Let's face it, a lot of people do not read labels. How do I know that? Well, because I am also guilty of this. Before I began making candles I had no idea that I shouldn’t burn a candle for longer than 4 hours, that I should trim my wick between uses, or that I shouldn’t put wick trimmings or match ends in the candle. Guess what…all of these recommendations are standard wording on a candle warning label that should be on all candles sold.
Back in the day, I used to solely buy my candles from the big mall stores. Not one staff member or interested party shared the following information with me. This is why, as a candle maker now myself, I think it is crucial for the candle maker to help inform their consumers of these very important warnings and tips. While it is not always possible to tell every one of our consumers this information in person, a warning label is clearly not enough to get the message across. This is why I have decided to post videos, blogs like this one, and all of my products on my website have tips and warnings right there in the product description…everything I can think of to spread this information to the very people who should know it.
I have always loved candles, but they do carry a risk with them, so I am dedicated to do whatever I can, to help reduce this risk.
So…warning label wording. Sure it says trim your wick, etc, etc…but why? Let's go through this here shall we:
Warning - Trim your wick to ¼ inch (⅛ inch for wood wicks) - Failing to trim your wick between burns can produce a flame larger than had been safety tested, and can cause your vessel to get too hot. Glass vessels that get too hot can shatter! Also, did you know, a wick that is too hot can actually make your fragrance weaker?. A video on how to trim your wick can be found here: How to Trim Your Wooden Wick
Warning - Keep your candle free of foreign materials - There should not be anything in your candle except for wax and the wick(s). Anything other than that can cause what is called a Secondary Ignition. Secondary ignition is the presence of a flame originating from anywhere other than the candle's wick, and that lasts longer than 10 seconds (as per ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials International - regulations). A flame originating from somewhere other than the candle's wick can cause excess heat in your jar and can even ignite the entire top layer of wax in a vessel. If you don’t believe me, google it! This is also why I do not advise burning a candle with embeds (decorations in the candle wax) that are made of anything flammable (wax embeds are okay).
Warning - Only burn a candle on a level, fire-resistant surface - This is self explanatory, but is important to remember. Do not rest your candle on an edge, or somewhere that is not flat. It can cause your candle to tip over.
Warning - Do not burn your candle for more than four hours at a time - The standard for candle safety testing is to do test burns of 4 hour increments. Some candle makers will test for longer than that to make sure the candle will not be harmful if this warning is not followed, however because it is the standard, “power burns” (burning longer than 4 hours at a time) may not have been tested. The ASTM have done extensive testing and have deemed 4 hours to be the recommended maximum for safety purposes.
Warning - Stop use when only ¼” of wax remains - No one wants to waste. Especially when you love the fragrance of a candle, but this warning is present because the ¼” of remaining wax creates a heat buffer between the wick and the bottom of the vessel. Burning a candle right to the very bottom can cause the bottom of your vessel to get very very hot! This can overheat your vessel and possibly increase the risk of burning the surface it is sitting on.
Warning - Do not leave your candle unattended - fires can happen fast! Keep your candle in sight at all times and regularly monitor your flame, jar heat and for excess sooting. These are all signs that something may not be quite right with your candle and it may be best to put it out. Always err on the side of caution!
Warning - Keep burning candles out of reach of children and pets - candles smell good, but they are hot! Kids and pets don’t always understand this so best keep them in a spot they cannot reach them. Keep those little fingers and paws out of that hot wax!
This one is not a warning, but a please don’t do this from us. I used to be guilty of this as well folks! Don’t extinguish your candle with the lid. For one thing, the lid may not be fire resistant but also, the smoke from the extinguished wick can get into your candle wax and make your amazing smelling candle smell like burnt amazing smelling candle - yuck!
One last warning and this one isn’t a standard that is on warning labels but I have included it in my candle descriptions, because it is very important. Never try to extinguish a candle fire with water. Water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might break a glass container. Burning wax is just like a grease fire on the stove in the kitchen - you should never use water on either. The best way to put out a candle fire is:
1. Don’t touch it! It will be extremely hot and the molten wax can splash on you.
2. If you do not have a fire extinguisher handy, get something non-flammable like a metal pot lid and smother the entire candle top.
These warnings are the basics of what should be written on a candle warning label. By following these guidelines, it can help reduce your risk of a candle fire. Please do your part and I will do my part as well to help reduce these risks.
