Burn a Better Candle

Keep Your Wicks Trimmed & Centered
Wicks that are not centered can cause your soy candle to burn unevenly. Always keep the wick centered.

Drafts and/or extreme temperature changes can cause your candle to burn uneven. Please try moving your soy candle to a draft-free location if you experience uneven burning.

Always keep the wick trimmed to ¼” before lighting your soy candle. Be careful not to trim your wick too short, as the flame will drown when lit.

Extinguish the wick by dipping it in the wax, it is being coated with wax each time. This wax coating helps keep the soy candle from smoking compared to when extinguished by air. When a candle is blown out the smoke causing soot. Use a specialty wick dipper, skewer, spoon or other long item to dip the wick in the wax pool. Be sure to straighten the wick afterwards so it’s ready for the next session.

Soot and Soy Candles
No candle can be completely soot free, but soy wax candles create less soot than traditional candles.

If you are experiencing soot with your soy candle, make sure that you trim the wick to ¼” each time before you light your soy candle. Drafts will make your candle flame flicker which causes smoke.

Wick trimmings may cause black soot if left in wax pool.

Soy Wax Characteristics

Soy wax is a natural product and is created from the beans of the soy plant and other natural botanical ingredients. Candles made from soy wax naturally have a frosting throughout and often times, on the surface. Frosting on soy candles does not affect the burn of the candle. SWCC does not use additives to prevent these natural characteristics. After each session you may notice a “ring” around the top of the candle. This is perfectly normal and does not, in any way, affect the candles performance.

Soy Candle Burn Time for Glass Containers

Remember safety first when burning a glass container soy candle. You should never burn any candle for more than the recommended time specified by the manufacturer. At SWCC, we would suggest any candle in a glass container be lit no more than 4 hours at a time, and then allowed to cool completely before re-lighting. Burning a soy candle for longer than the recommended time could cause the glass to become over-heated and crack.

Did you know that Candles Have a Memory?

When you light your soy candle for the very first time, it is important to remember that it has a memory.

You should burn your soy candle for 1 hour for each inch of its diameter; until you receive a full melt pool (soy wax is melted across the entire top of soy candle). For example: a soy candle 3 inches in diameter should be burned for three hours to establish its memory. This allows your soy candle to get its full melt pool which will increase the scent throw of the soy candle. If a soy candle isn't given a proper memory burn it will cause your soy candle to burn in a tunnel down the center causing poor scent throw and wasted product.

Scent vs Space

Small to medium candles will rarely fill a large sized room with fragrance. Tall ceilings over 8 feet will require larger or multiple candles for the desired amount of fragrance.

Room Size Guide based on 8 ft ceilings with minimal to no drafts:

• Large Jars = up to 576 sq ft room
• Medium Jars = up to 256 sq ft
• Small / Mini Tumbler = up to 100 sq ft
• Votive/Tealight Pairs = up to 64 sq ft
• SoyTarts / Wax Potpourri Melts = up to 576 sq ft

If your candle has been burning for at least an hour and you still don't feel your soy candle is fragrant, try leaving the room where the candle is burning for a few moments and then come back inside (or walking outside to fresh air). Our sense of smell has a memory too and “gets used to” fragrances when exposed to them for any length of time. Try putting your soy candle in a bathroom or smaller space to determine if the candle truly has limited or no scent. All candles are fragrant when burned in appropriate conditions and in appropriate sized rooms.

Drafts and/or extreme temperature changes can cause your candle to burn uneven and the fragrance will disperse leaving a poor aroma. Try moving your candle to a draft-free location if you experience uneven burning.

Be sure there is enough air circulation around your soy candle (do not burn candles in a tight area such as on a bookshelf) as you will not get a good aroma.