How Can I Make Candles Last Longer?

Candles have many uses, including introducing a great mood and ambience you might need in case you want a romantic evening. That is not all, as candles can be used to illuminate a dimly lit room. The flickering light generally creates softness in the atmosphere to make people enjoy the lighting. This makes someone consider ways to extend the candle’s life to experience more. The best part would be when you have scented candles. How to make your candles last longer? Let’s check it out.

6 Tips for Making The Candles Last Longer

How best can you make the candles last longer? That is what we discuss below to help you get the most out of the candles.

1. Get the right candle size

Look at the size of the room you want to illuminate and buy the size of candles. Undoubtedly, you would like to settle for a candle that lights the space correctly. Of course, the purpose also matters.

Tea-light candles would not do much for a room with a high ceiling. They might easily end up not shining much light in the room and will be over soon. So, get larger candles such as taper candles with their respective candle holders, and you can experience longer burn time and still get enough light.

2. Limit your burn time

When you use the candles for the first time, it is okay to burn them for longer. This allows burning off the top wax layer so that the next time you burn the candle, it has an even burn.

After the first burn, you might want to limit how long your burn the candles. You could burn the candles for only three to four hours at a time. The aim is to avoid tunneling.

Tunneling simply means that there is uneven melting of the candle wax. You will notice that at the center of the candle, you have deep grooves because of tunneling.

This activity would also hurt how bright the candle will be. Avoiding long burn hours is better for helping candles last longer.

3. Trim and adjust the wick where necessary

A candle would only work great if the wick is also in good condition. So, what is the ideal height of a wick?

It is recommended that the wick should be ⅛ to ¼ inches high to get the best burn time. That is why you should consider trimming the wick more often.

Besides improving burn time, the trimmed wick helps the candle have a clean burn. No one needs a sooty flame or low brightness from a candle.

So, how do you trim a wick? Start by extinguishing the candle flame and letting it cool. Use a candle wick trimmer or a pair of small scissors to the recommended height before using it next time. Ensure to keep trimming the wick after each use to improve burn time.

Be careful with the hot wax. We recommend giving it two hours to cool and solidify before trimming the wick. This would help avoid burning your fingers and make candles last longer.

4. Do not put candles in drafty areas

Candles may look nice on the edge of a window, but the draft from the open window shortens its life.

The increased draft will mean that the candle has to burn faster, and you still end up with an uneven burn.

Place the candles inside the house away from areas that tend to get drafty. In case you are outdoors, consider using a guard against the draft. That is why you may consider having lantern covers for candles to keep the breeze away and make the candles last longer.

Besides ending up with candles that do not last long, you also risk causing a fire because of the wind. The draft might knock over the candle or spread the flame to some nearby flammable materials.

Do not to leave the candle unattended because it is a great risk. The last thing you want is to burn down the house because of a candle.

5. Keep the candle away from heat sources

How you store the candles can also determine how long they last. Remember that wax can easily melt when exposed to extreme heat. It is then advisable to store the candles in a dry and cool room.

No need to store the candles close to heat sources such as kitchen stoves, attic, or fireplace mantels. The best practice is to keep in a place with normal temperature and away from a direct heat source such as the sun to make candles last longer.

6. Put the candles in a freezer

It might seem weird, but it is a hack that some people actually use. Putting the candle in a freezer helps with hardening the wax, making it melt slower, and thus, the candles last longer.

You do not always have to keep the candles in the freezer, but rather a few hours before using them. Thinner candles will need fewer hours than thicker candles. On average, a thick candle needs six hours in the freezer, while a thin candle would do with just an hour.

Sziqiqi Tips

How to Burn + Extinguish Your Candles So They Last Longer

What Affects Candles Burn Time

The burn time is the useful life of a candle, affecting the candles last longer or not. It will vary from one candle type to another, and other things would affect the burn time. Let us look at them below.

Type of wax

The type of wax is the biggest reason a candle can last longer or not. The most common candle waxes available include synthetic, natural, or a blend of these two.

The melting point of each wax type determines the burn time. As expected, a candle wax with a higher melting point means the candle would last longer.

Here is a quick list of what to expect as melting points of different candle wax types:

• Palm wax: ~134° F
• Coconut + Soy Wax: ~127° F
• Paraffin + Soy wax: ~127° F
• Soy Wax: ~115° F
• Paraffin wax: ~129° F
• Coconut wax: ~124° F

Wick

The wick would also determine the burn time. In this case, the size of the wick is an important consideration you must always keep in mind.

A good wick needs to allow the candle to burn cleaner and still emit fragrance if it is a scented candle. A candle with a thick wick burns faster, while that one with a small wick creates a tunneling effect. It is best to keep the wick between ⅛ to ¼ inch if you want a clean burn and improved burn time.

The container size

This is another factor that would also affect the burn time of candles last longer. Large candles that weigh over 12 ounces would have an average of 5 to 8 hours of burn time per ounce. As for smaller candles, they can have 4 to 7 hours for each ounce. It is easy to see that a larger candle would last longer.

Conclusion

Candles are awesome to have in a room, but sometimes they just burn out quickly. It could be that you have been making some mistakes, and now you know how best to handle them. If you follow the tips above, you can now make candles last longer. Do not be afraid to try other tips for conserving candles that are not mentioned here. You might be surprised by how good the candles can hold up if used correctly.