If you’re anything like us then you know there’s nothing more satisfying than lighting a candle. We love the atmosphere a luxury room scent can create in our home. But it is disappointing to watch your candle disappearing as it burns!
If you love your luxury candles just as much as us, here are a few tips and tricks to ensure that you can keep it burning for longer and make the most of your favourite home fragrances!

meraki scented candle collection
luxury scented candle sandalwood
woodwick candles in amber glass close up

Wait a little bit
We understand the excitement of receiving a new luxury candle, but its best to wait a while before lighting. Making sure the wax is warmed up a little beforehand helps to prevent tunnelling and can help your candle last longer. Letting your candle adjust to room temperature for at least a day should help ensure a long and even burn.

Keep the wick trimmed
First things first ensure to keep your wicks trimmed. A long wick is a fast-burning wick, and we don’t want that! Before each burn, make sure you wick is no longer than 10mm and doesn’t have any large clumps. This little snip will help prevent those annoying black soot marks and keep the flame from getting too wild and burning through your candle too quickly.

Let it burn… (but not too long)
When you first light your candle, let it burn until the top layer of wax melts all the way across, this is called the melt pool. This can take a couple of hours but don’t burn for longer than four hours. This will help prevent tunnelling – when your candle burns straight down the middle, just like a tunnel (see how to fix this below).
A full melt pool ensures an even burn, making your candle last much longer.

Put a lid on it
If your candle comes with a lid like the Aery Scented Candles in Clay Pots or the Fox Cub & Co Scented Candles, use it! Covering your candle when it’s not in use helps keep dust and debris out of the wax, helping it have a better-quality burn. No lid? No problem, either use a make-shift cover or simply keep free from dust in a cupboard while not in use.

Keep it clean
Wipe away any soot from the lid and keep the wax pool free from wick trimmings and matches. For a clean extinguish, we love the Modern Candle Snuffers. A clean candle is a safe and happy candle!

Keep out of sunlight
Lighting your candle in well-ventilated room, away from draughts, can help to prevent black marks or uneven burning. As well as this, try to keep your product out of direct sunlight. This could cause the candle to discolour and affect the quality of the wax, making it likely to melt in the heat.

modern candle snuffers and glass lantern
aery candles with packaging
candle gift ideas
PF teakwood soy candle LS

Fixing a tunnelling candle

Tunnelling happens when only the centre of the wax melts, leaving a thick ring of unmelted wax around the edges. This not only wastes your product but also shortens its lifespan. This can be caused by multiple factors (listed above).
Luckily, with a bit of TLC, you can fix this and enjoy every last bit of your favourite scent!

One of the most effective and commonly recommended methods to fix a tunnelling candle is the aluminium foil method: 

  • Wrap the Foil: Tear off a piece of foil and wrap it around the top of the candle, creating a dome-like structure. Ensure the foil is covering the tunnelled edges but leaves an opening at the top for air to flow.
  • Light the Candle: Light the wick and let it burn for a few hours. The heat trapped by the foil will help melt the outer wax, evening out the wax pool. 
  • Check Regularly: Keep an eye on it and adjust the foil if necessary to prevent overheating. Once the wax has melted evenly, remove the foil and enjoy. 

You can also try using a hair dryer to gently heat and smooth the wax if the tunnel is only very small. Or place your candle in a low temp oven (around 80 degrees) for 5-10 minutes if the tunnel is more severe. However, we find the above foil method to be most simple and effective!

Prevention is always better than cure. Be sure to follow the above care tips to ensure you get the most out of it!

marble tray with candle holder and match

We hope these handy hints keep your candle burning for longer! If you’re looking for a new home fragrance, you can find our full range here, or pop into our Sheffield showroom to have a sniff in person.