Candle Care: How to Get the Most from Every Candle

A quality candle is worth looking after. With a few simple habits, you can significantly extend the life of your candles, ensure a cleaner and more even burn, and get the best possible scent throw from every use. Here’s everything you need to know.

The First Burn: The Most Important One

The single most important thing you can do for a new candle is to get the first burn right. Wax has a “memory” — it tends to melt in the same pattern as the first burn. If you extinguish a candle before the wax has melted all the way to the edges of the container, it will continue to burn in that same narrow channel on every subsequent use. This is called tunnelling, and it wastes a significant amount of wax.

Rule: On the first burn, allow the candle to burn until the entire surface of the wax has melted to the edges. For most jar candles, this takes between 2 and 4 hours depending on the diameter. Don’t rush it.

Trim Your Wick Every Time

This is the single most overlooked candle care habit — and one of the most impactful. Before every burn, trim your wick to approximately 5mm. To visualise this: it’s roughly the width of a standard pencil rubber, or about half the width of your little fingernail — quite short. A wick that’s too long will:

• Produce a large, flickering flame
• Generate excessive soot and smoke
• Cause the candle to burn too quickly
• Leave black marks on the inside of glass containers

A simple pair of scissors works fine, but a dedicated wick trimmer makes the job easier and keeps the trimmings out of the wax. Always remove any wick trimmings from the melt pool before lighting.

Burn Time: Not Too Short, Not Too Long

Minimum burn time: At least one hour per session — less than this and the wax won’t have time to melt evenly, which can lead to tunnelling over time.

Maximum burn time: No more than 4 hours in a single session. Burning for longer than this causes the wick to become unstable, the wax to overheat, and the fragrance to dissipate too quickly. It also increases the risk of the glass container cracking from prolonged heat exposure.

After 4 hours, extinguish the candle, allow it to cool completely, trim the wick, and relight when needed.

How to Extinguish a Candle Properly

Blowing out a candle sends a plume of smoke into the room and can scatter hot wax. Instead, use a candle snuffer — a small bell-shaped tool that smothers the flame without smoke. If you don’t have a snuffer, you can use a wick dipper to briefly push the wick into the melt pool and then straighten it again — this extinguishes the flame cleanly and coats the wick in wax, making it easier to relight.

Never use water to extinguish a candle.

Avoid Draughts

A flickering flame caused by a draught isn’t just atmospheric — it’s a sign that your candle is burning unevenly and producing more soot than it should. Position candles away from open windows, fans, air conditioning vents, and high-traffic areas where people walking past create air movement. A steady, upright flame is what you’re aiming for.

Keep the Wax Pool Clean

Before each burn, check the melt pool for debris — wick trimmings, dust, or (in the case of crystal candles) small crystal fragments. Any debris in the melt pool can cause uneven burning, excessive smoking, or in rare cases a fire hazard. Remove anything that shouldn’t be there before lighting.

Storage

Candles are sensitive to heat, light, and dust. To keep them in the best condition:

• Store away from direct sunlight — UV light fades colours and can affect fragrance
• Keep in a cool, dry place — heat can cause wax to soften or sweat (a white film that appears on the surface)
• Cover when not in use — a lid or dust cover keeps the wax clean and helps preserve the fragrance
• Store upright — never on their side, which can cause the wax to shift

Rescuing a Tunnelled Candle

If a candle has already tunnelled, all is not lost. Try one of these methods:

• The foil method: Wrap a layer of aluminium foil around the top of the candle, leaving a small opening over the wick. Light the candle and allow the foil to trap heat, which will gradually melt the wax walls down to the level of the melt pool. Check regularly and remove the foil once the surface is level.
• The oven method: For jar candles, place in a low oven (around 80°C) for a few minutes until the surface wax melts level. Allow to cool completely before burning again.

When to Stop Burning

Stop burning a candle when there is approximately 1cm of wax remaining at the bottom of the container. Burning below this level can cause the container to overheat, potentially cracking glass or scorching surfaces. At this point, the candle has given you everything it safely can.

For jar candles, the empty container can often be cleaned out and repurposed — a gentle pour of boiling water will melt any remaining wax, which can then be wiped away.

Browse our full candles collection — and now you know how to make every one of them last.