Candle Safety Advice
Never Leave A Burning Candle Unattended
Always put out candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep. You should also put out a candle if the candle smokes, repeatedly flickers or the flame isn’t controlled.
Burn candles out of the reach of children and pets
Never place lit candles where they can be easily knocked over anyone, especially children and pets.
Don’t burn candle on or near anything that can catch fire
Place candles on a heat resistant and non-flammable surface, at least 12 inches away from anything that can catch fire, including but not limited to curtains, decorations etc.
Leave at least 4” between burning candles
Follow recommended minimum distance stated on the package, or if not available, leave at least 4” to be on safe. Candles placed too close together can drip or soot, and tealights can flare up.
Do not place candles in a draft
Keep candles out of drafts to prevent rapid, uneven burning, sooting and excessive dripping. Also, lightweight curtains can waft into the flame if in a draft.
Don’t place candles near a source of heat
The higher the temperature around a candle, the greater the risks. For example, tealights on a TV can flare up and melt through the plastic, and other types of candles might drip wax.
Always use a candleholder
Candle holders should be heat resistant and non-flammable. They should also be stable and big enough to collect dripping wax.
Place candles in an upright position
Stand candles straight to avoid dripping and minimize the risk of flaring. Glass cups can crack if the flame touches the side.
Trim wick to about .4” before lighting
Trim the wick with scissors or a wick trimmer before lighting the candle. If the wick is too long, a lump of carbon might form on it as it burns (known as clubbing) or the flame might become too high and start to soot.
Trim edges to a height of .4”
If your candle wasn’t produced in a holder and a rim forms (the edges become higher than the wick) it will affect the air supply needed for the flame to burn properly and cause the candle to soot. Trim the edges to a height of .4” before burning.
Keep the wax pool clear of matches and other debris to avoid flaring
Flammable objects in the wax pool, such as matches, insects, flammable decorations or lumps from the wick, can ignite and cause the candle to overheat and flare up.
Do not move a burning candle
Moving a candle can have the same effect as placing it in a draft (i.e. sooting and dripping). If a tealight is moving when all the wax is molten, the wick might change position and cause the candle to flare up.
Always snuff out the flame. Do not blow it out
For safety’s sake, use a candle snuffer when putting out a candle. It’s especially important not to blow down at a candle in a container, such as a tealight, as this increases the risk of flaring and hot wax could spatter up in your face.
Never use liquid to extinguish a flame
If the candle can’t be extinguished easily, cover it with a damp cloth. Never use water to extinguish candles. The water can cause the hot wax to spatter and the candle container to break.
Do not allow the candle to burn out completely
Put out candles when they have burnt down to about .8” from their holders. If a candle burns down completely it can cause burn marks or even start a fire, as a glass holder can crack and metal holders can be come extremely hot.
Maximum height of candle
Using a higher candle than recommended in a lantern may cause the candle to melt down due to overheating. This also means the lantern will become very hot and burning accidents may occur.
Only use tealights in holders, oil burners & warming stoves with sufficient ventilation
Insufficient ventilation can cause the tealight to flare up.
Use a suitable container as these candles liquify when burning
Always use a candle holder of suitable size and shape, as this kind of candle becomes liquid while burning.
Floating candles for use in water only
Floating candles must only be used floating in water. Put them in a suitable water-filled bowl.
