It’s citronella season and you’re doing it wrong.
Luckily, we can help.
Do you want your flickering flames to be the envy of all who glimpse them? Do you want your candles to burn properly with a nice even melt and without turning black around the sides?
You’re in the backyard and ready to entertain guests, out on your balcony enjoying the sunset, or at a campsite and setting the picnic table for a delicious dinner of flame charred weiners – but something’s missing. It’s the ambience that only a candle can provide; the herbal tang of citronella in the air, the flickering glow of a flame a softly moonlit night.
The first time you light a candle is the most crucial – this will set the candle’s destiny in place. You must let it burn long enough to ensure that the entire top of the candle melts, not just the pool around the wick. Otherwise your candle will begin a life of cratering until it dips down so far that it becomes impossible to light. Let it burn for an hour or more so the surface wax melts and you’ll be setting your candle up for success.
Another important thing to do each time you use your candles is to trim the wick. Use nail clippers or scissors and trim off the end of the wick, leaving just enough to light. This will give you a cleaner, brighter flame that will burn evenly and be the envy of your neighbours. It will also eliminate the blackening that can happen to the sides of your candle’s container.
Here’s a tip when buying candles – the more wicks the better. Some candles have three wicks and that generates more heat so that surface can melt more evenly and efficiently. Beware the large candle with only one wick!
Who doesn’t love a nice chocolate layer cake scented candle?
This article on Insider, from a former Yankee Candle employee, has all the tips you need to be a candle burning expert this summer. And it is incumbent upon us all to enjoy these summer nights to their fullest. As the rains pour down we must be vigilant and ready to soak up the outdoors every chance we get.