Candle Tips

Candles, once merely a source of illumination, light our lives with intense fragrance, inner warmth, luxurious comfort, romantic ambiance, and vibrant celebration. To fully enjoy your Salt City Candle, there are a few things we think you should know about their use and care.

Candle Care
Candle Safety
Candle FAQs


How to Care for Your Candle

• Place a burning candle on a stable, heat resistant surface, such as a candle holder or stove top, to avoid furniture damage.
• Keep wicks trimmed to ¼ inch. Short, straight wicks help eliminate dripping and uneven burning, which, in turn, reduces smoke.
• Extinguish candle using a wick dipper, snuffer, or similar non-flammable instrument, immersing the wick in liquid wax to minimize smoke and avoid wax spatter.
• Burn a candle for 3-4 hours at a time to encourage even burning and lengthen burn life. This allows the wax to pool completely across the surface, and the flame will burn a core in the middle of the candle. Your candle will last longer.
• Place a burning candle away from windows, vents, or fans where a draft might be present. This will help ensure that light weight, flammable objects do not blow onto the flame. This will also promote even burning, which helps prevent smoke.
• Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches, and debris to ensure a more even burn and help prevent smoke.
• Extinguish pillar candle if the inner wax has melted less than ¼ inch away from the outer edge of the candle.
• Burn candles at least three inches apart so they don’t melt one another or create their own drafts, thus causing poor burning.
• Place candle away from direct sunlight or spotlights to prevent colors from fading.

How to Safely Use Your Candle

• Keep a burning candle within view.
• Extinguish candle before leaving the house or going to bed.
• Never burn a candle on or near something flammable (books, papers, drapes, etc.).
• Avoid burning a candle that has less than ½ inch of wax remaining (2 inches if the candle is not in a glass container). This will help prevent stress on the glass that can cause cracking or breakage.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets, where candles cannot be touched or tipped over.
• Burn candles in a well ventilated space.
• Do not touch or move a burning candle or a candle with liquefied wax.
• Do not use water to extinguish a candle. This can cause wax spatter or glass breakage.

How to Make the Most of your Candle

How can I maximize burn time?
One of the best ways to extend the life of your candle is to ensure even burning. You can achieve this by following these simple guidelines:

• Burn candle on a level surface.
• Place burning candles away from drafts.
• Burn candle at least 3-4 hours each time (or 1 hour for every inch of candle diameter).
• Burn candles with at least three inches of space between one another.
• Allow wax to pool completely across the surface during each burn.

How do I prevent candle smoke?
Always trim your candle wick before each use to ¼ inch or less and keep them away from drafty areas.

Why and how often should I trim the wick?
It’s a good idea to trim the wick after each use, so your candle will always be ready to burn. A properly trimmed wick prevents carbon build up (“mushrooming”), black soot, and smoking. Your candle will also burn more evenly, which, in turn, means longer-lasting candle.

How do I trim the wick?
A wick should extend above the wax surface about ¼ inch. Simply cut the tip of the wick with wick trimmer or scissors before or after each use.

What if the wick is too short to light?
Wick length should be kept at ¼ inch above the wax. If it is not long enough, use a butter knife to cut the wax down around the wick until it is adequately exposed. Then simply burn the candle to restore it to its normal shape.

Why keep the wick in the middle?
A wick should burn in the center of the candle. This center placement results in even burning and longer candle life. To return an off-center wick to it place, use a butter knife to dig up the wax around it and push it back.

Why does the wick look like a mushroom?
This carbon residue “mushrooming” builds up on the wick when it is not properly trimmed or when it is not kept straight. Simply trim the wick to ¼ inch above the wax, removing the mushroom growth.

How do I prevent wax buildup on the container?
Wax is more likely to melt evenly across the surface when you place candle on an even surface. In addition, make sure to burn your candle long enough the first time--at least 3-4 hours, or 1 hour for each inch of candle diameter. This allows the wax to pool completely across the surface, so the flame can burn a core in the middle of the candle. Your candle will last longer.

How do I prevent black soot from gathering on the jar?
Black soot is carbon. It may occur when a wick is too long or when it is getting too much air. First, make sure the wick is properly trimmed to ¼ inch. Second, burn candles away from windows, vents, or fans where a draft might be present.

How do I clean soot off a container?
You can remove soot from a container with a moistened wipe, or a paper towel and glass cleaner. After cleaning, allow the container to dry completely before lighting the candle again.

How do I clean a soiled or scratched candle?
Use a soft cloth or nylon to clean soiled or scratched candles. If necessary, dampen the cloth with a small amount of salad oil.

How do I remove wax from my candle holders?
Simply run extremely hot water over the holder to melt the wax off.

How do I remove wax from washable fabrics?
Use your fingernail to scrape off as much of the wax as you can, then run extremely hot water through the fabric.