Scent-sational Saturday - Candles: What You Need to Know

This article was published in Gold Canyon's Product Knowledge Guide.

Candles: What You Need to Know

Our high quality wax blend and double wicks ensure our candles provide a consistent, quality fragrance and long burning time, but so does proper candle care. Proper candle care can extend the life of a candle and save money. Independent lab results show that with proper candle care, an 8 oz. candle burns up to five hour longer and produces 90% less soot.

Prior to Lighting

• Never pick up candles by the lid. The best way to pick up a candle is to place one hand around the neck of the jar, while the other hand supports the bottom of the jar.
• Read the instructions on the bottom label of the candles. The instructions are placed there as a precaution for burning candles.
• When applicable, remove decorative accents prior to lighting.
• Trim wicks to 1/4 inch prior to lighting, but do not drop trimmings into the candle. Long wicks may create too much heat on the glass, potentially causing it to shatter.

 When Burning

• Use holders to protect the surfaces of tabletops and shelves underneath the candle. 
• To prevent fire, burn the candle within sight, out of the reach of children and pets and away from drafts and anything that may catch fire.
• Burn long enough to liquefy the entire top layer of wax, not to exceed four hours. If you want to burn a candle longer, extinguish the candle, trim the wick down to 1/4 inch and relight.
• Handle candle carefully during use and immediately after extinguishing. The glass will be hot.
• Discontinue burning when 1/2 inch of wax remains at the bottom of the jar. Gold Canyon® has factored this 1/2 inch of wax into our burn time calculations and candle volume measurements.
• Use a wick dipper to extinguish flames to prevent residual smoke and splattered wax. The coating of wax also makes the wick easier to relight.

Cleaning Your Candle

• If the waxy part of your candle has gotten dirty, wipe it down with a slightly damp cloth.
• Black soot on the jars can be caused by any number of reasons, including untrimmed wicks and burning a candle in a draft, or near, or below a fan. Soot can be removed with glass cleaner and paper towels.

Candle Storage

•  Store your candles in a temperature-controlled environment (65°-80°F). Candles begin to melt at approximately 150°F. If candles get too cold, at approximately 65°F, the wax may shrink and pull away from the glass. This only affects the appearance, not the quality of the burn or the fragrance.
• Do not expose candles to direct sunlight or fluorescent light; it will discolor the candles over time.