Candle Safety Tips

Safe use of candles

Candle manufacturers do their best to make their candles as safe as possible. But they still burn with an open flame. You should therefore always keep some basic rules in mind to enjoy them safely and to avoid fires, burns or unwanted emissions.

The most important rules are:

• Never leave a burning candle unattended

This way, you can react immediately if the candle shows any strange behaviour or topples because it was not fixed properly for example. Always extinguish a burning candle before leaving the room, even if it is only for a minute

• Keep a burning candle away from things that can catch fire

Keep a large enough distance to combustible items beside and also above the candle, such as decoration, curtains or paper for example. The distance depends on the type of candle and its flame size. Keep in mind that the flame might get larger during burning when you set up the candle

• Keep burning candles away from children and pets

Children can be attracted easily by burning candles and might want to touch the flame or play with the candle. Cats are notorious for their curiosity, and dogs might knock over a candle if they accidentally run into a table on which it burns

• Extinguish a sooting candle immediately

Indoor candles are designed to burn cleanly and without emitting visible soot. If you notice that a candle is sooting visibly, extinguish it immediately and check if there is any draught, if the wick is too long, if the sides are too high or if there is any debris in the liquid wax. Should the candle still soot after you checked and fixed these potential factors, extinguish it and do not use it anymore

• Do not use outdoor candles indoors

Outdoor candles are designed to perform well under outdoor conditions, such as draught for example. They usually have larger wicks and therefore have larger flames, produce much more heat or may emit soot. This is no problem outdoors, but such candles should by no means be used in closed rooms including winter gardens

• Adapt the number of candles to the size of the room

Some people like to create an especially cosy atmosphere by setting up a lot of candles at the same time. Please keep in mind that candles consume oxygen and produce heat and humidity. Therefore, you should only use a reasonable number of candles at the same time, also depending on the room size, and briefly ventilate the room afterwards

• Check the label of scented candles if you react sensitive to certain fragrances

Some fragrances, both natural and synthetic ones, may contain ingredients that are known skin allergens. The overwhelming majority of consumers can enjoy scented candles with such fragrances without any problems. The small percentage of consumers who are sensitive to some specific fragrance ingredients should read the label. It shows the potentially sensitising ingredients if they exceed a relevant concentration. This way, consumers can make an informed choice

Additional safety information

This is just a brief selection of the most important general rules. Depending on the candle type, there can be additional safety information on the candle or its packaging. So please make sure to always read it carefully before enjoying the candle.

Sometimes, the safety information is provided as symbol rather than text. Here are the most common symbols you can find on candles and a brief explanation of what they mean:

• General warning sign

• Never leave a burning candle unattended

Always extinguish it before leaving the room, even if it is only for a minute.

• Keep away from things that can catch fire

Keep a large enough distance to combustible items beside and above the candle. Keep in mind that the flame might get larger during burning.

• Keep away from children (and pets)

Both children and pets might get attracted to burning candles or knock them over accidentally.

• Ventilate the room after use

Candles consume oxygen and produce humidity. You can refresh the air by briefly ventilating the room after using candles. Please do not ventilate while candles are still burning however because of the draught.

• Avoid direct inhalation of any smoke

• For outdoor use only

These candles are designed to work well under outdoor conditions. They can have considerably larger flames, produce much more heat or emit soot. They must not be used indoors by no means!

• Use a heat resistant candleholder

This might also be relevant for container candles, such as tea lights or filled glasses, to avoid damage of the surface below.

• Use in a suitable bowl filled with water

This is relevant for floating candles which are designed to swim on water. Do not use floating candles on open water, such as ponds or lakes.

• Keep candles at least x cm apart

(x represents the minimum safety distance between candles)

If candles are burned too close together, the heat might cause dripping or even flare-ups.

• Do not burn in a draught

Too strong air movement can disturb the flame and cause sooting or dripping.

• Do not place near a heat source

…such as a heater, a fireplace or strong sunlight. The candles might deform or start dripping.

• Place candle upright

Tilted candles might topple or drip.

• Trim wick to x cm

(x represents the maximum length of the wick)

… when the candle is not burning. If the wick gets too long, the flame can get too high and start to flicker or soot.

• Snuff out the flame. Do not blow it out

…or extinguish the flame by pushing the wick into the liquid wax with metal tweezers, a metal spoon handle, etc. This way, there is no risk of a flare-up and the wick will not smoke. But please do not forget to re-erect the wick afterwards.

• Keep wax pool clear of matches and debris

Debris might cause a second flame resulting in a dripping candle or a much larger flame.

• Do not move a burning candle

The moving flame or spilled hot wax may cause burns. Extinguish the candle and let it cool down before moving it.

• Never use liquid to extinguish

Water can evaporate explosively and splatter hot wax or even ignite it. Suffocating the flame is the proper way.

• Remove packaging before use

…because it might catch fire.

• Trim edge if higher than x cm. (x represents the maximum height of the edge)

Otherwise, the flame might not get sufficient oxygen and start to flicker or soot. It is easiest when the wax is solid but still warm and soft. CAUTION: Be careful with sharp blades to avoid injuries.