
Scared the flame is going to touch the ceiling it’s so high? It’s that long wick again. You’ve got this.

There’s so much more we could say about candle care —we could talk about it all day. But these tips give you all you really need to know to best care for your Becca Project candle. Proper candle-care will increase the life and enjoyment of your candle. Still left stumped? Email or DM us. We’ll help you out…

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