Alexandra Gifts Guide to - Candle Safety

• Always put candles on a heat resistant surface. Be especially careful with night lights and tea lights,
• which get hot enough to melt plastic. TVs are not fire-resistant objects.
• Put them in a proper holder. Candles need to be held firmly upright by the holder so they won’t fall over.
• The holder needs to be stable too, so it won’t fall over either.
• Position them away from curtains. Don’t put candles near curtains or other fabrics – or furniture.
• And keep them out of draughts.
• Don’t put them under shelves. It’s easy to forget that there’s a lot of heat above a burning candle.
•  If you put it under a shelf or other surface then it can burn the surface.
• Make sure there’s at least three feet (one metre) between a candle and any surface above it.
• Keep clothes and hair away. If there’s any chance you could lean across a candle and forget it’s there,
• put it somewhere else. You don’t want to set fire to your clothes or your hair.
• Keep children and pets away. Candles should be out of reach of children and pets.
• Keep candles apart. Leave at least four inches (10cm) between two burning candles.
• Take care with votive or scented candles. These kinds of candles turn to liquid to release their fragrance,
•  so put them in a glass or metal holder.
• Don’t move them when they’re burning. Extinguish candles before moving them.
• Also, don’t let anything fall into the hot wax like match sticks.
• Don’t leave them burning. Extinguish candles before you leave a room.
• Never go to sleep with a candle still burning.
• And never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child’s bedroom.
• Use a snuffer or a spoon to put them out. It’s safer than blowing them,
• which can send sparks and hot wax flying.
• Double-check they’re out. Candles that have been put out can go on smouldering and start a fire.
• Make sure they’re completely out.
  

The National Candle Association urges consumers to follow these rules for candle safety:

Always keep a burning candle within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.

Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Place candles away from drapes, bedding, carpets,

books, paper, flammable decorations, etc. Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.

Don’t place lighted candles where they might be knocked over by children or pets. Trim candlewicks to ¼ inch each

time before burning. Long or crooked wicks cause uneven burning and dripping.

Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use.The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large

enough to contain drips or melted wax.  Be sure the candleholder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface.

This will also help prevent possible heat damage to underlying surfaces and prevent glass containers from cracking or

breaking.

Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.  Always read and follow the manufacturer's

use and safety instructions carefully.  Don"t burn a candle longer than the manufacturer recommends.  Keep burning

candles away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans and air current.  This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, and avoid flame

flare-ups and sooting.

Drafts can also blow lightweight curtains or papers into the flame where they could catch fire.  Always burn candles in a

well-ventilated room.  Don't burn too many candles in a small room or in a "tight" home where air exchange is limited.

Don't burn a candle all the way down.  Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container.  For a margin

of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains or ½ inch if in a container.

Never touch or move a burning candle when the wax is liquid.  Never use a knife or sharp object to remove wax drippings

from a glass holder.   It might scratch, weaken, or cause the glass to break upon subsequent use.

Place burning candles at least three inches apart.  This ensures they won't melt one another, or create drafts that can

cause the candles to flare.  Use a snuffer to extinguish a candle.  It's the safest way to prevent hot wax splatters.

Never extinguish candles with water.  The water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might cause a glass container to

break.

Be very careful if using candles during a power outage.  Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are safer sources of

light during a power failure.

Make sure a candle is completely extinguished and the wick is no longer glowing before leaving the room.  Extinguish a

candle if it flickers repeatedly, smokes, or the flame becomes too high.  The candle isn't burning properly. Let it cool,

trim the wick, check for drafts and then re-light.  Never use a candle as a night light.

Follow these candle burning tips to get the most out of your candles.

Trim the wick as often as possible.

One of the best things that you can do for your candles is to keep the wick trimmed to a ¼ of an inch (6mm). Wicks

that are allowed to get larger than a ¼ of an inch (6mm) tend to burn faster and smoke. If you are noticing black soot

(dirt) accumulating on your container candles, the wick is too long.

Burn them long enough.

For pillar candles, make sure you burn them for at least one hour for every inch in diameter. Skip this step and you'll

end up burning a tunnel through your candle.

Avoid drafts.

Burning candles in drafty areas can cause uneven burning and excessive smoking. Not to mention that your candle will

burn faster. If you notice the flame of the candle flickering in any direction other than straight up, there is a draft. Rotate

the candle 90 degrees periodically to keep burning uniform, or move to another location. Prevent drafts by keeping burning

candles away from heating and air-conditioning vents as well as open windows.

Burning most candles no longer than 3 to 4 hours at a time will increase total burn time.

Clean up.

If wax has spilled on the carpet the best way to remove it is with paper and an iron. Place a paper towel or brown grocery

bag over the spill. Place a heated iron over the paper towel. The heat from the iron will cause the wax to melt and be

absorbed into the paper towel.