Why trim wicks

Keeping the candle wick trimmed helps control the amount of melted wax i. The trimmed wick also helps the candle burn more evenly, controlling the soot and prolonging the life of the candle. Every time you burn a candle for four hours, extinguish the flame and let the candle cool to room temperature. This usually takes about two hours for larger candles.

Then, trim the candle wick down to one-eighth to one-fourth inch before relighting again. You can use scissors at the beginning, but as the candle burns down it will be easier to use nail clippers or even an official wick trimmer. Wicks that are left untrimmed can be messy, they can produce a smoky effect, and will burn faster. Make sure to use scissors to trim your wick. Also make sure to not trim your wick too close to the wax. Trimming a wick too closely to the wax will make it hard to light or stay lit.

We suggest that you let you candle completely cool before trying to trim the wick. When you keep the wicks trimmed, you can expect to get more use out of your candles overall. You should get into the habit of trimming your candle wick before each use. Doing this before each use helps ensure that your candles burn safely and brightly. To trim candle wicks, carefully cut each wick with a pair of small scissors or a wick trimmer. If you forgot to trim the wick before burning your candle, for example, let it cool down before cutting it.

If you don't have clippers handy you can use your fingers to pinch the blackened and split part of the wood wick to remove it from the candle. Trimming wood wicks also makes a world of difference when attempting to relight these candles. In addition to proper wick care, it should be noted that we've found that simply snuffing or blowing out candles can be a cumbersome effort that fills your home with the smell of smoke, which is the very opposite reason for burning candles.

The solution is to Dip your lit wick into it's melted wax to extinguish its flame and then draw it back out. Not only does this provide a smokeless way to extinguish your flame, but also adds stability to a brittle wick.

After performing this ritual and upon the next time you trim your wick, you'll find that it's less brittle providing you a much easier time when trying to avoid breaking off too much. Sarah S. Trimming Candle Wicks Why and When?! Recent Posts See All. Post not marked as liked 2. Post not marked as liked 1.