Trimming your candle wicks regularly helps to ensure a clean and even burn and allows you to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of your favorite candle for a long time.
There are 3 main reasons why trimming your wick is such an essential part of proper candle care:
1. It increases the lifespan of your candle.
As a candle burns, cotton and wood wicks start to split and the burnt pieces may break off into the wax, forming debris near the base of the wick. If left alone, the debris can be picked up by the flame and cause your candle to burn hotter and faster than it was designed to. Proper wick trimming prevents this type of debris from forming, making your candles last longer.
2. It prevents smoke and soot.
If you don’t trim your candle wicks regularly, your candle is more likely to create larger flames that produce excess amounts of smoke and soot.
3. It helps you avoid candle tunneling.
Candle tunneling is the manifestation of poor candle care. What happens is that only a small portion of the wax around the wick melts as your candle burns, rather than having the entire surface melt evenly, creating a narrow, vertical tunnel in the center of your candle. This can be caused by a flame that's burning too hot as a result of an untrimmed wick.
For these reasons, we highly recommend getting into the habit of trimming your candle wicks — especially if you're someone who appreciates and enjoys luxurious, high-quality candles.
Luckily, the beautiful thing about wick trimming is that it only takes about 5 seconds to complete. It's one of those simple tasks that's easy to commit to and can save you time and money in the long run.
HOW TO TRIM CANDLE WICKS PROPERLY
For an optimal candle-burning experience, we recommend trimming your wick at least every 4 hours of burn time.
Here's how to properly trim a candle wick:
- Extinguish the flame and let the candle cool down to room temperature.
- Using a wick trimmer or other cutting tool, Trim the wick to a height of ¼ inches above the wax.
- While cutting, allow the blades to catch the wick debris to prevent it from falling into the wax.
- Discard the excess soot and debris into a waste bin.
Remember, proper candle care requires a regular and consistent trimming routine!
Keep an eye out for "mushrooming". That's when you see a clump of sooty carbon buildup (which usually has a mushroom shape to it) that forms on the top of the wick as it burns. Whenever you see signs of a mushrooming wick, that means it's a good time to extinguish the flame and trim off the unsightly mushroom cap.
WHAT IF YOU TRIMMED YOUR WICK TOO SHORT?
If you accidentally trimmed the wick too short (making it difficult to light), use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt the wax around the candle wick. Then, pour out the excess wax in order to expose more of the wick.
Allow the candle to cool down to room temperature, then try lighting it again. If you're able to light the wick, let it burn for at least 20 minutes before extinguishing it.
If you're still unable to light the wick, repeat the process of melting and removing wax until the wick is between ⅛ to ¼ of an inch above the surface.