Candle FAQs | Sandwick Bay Candles

Oct 2, 2022

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Candle FAQs

Take some time out with Megan to answer everything you ever wanted to know about our candles as well as how to take the best care of them. How important is it to trim your wicks? The wick is the engine to your candle. In the workshop, hours are spent testing the wick for every different sized container. For the perfect burn, the wick needs to be right for the diameter and shape of the vessel as well as the wax and oil combination. It is best to keep your candle wick trimmed to approximately 5mm before re-lighting to help your candle burn evenly and for longer. If you notice smoking or soot forming you need to extinguish the candle, let the wax cool and then trim the ‘mushroom’ from the wick before re-lighting. Removing the excess wick will not only stop smoking and flickering, but also help you make your candle last as long as it should. https://sandwickbaycandles.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2108SandwickBay-0294-scaled-e1664358891500.jpg How long should you burn your candles for? To get the most out of your candle, we recommend that you don’t burn for less than 1 hour or for more than 4 hours at a time. It’s crucial on the first burn to melt the wax pool until it reaches the edge of container, as candles have a memory and melting to the edges will prevent tunnelling. After your first burn, try to avoid lighting the candle for short periods of time to avoid tunnelling later on. Make sure to never burn your candle for more than 4 hours at a time, and let it cool for at least 2 hours before relighting. https://sandwickbaycandles.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2108SandwickBay-0006-scaled.jpg What does candle ‘memory’ mean? Candle memory means that the candle ‘remembers’ the distance it reached to the edges on its first burn and will not melt further despite how long you try to melt it. So always allow your wax pool to reach the edge of the container on the candle’s fire burn. This will prevent tunnelling and maximise the life and fragrance of your candle. If your candle has already tunnelled, you can use the Hair Dryer method to save it: Firstly, trim the wick and remove any debris inside the tunnel. Then use your hair dryer on the highest setting to heat the wax on the top surface of the candle. Continue heating until the entire top surface of wax has completely melted and smoothed over. Relight your candle and allow it to burn until you can no longer see any tunneling. Finally, set your candle aside and let the wax harden. What is the best way to extinguish your flame? To extinguish your candle, you can either dip the wick into the melted wax, use a snuffer, pinch it out or use the lid. To minimise smoke, we recommend dipping your wick - simply flick your wick downwards into your liquid wax and allow the wick to flick back upwards. Your wick will extinguish immediately with little to no smoke and will also coat your wick with a thin layer of wax, which will make it easier to light your wick the next time. Do you burn your candle all the way to the end of the container? Do not burn your candles until there is no wax remaining as the bottom of the tin or glass may get too hot. Although it is tempting to continue burning your candle until the wax is gone, we strongly advise against this as the flame needs a solid base of wax to avoid overheating the container. I want to reuse my candle container. How can I get rid of excess wax? You can use the double boil method and place your container in 2cm of water and gently bring to the boil. The wax will melt. Carefully wipe out the melted wax with a kitchen roll and dispose. With a little gentle persuasion, the glue holding your wick in place should be easily picked off. Another good way to remove the excess wax is to freeze the container in your freezer and allow the wax to shrink. When it’s clean and ready to be reused, bring it in Sandwick Bay Living to be refilled with your chosen fragrance. Why do some candles smell stronger than others? The strength of the candle fragrance is known as your ‘scent throw’ that has both a ‘hot throw’ and a ‘cold throw’. The cold throw is the strength of the candle measured by your ability to smell the scent before it is burned. A hot throw is the strength of the candle fragrance while it is burning. If you can smell your candle strongly after lighting it, it has a better hot throw. The strength of the candle will depend on the proportion of fragrance oil to wax that is used. We do lots of testing at Sandwick Bay HQ to make sure your candles have a great ‘cold throw’ before you light and a ‘hot throw’ that will fill your room with scent. https://sandwickbaycandles.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2208SANDWICK-5924-e1664358576266.jpg Do candles expire? Candles don't have a hard expiration date like food but they can certainly degrade over time. The fragrance can actually get stronger the longer they lie. As our candles are made with a natural wax product, they may get a slight discolouration due to sun exposure or when there is vanilla in the fragrance. This does not effect the burn of the candle. Candles should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. This will keep moisture, light, and air from affecting them. If your candles came with a lid pop it back on when not in use to keep dust from settling on the candle.

We hope this has added some insight into how to make the most of your Sandwick Bay Candles.

If you have any other questions let us know, we love to hear from you!

Candle FAQs | Sandwick Bay Candles

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