When you first start burning candles, you don’t expect to do much more than light a match and enjoy the candlelight. While this is certainly a simplified version, for most of us candle burning is a science and an art. The good news though, is, by following some simple candle maintenance rules, the better they will burn and the more they will enrich your experience candlelight. The even better news is that there really isn’t that much to do as things to be aware of.

1. The first time you light a pillar candle, burn it one hour for every inch of its diameter. This will allow the pool of wax to extend to the outside rim and prevent your candle from forming a "canyon" in its center. Burning your candle this way will also set its memory. Each time you re-light the candle it will "remember" to burn out to the rim.

2. Keep your wicks trimmed!! This is essential for a clean, smoke free burn. Many people complain about candles that smoke and this can be eliminated by trimming the wicks to ¼" every time you burn the candle. This is true for all types of candles.

3. If your candle is smoking despite trimming the wick and checking for debris in the melt pool, extinguish the candle immediately. Trim the wick again a little more and allow to cool before relighting. The smoking will stop. With a quality candle, you shouldn’t have problems with smoking, but it is worth remembering that scented candles will smoke more than unscented candles.

4. When you burn a highly scented candle, sometimes "mushrooming" will occur on the wick. Treat this as a friendly reminder that you need to trim the wick.

5. Candles need to breathe. If you burn a candle in a small room, it is likely to smoke. Please consider the size of your room when you display your new candles.

6. Never "blow out" a candle. Blowing will spray the wax everywhere and cause the candle to drip and smoke. The most effective way to extinguish the flame of a candle is to use a candle snuffer. If you don’t own a snuffer, the best way to extinguish the candle is to place you forefinger in front of the flame before you blow. This clever trick means that the air will hit the flame from the sides instead of hitting it directly.

While everything I have described will enhance your experience burning candles, the advice below is essential. Please ensure you read this advice for burning your candles safely.

1. Never leave a burning candle unattended!

2. Keep out of the reach of children and pets

3. To prevent smoking, trim wick to ¼" prior to each use and keep trimmed.

4. If candle smokes, extinguish, trim wick and re-light.

5. Keep debris out of the melt pool

6. To prevent fading, keep out of direct sunlight.

7. Extinguish by dipping wick into melted wax then reposition. This will help eliminate smoking.

8. If candle burns unevenly due to a draft, carefully push the wick to the higher side. If this causes dripping, extinguish, cool and re-light. Repeat a few times and the candle will repair itself.