We all love filling our homes with beautiful fragrances, but did you know that how you burn your candle changes how long it lasts? At Dukeswickflame, we have prepared this mini blog to help!
Avoid these top 3 common candle burning mistakes to ensure your candles burn cleanly, safely, and last as long as possible.
- Not Trimming Candle Wicks (How to Prevent High Flames & Black Soot)
We see this mistake so much, and it is incredibly important to trim your wicks after each burn—and especially before your first burn. Trimming your wick keeps your candle burning correctly and prevents a dangerously large flame. A large flame causes your candle to consume wax much too quickly, which shortens its overall burn time. Without trimming, wicks can "mushroom" and produce heavy black soot. We have seen so many homes where beautiful candles have black soot residue floating around in the melted wax pool. Keeping your candle wicks trimmed guarantees a clean, efficient burn to maximize your candle's full potential. The Fix: if you dont have wick trimmers, you can easily use a pair of regular household scissors to trim the wick to about 5mm before lighting.
2. Not Burning Your Candle Long Enough (How to Fix Candle Tunneling)
The very first burn of a luxury candle is the most crucial. If you do not let the wax melt all the way to the edges of the container on its first light, it establishes a "memory ring" that traps the flame. Many people do not realize this—especially if they buy mass-produced candles without care instructions. Blowing out a candle after just 30 minutes creates a narrow tunnel down the center. Once a candle tunnels, the wick can never achieve a full, even melt pool again, leaving wasted wax stuck to the sides of your jar. To prevent this, we include complimentary care cards with every single one of our handmade candles, providing the exact required burn times for each specific container size. The Fix: Always allow your candle to burn until the wax has melted fully across the entire top surface from edge to edge before putting it out.
3. Leaving a Candle Burning for Too Long (The Danger of Overheating)
While not burning a candle long enough causes tunneling, leaving a candle burning for too long is just as damaging—and potentially unsafe. Every high-quality candle should come with a strictly recommended maximum burn time. These times vary significantly depending on the container size, wax type, and the number of wicks. You must never burn a candle past its recommended time limit. Over-burning causes the entire wax pool to overheat, which degrades the fragrance oils and causes your candle to lose its beautiful scent throw. More importantly, it can cause the glass jar to get dangerously hot. At Dukeswickflame, our handmade candles are rigorously tested and researched over long periods before they ever leave our kitchen. We clearly state the safe maximum burn times on the container label, the packaging box, and our included care guides so you can enjoy your home fragrance safely.