Candles are used for a variety of reasons, some of which are to change your room's aroma, celebrate life events, and boost your mood. It’s critical to ensure you know how to burn your candles safely if you are regularly using them, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) they were the cause for 4% of home fires reported. This guide aims to help you understand how to stay safe when burning your candles at your home, please visit the NFPA and your local fire and rescue service for more detailed advice on this.
We recommend you read this guide, do your research, and are confident with the required safety measures before you light any candle. If you are still unsure, contact us at info@mourvier.co.uk and we’ll be happy to assist you further.
General Fire Safety Tips
- Avoid lighting candles around furniture, curtains, or any material that is flammable. It is recommended to use long matches or long reach lighters to reduce the risk of your hair or clothing coming into contact with the flame.
- Ensure you leave at least 10 cm between each candle or tea light if burning more than one.
- Never leave candles burning unattended such as exiting a room or before you go to sleep, always extinguish the fire.
- Never light candles near children or pets and keep the matches and lighters in a place where they cannot reach or access them.
- Avoid placing candles underneath shelves and enclosed spaces to ensure there is enough space above the flame.
- Don’t try to move candles when they are lit to another location, please blow them out and allow them to cool down correctly before doing so.
- Ensure candles are burnt in a well-ventilated room as drafts or air vents can decrease the candles efficiency and create an uneven burn.
Additional Measures To Improve Candle Efficiency
We all want our candles to last longer, below are some tips you can use to try to extend the life of your candles, for more information read our blog on 5 tips to make your candles last longer.
- Avoid burning your candles for more than 4 hours at a time, if you exceed this you can increase the risk of your vector getting too hot and smashing. It is recommended to burn candles between 2 - 4 hours.
- Building on the point above, refrain from relighting your candle before all of the wax has solidified as this can decrease the amount of time it takes for your candle to melt the top layer - meaning your candle is burning too quickly!
- Remember to trim your wicks ✂, although this doesn’t apply to every candle. At Mourvier we use wooden wicks for all of our candles which naturally trims as you continue to burn your candle throughout the month. This tip is more aimed at cotton wicks where they don’t trim. It is recommended to cut your wick down to 5 mm before every burn.
The Best Way To Put Out Your Candle
It might seem that the most natural response is to blow out your candle, however this isn’t best practice as this action can cause the flame to spread for a small moment. We recommend using the below tools to extinguish your flame:
- Candle snuffers: you can use this tool by hovering it over the naked flame for around 10 seconds, make sure you don’t lower it too far so that it doesn’t dip into the liquid wax.
- Wick dipper: use this tool to bend the wick into the liquid wax, once the flame has gone out you need to make sure you straighten out your wick again.
Storing Your Candles
We’ve already mentioned that you need to think about where you place your candles, avoid shallow shelves and enclosed areas to reduce the risk of furniture catching fire. It is also recommended that you avoid window sills and direct sunlight can encourage your candle to start sweating and nobody wants that. With this in mind make sure the location of your candle adheres to the above tips by placing it in a clear location, away from flammable objects, out of reach from children and pets, and is away from direct sunlight and drafts.
It’s important to us that our customers know how to burn candles safely in their home to reduce the risk of house fires. We recommend you read and feel comfortable with this guide and read up on directions from the NFPA and other local fire services. If you want to know more visit our FAQ page or contact us on info@embryo.co.uk.