You've been lighting candles wrong all your life

This is how to light your candles properly. And why it makes a difference.

How do you light a candle properly so that it burns for a long time and doesn't tunnel? Where is the best place for scented candles? And how do you extinguish them without everything smelling like smoke afterwards? Here are the tips we've adopted ourselves while candle making in Vienna.

1. The first lighting makes the difference: Avoid tunneling

Wax has a memory. The first time, your candle should burn until the entire surface is liquid, right up to the edge. If you extinguish it earlier, it will only continue to melt in this small circle next time and dig a tunnel. The wax at the edge then remains unused.

As a rule of thumb: about one hour per 2.5 cm diameter. For our classic scented candle, that is around two to three hours.

Is your candle already tunneling? Place some aluminum foil over the upper glass rim so that an opening for the flame remains in the middle, and let the candle burn. The heat builds up and melts the edge along with it. Stay nearby and remove the foil as soon as the surface is level again.

2. Trim the wick before every lighting

A wick that is too long creates a large, flickering flame, and it soots. If the glass or the wall behind the candle turns dark, the wick is too long. Trim a cotton wick to about 0.5 cm before lighting. A wick trimmer is suitable for this, or a nail clipper will do in a pinch.

3. Wood wick: keep it short and have a little patience

A wood wick crackles quietly and burns with a wide, flat flame. Trim it to about 3 mm and break off the charred edge before lighting. Hold the flame on the wick a few seconds longer than with cotton, until it catches fire properly. You can find all the scents that come with a wood wick under Candles with wood wick.

4. The right place

Candles next to windows, doors, or fans flicker in the draft. This creates soot and makes them burn unevenly, and they go out faster than you can say "cozy". Place them in a protected spot, away from curtains, shelves, and anything that can burn.

5. Level and stable, especially with molded candles

Candles belong on a flat, stable surface, otherwise the wax melts on one side. With molded and decorative candles like the Bubble candle or our Body candles, there is more to it: They have no glass to catch the liquid wax. Therefore, always place them on a fireproof coaster when lighting, so that nothing drips onto your furniture.

6. Not too long at a time

Two to four hours at a time are ideal. After that, the wick often becomes too long and the flame unstable. Extinguish the candle, let it cool down, trim the wick, and light it again later.

7. Smother instead of blowing out

Blowing out creates smoke, and sometimes liquid wax splatters. Use a candle snuffer instead, or briefly press the wick into the liquid wax and then straighten it again. Why this is also better for the indoor air, we explain in Are scented candles harmful?

8. Choose the right scent

Which scent suits which mood, you can read in our guide Fragrance notes explained. And if you want to browse directly: Here is our selection of bestseller candles.

9. Reuse the glass

Once the candle has burned down, place the glass in a warm water bath. The remaining wax dissolves, and the glass can continue its life as a vase, pen holder, or toothbrush holder.

With these tips, your candles will burn longer, more evenly, and cleaner, and your home will stay cozy instead of sooty.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a candle burn the first time?

Until the entire surface is liquid. As a rule of thumb, about one hour per 2.5 cm diameter. Otherwise, the wax "remembers" the small melting circle and the candle tunnels.

Why is my candle tunneling?

Mostly because it was extinguished too early when lighting it for the first time. With some aluminum foil over the glass rim, a tunnel can often be leveled out again. But always stay nearby.

How long should the wick be?

A cotton wick about 0.5 cm, a wood wick about 3 mm. It is best to trim it before every lighting.

Why is my candle sooting?

Almost always because of a wick that is too long, drafts, or burning for too long at a time. Trim the wick, place the candle in a protected spot, and extinguish it after four hours at the latest, then it will burn calmly again.