...becoming a candle connoisseur
- When burning your Honey Candles® or Tropico Palm Wax Candles, be there to enjoy them - DO NOT LEAVE YOUR BURNING CANDLE UNATTENDED.
- Burn all candles in or on appropriate holders. See our selection of candle accessories.
- Votives and tealites in their holder will get hot and should not be placed on a surface that will mark.
- Do not place flammable decorations around the base of any burning candle.
- Never burn a candle directly under flammable material.
- Do not burn your candle near anything that can catch on fire.
- Keep a burning candle out of the reach of children and pets.
- Be careful with some types of candleholders – beeswax burns 2-3 times hotter than other candles (that’s why you get such a bright golden flame). The heat could break the holder.
- Bits of left over wax from a candle can be slowly “fed” into another burning candle. See our “Beeswax Uses” for other ideas of using precious beeswax.
- The burn times we list are “start to finish” burn times. We light the candle and time how long it takes to completely burn. When a candle is burned for shorter periods of time, the burn times will be significantly longer.
- Occasionally carbon may build up on the wick. If this occurs, extinguish the candle; trim the wick and re-light.
- When trimming candle wick, we suggest that you have a damp cloth in one hand to wipe the trimming off the scissors.
T-LITES
- T-Lites must be burned in the T-Lite cups we provide or other appropriate cups as they are designed to liquefy.
- The wicks do not need to be trimmed.
- We use wick tabs for safety as they disperse the heat. They also keep the wick centered.
- T-Lites are best burned in one lighting. If you choose to extinguish it, it may not re-light if less than half of the candle is left.
- The room temperature or temperature of the candleholder may affect how the candle burns.
VOTIVES
- Votives require a votive cup. They are designed to liquefy when burned.
- The wicks do not need to be trimmed unless the flame is flickering and the wick smokes.
- The thickness of the votive cup can affect the quality of the burn. Very thick holders draw the heat away from the votive and you may get an incomplete burn.
- We use large wick tabs for safety as they disperse the heat. They also keep the wick centered.
- You can put about a teaspoon of water or coarse salt into the bottom of the votive cup before placing the votive in it. This will make for easier removal of the tab and wax residue. Another option is to place the votive cup in the freezer when it is finished burning and the tab is easily removed with a spoon.
PILLARS
- Must be placed on a heat and flame resistant pillar plate.
- Trim wicks to ¼ inch before lighting, then again if the wick mushrooms after burning for some time.
- Large diameter candles are designed to burn for longer periods. They need to be burned long enough to create a melt pool across the top of the candle. A 3-inch diameter candle should be burned a minimum of 3 hours. This will prevent the candle from burning only down the center.
- Soft melted wax around the edge of the candle can be molded in towards the wick to extend the life of the candle, or just left to form a mantle, which will create a soft golden glow. This is our favorite look.
- To extinguish the wick on a pillar candle, simply dunk it into the melt pool and re-straighten, making sure to center it for an even burn. This makes for an easy re-light.
TAPERS, BASES and TUBES
- Taper type candles must fit snugly in a secure holder.
- Generally the wicks do not need to be trimmed, but if they appear too long, you can trim new wicks to ½ inch. Do not cut too short as dripping may occur.
- If a "blob" develops on the tip, extinguish the candle, and trim this carbon cap off. Re-light.
- To preserve the natural and clean integrity of our candles, we do not use chemical additives to harden the outside edge to prevent dripping. We do design our candles and use appropriate wick to make them virtually dripless under controlled conditions. They are sensitive to drafts, as we believe all candles are. It is a flickering flame that most often causes a blow out.
- Burn in a draft-free environment to prevent flame flicker, which may result in some dripping.
- There are many local conditions such as forced air furnaces, ceiling fans, house drafts, or other activities that cause excess air movement to affect the flame and cause it to flicker and possibly drip. This drip may be minimal or it may cause the candle to continue dripping. You should then extinguish the candle. If your home has these drafty conditions be sure to protect your table cloths or table tops by placing a pillar plate or attractive saucer or plate under your taper candle holder or use a bobeche. A bobeche is an attractive glass or crystal collar placed on a candlestick to catch drips. They come in several designs and add a lovely dimension to your candlestick. There are many ways to incorporate safety into attractive candlescapes.
- Snuff out taper wicks. Do not blow them out.
- Extinguish the flame before it comes in contact with your candleholder. The heat may crack glass holders.
ORNAMENTALS
- Always place the ornamental candles on a pillar plate. See our candle accessories for these items.
- Due to the intricate design of our ornamental candles you may find that they need extra care. For example the “petals” on the Ponderosa Pine Cone may fall off onto your pillar plate. They can be slowly fed back into the candle. During the early stages of burning the Yule Tree the wax pool may get too close to the edge. If this happens extinguish the wick before it drips. Let the wax cool and then re-light.
CLEANING CANDLE HOLDERS
- The simplest way to remove beeswax from your candleholder is to place it in the freezer for a few hours. When you remove it, the wax easily chips off with a blunt object. Wash with hot soapy water.
- Other options are to pour hot water over the holder or warm the wax with a hair dryer and then wipe with a paper towel when the wax is melted. Be careful with boiling water. Only use it if it will not break your candleholder.
- If you have accidenally spilled melted wax, it is best to allow the wax to solidify. You can also use ice cubes to harden the wax and then it will chip off in pieces.
- If the spill is on fabric, follow the directions above to remove as much wax as possible. You may also place the fabric in the freezer before chipping the wax off. Then cover with a paper towel and press a warm iron over the spill. Move the paper towel around to a clean spot and continue to absorb the wax into the paper towel using the warm iron.
- Some of the dyes used in the candles may stain, so it is best to clean up immediately.
- Launder fabric following washing instructions and use stain remover if necessary.