Candle Care Tips That Actually Matter

Most candle care lists are ten ways of saying “don’t burn the house down”. Fair. The bits that change how the thing actually burns are shorter than that.

The four that matter

1. Trim the wick to about 5mm every time. How.
2. First burn to the glass. You are setting the memory. Memory burn.
3. No draughts. A leaning flame soots and tunnels. Draughts.
4. Let it set before you move it. Liquid wax plus a hallway is how you decorate a carpet. Carpet if you already have.

The safety ones, said plainly

Never leave it. Never on a TV, a stack of post, or a windowsill with a blowing curtain. Stop when there is about 1cm of wax left so the tab does not overheat the glass. If the jar is too hot to hold at the side, put it out and let it calm down.

Putting it out: snuff or a wick dipper. Blowing is fine if you do not spray wax up the wall. Water in the jar is a bad idea — it spatters and then you have a drowned wick. Putting a candle out.

What we pour

Vegan soy-coconut, cotton wick, landscape scents, poured in Ullapool. Care is the same for Ullapool as for The Crofter’s Year. The wax is not precious. The first burn is.