Candle Safety Tips

CANDLE SAFETY TIPS

1. First and foremost,  NEVER leave lit candles unattended and keep them away from small children and pets. 
2. When leaving the room, the house or retiring for the night, make sure all candles have been extinguished! 
3. Be sure to take care when placing lit candles so they cannot be reached or knocked over by small children, pets or even accidentally by anyone else. 
4. Don’t lean too closely over a lit candle and make sure long hair doesn’t get too close to the flame.  Even short hair with hair products sprayed in it can ignite easily if held too close to a flame. 
5. Keep the area around a burning candle clear of anything flammable such as decorations, curtains or drapes, papers or anything else that can be set aflame.  Also, keep the liquid wax area clear of anything that may catch fire. 
6. Use only heat resistant surfaces to place lit candles on so furniture is protected and not ruined. 
7. Make sure the room(s) that you are going to burn candles in is well ventilated. 
8. Be sure to use appropriate candle holders for the type of candle you are burning. 
9. Extinguish candles when they have burned  to within 1 ¾” – 2” of the bottom. 
10. Trimming wicks to ¼” before lighting will help to keep candles burning evenly. 
11. Always do your wick maintenance for a longer burning candle. 
12. A weak candle flame can cause the candle to tunnel, burning down instead of out.  Extinguishing the candle and pouring out some of the liquid wax will help correct this.  
13. Candles  should be kept away from drafts for several reasons. It will help to keep them from burning too quickly, dripping, smoking, or leaving behind sooty residue. A flickering flame is an indication that the candle is in a draft and should be moved. 
14. Be sure to read and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Burn candles only for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. 
15. Allowing a lit wick to get too close to the container it's in can cause it to break, letting liquid wax seep out. After putting candle out move the wick to the center, before the wax hardens, so candle will burn evenly next time it's lit. 
16.  Wait until container candles have cooled completely before moving.  Liquid wax is very hot and the holders that house the candles can also become very hot.  
17. Don’t pour liquid wax down the drain as it can clog it up. 
18. Candles should be stored flat, and in a dry place at room temperature, to keep from fading and warping. 
19. If burning a candle for a long block of time, blow out the candle after 3 -  4 hours of  burn time, let it set long enough to set up so that you can then trim the mushroom off the wick. This results in a much longer burning candle. 
20. A general rule of thumb for a pillar’s burn time is one hour per diameter inch. 
21. Wax will be easier to remove from holders if put in a freezer for 5 minutes and then pop the wax out. 
22. If you wrap candles in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for a short time, you will increase the burn time. 
23. Water dripping into melted wax can cause it to pop and sputter and can also cause glass holders to crack or break. 
24. To avoid candles from melting on each other or creating their own drafts, place three inches apart. 
25. If you accidentally drip hot wax on your skin, rinse in cold water right away.  Trying to wipe hot wax will only spread the burn.  
26. To prevent hot wax from splattering when extinguishing a candle, hold a finger in front of the candle before blowing. Air flows around the finger, thus extinguishing it from both sides.
27. To remove wax from carpet, let the wax solidify, then remove as much as possible. Place paper towels over the wax and  lightly apply a hot steam iron to area letting the paper towels absorb the wax.  Repeat as many times as necessary. A liquid carpet cleaner may remove any coloring left on carpet.  Remember to remove all wax from iron before using on other materials. 
28. You can remove wax from clothing by pouring boiling water over wax once it has hardened and as much as possible has been removed. The wax could stain the garment so please consult a professional cleaner if in doubt. 
29. If you spill wax on furniture or wood floors do not try to clean up until the wax has hardened to make removal easier. Once the wax has hardened, pry it loose carefully so that the furniture or floor finish will not be damaged.