How to make candles burn longer. Why candles are smoked and how to get rid of it How to make a candle burn for a long time

Decorative candles adorn both the festive table setting and the house itself, and to create a romantic atmosphere, they are generally the first remedy. But they can burn out unexpectedly quickly, and they burn ugly in the end. The nature of combustion depends, first of all, on the quality of the paraffin or wax itself, but not only.

In order for the candles to burn as long as possible, and the flame to be even and beautiful, you must definitely follow the length of the wick! Ideally, it is about 5-6 millimeters. When soot collects on the tip, the flame stretches and thins, and the candle begins to smoke. In addition, the wick is completely saturated with molten paraffin, which, in fact, burns out. The shorter the wick, the lower the consumption of paraffin, and, therefore, the longer the life of the candle.

So often shorten the wick - and the candle will please for a long time. You can cut it directly during the burning process: with thin scissors, nail clippers or a special tool. Or you can just break off the frozen tip every time before you light the candle.

The life hack of a long-burning candle was shared by Olesya from Kyiv.

How do you light a candle and handle it while it is burning? Never thought? Many do not have the slightest idea how to use the purchased candle to the maximum. It turns out that it is enough to follow just five simple tips.

1. Trim the wick

First of all, do not forget to trim the wick, as on the right candle

Don't be lazy, do this every time you're about to light a new candle.

How to do it?

Cut the wick so that the length of its visible part is no more than 6 millimeters. To do this, you can use ordinary scissors, nail clippers, or a special trimmer to cut the candle wick. It doesn't matter which one you choose.

By the way, it is most convenient to light long matches.

Why do you need to do this?

Firstly, the candle flame will be much brighter and more beautiful. If you don't trim the fuse, the flame will likely take on a strange mushroom shape that will make it look dimmer and blurry.


The difference is immediately visible

Secondly, an overly long wick is the main cause of those very disgusting soot spots that are clearly visible on glass candlesticks. Shortening the wick will help keep the flame under control and prevent these spots from appearing.


Don't want the candlestick to look like this? Cut the wick!

2. Let the wax melt completely

When you have lit a candle, do not extinguish it until the top layer of wax is completely melted. This may take several hours. If you are not ready to wait that long, it is better not to light a candle at all.

Why is this needed?

If you do not let the wax melt completely, then a hole or a whole crater will form. The wick will sink lower and lower, as if a tunnel is forming in the center of the candle. This is how it looks.

Eventually the hole will be so deep that you will hardly be able to light the candle again. It will be too hard to get to the wick. More importantly, all that unmelted wax on the walls of the candlestick represents several hours of enjoyment. pleasant aroma and the light from the flame of a candle that you paid for, but you can no longer use.

Yes, it takes patience. But if every time you light a candle, you let the wax melt completely, the surface of the candle will remain smooth and the walls of the candlestick clean. And they will be like this all the time until the candle is really used up.


And see the difference again

3. Buy Candles with Multiple Wicks

It is rather difficult to find time for the candle to melt as described in the previous paragraph.

What to do?

Get a candle with two or three wicks. The more flame, the more heat and the faster the candle will melt.

Pay attention to one fact. Very wide candles with one wick should be avoided. The heat from one wick is clearly not enough to completely melt the entire candle.

4. Protect the candle flame from air currents

Try your best to keep the burning candle far enough away from fans, open windows, or places where a large number of people often pass by.

Air currents can affect the flame of a candle, causing even more unsightly dark marks to appear on the walls of a glass candlestick.


On the candle on the left, the wall is dirty due to the fluctuation of the flame.

5. Don't blow out the candle

To extinguish a candle, cover it with some kind of lid, but do not blow it out (unless, of course, this is a candle from your birthday cake). This way you can avoid unpleasant odors.

Now you are ready. Use your candles the way the pros do, save money and effort, and enjoy your candles to the fullest.

The holidays are in full swing. Many create a fabulous, romantic or just a New Year's atmosphere - with candles. It turns out there are a few tricks that will make the candles burn almost twice as long!

Did you know about it?

Trick number 1: Cold is a comrade to fire



First, before you light the candles, be sure to put them in the freezer. At least for an hour and a half. Frozen wax will thicken and burn much longer. This trick alone almost doubles the life of the candle. Especially if you freeze it before each use.

Trick #2: Trim the wick



It turns out that the longer the wick, the faster the candle burns. Here is such a paradox. That is why all lovers of high-quality candles know the golden rule: the wick should rise above the wax by no more than 1 cm. Cut off everything superfluous without hesitation. Use nail scissors - it's more convenient.

Trick #3: Give it time!



Another paradox: for a candle to last longer, let it burn longer. At least for the first time. And all because the top layer of wax should melt evenly. If this does not happen, a “tunnel” will form in the middle, the wick will sink and the candle will quickly lose its presentable appearance. Not sure how long to give a candle for the first burning? We'll have to practice in mathematics: in 1 hour, approximately 4 cm from the diameter burns out. So a candle with a diameter of 8 cm should not be extinguished for at least 2 hours, 12 cm - 3 hours and then according to the same formula.

How do you light a candle and handle it while it is burning? Never thought? Many do not have the slightest idea how to use the purchased candle to the maximum. It turns out that it is enough to follow just five simple tips.

1. Trim the wick

First of all, do not forget to trim the wick, as on the right candle

Don't be lazy, do this every time you're about to light a new candle.

How to do it?

Cut the wick so that the length of its visible part is no more than 6 millimeters. To do this, you can use ordinary scissors, nail clippers, or a special trimmer to cut the candle wick. It doesn't matter which one you choose.

By the way, it is most convenient to light long matches.

Why do you need to do this?

Firstly, the candle flame will be much brighter and more beautiful. If you don't trim the fuse, the flame will likely take on a strange mushroom shape that will make it look dimmer and blurry.


The difference is immediately visible

Secondly, an overly long wick is the main cause of those very disgusting soot spots that are clearly visible on glass candlesticks. Shortening the wick will help keep the flame under control and prevent these spots from appearing.


Don't want the candlestick to look like this? Cut the wick!

2. Let the wax melt completely

When you have lit a candle, do not extinguish it until the top layer of wax is completely melted. This may take several hours. If you are not ready to wait that long, it is better not to light a candle at all.

Why is this needed?

If you do not let the wax melt completely, then a hole or a whole crater will form. The wick will sink lower and lower, as if a tunnel is forming in the center of the candle. This is how it looks.

Eventually the hole will be so deep that you will hardly be able to light the candle again. It will be too hard to get to the wick. More importantly, all that unmelted wax on the walls of the candlestick represents several hours of enjoying the pleasant aroma and light from the candle flame, which you paid for, but can no longer use.

Yes, it takes patience. But if every time you light a candle, you let the wax melt completely, the surface of the candle will remain smooth and the walls of the candlestick clean. And they will be like this all the time until the candle is really used up.


And see the difference again

3. Buy Candles with Multiple Wicks

It is rather difficult to find time for the candle to melt as described in the previous paragraph.

What to do?

Get a candle with two or three wicks. The more flame, the more heat and the faster the candle will melt.

Pay attention to one fact. Very wide candles with one wick should be avoided. The heat from one wick is clearly not enough to completely melt the entire candle.

4. Protect the candle flame from air currents

Try your best to keep the burning candle far enough away from fans, open windows, or places where a large number of people often pass by.

Air currents can affect the flame of a candle, causing even more unsightly dark marks to appear on the walls of a glass candlestick.


On the candle on the left, the wall is dirty due to the fluctuation of the flame.

5. Don't blow out the candle

To extinguish a candle, cover it with some kind of lid, but do not blow it out (unless, of course, this is a candle from your birthday cake). This way you can avoid unpleasant odors.

Now you are ready. Use your candles the way the pros do, save money and effort, and enjoy your candles to the fullest.

Romantic dinner. Intimate candlelight dances seductively on the walls. On the table - wine and the best snacks for it: brie or camembert, jamon or prosciutto. And only one moment spoils this perfect evening - soot, from which the nose involuntarily wrinkles. In this article, you will find out whysmoke candles, as well as ways to get rid of this unpleasant process.

Why candles are smoked - the main reasons

Soot is an invariable product of combustion, which is formed as a result of incomplete decomposition of carbons.

Candle flames can smoke for several reasons. Firstly, the violation of the distance between the wick and the wax: the candle is not able to flare up to the required level. As a result, the fire does not have time to process all the products into heat, but at the same time the carbons turn into a gaseous substance, which then settles on the walls of the candle, windows, fine food on your table and even in your lungs.

If you are a lover of romantic dinners with candles, then be sure to get rid of the soot. Otherwise, it may adversely affect your health. After all, inhaling soot can be compared to smoking.

How to get rid of soot

So you learned why candles are smoked. And how to get rid of soot?

Burning candles just need to be used correctly. If you love candle lighting, then it will not be a problem for you to spend a few minutes. You can turn the process of preparing candles into a kind of ritual, which will invariably mean that tonight will be pleasant.

So, if you decide to use candles, be sure to follow a few rules.

To prevent the candle from smoking, eliminate drafts

If the flame of a candle is under a breath of air, then a non-optimal amount of wax or paraffin gets into the wick. When there is little of it, the fire dies out, and if there is too much, it flares up more strongly, but even then it is not able to process all the carbons.

Remember how many times you noticed that the fire in the wind becomes more smoky. A fire during a trip to the mountains or outings to barbecue can also smoke a lot.

Use Cylinders or Candle Vases Properly

If you can not get rid of drafts, then the ideal solution would be to use a special vase for a candle. As the candle burns, so does the wax. The column is getting lower and lower, and now the wick is already at the very bottom of the cylinder. The fire may seem to be well protected from drafts, but for combustion it needs oxygen, which cannot get through the open part of the cylinder, since the warm air from the candle rises.

Because of this struggle, the flame on the wick begins to dance and emit soot. Therefore, use cylinders and vases that have holes on the sides, or place objects under them so that the candle air can get through the bottom (suitable for cylinders with an open base).

If you can't raise the cylinder because it has a closed base, buy special covers that normalize the supply of oxygen to a burning candle.

cut the wick

For a candle to burn correctly, cut its wick so that it rises no more than 6 millimeters above the wax. Thus, the wick will no longer bend into a shape similar to the letter "L". A burning candle will emit an even and pleasant light, and the fire will be under control - do not dance or smoke.

Do not light candles for a short time

In the event that you need light from a candle for a short time, do not extinguish the fire immediately. Wait until the top layer of wax is completely melted. Fact: this way the candle will last longer.

Otherwise, the wick will drop down in relation to the top layer of wax or paraffin. Then a large volume of the candle will remain unused, and it will be more difficult for air to reach the fire. And, as a result, the candle will begin to smoke.

Use candles with multiple wicks

Candles with 3 wicks can quickly melt the wax. They use more paraffin or wax, so their fire is harder to make dance and emit soot. Wide candles with one wick may look beautiful, but they will definitely smoke, since a small flame is not able to cope with such an amount of wax.

Don't blow out the candles

Have you noticed how the candle smokes after you blow it out? This is the soot. In order to extinguish a candle, it is better to use special caps with which the fire will go out without emitting smoke.

Buy only quality candles

If all these conditions are met, but the candle still smokes, then it is made of low-quality wax or paraffin. Now there are many options for making homemade candles - there are dozens of instructions on the Internet. However, simply following these steps will not make you a candle maker. A quality candle is not necessarily expensive. Moreover, now there are more modern types of candles that are practically not smoked. For example, you can in our store. Bulk candles allow you to control the level of wax and wick. At your disposal will be a candle of long burning, which is practically not able to smoke.