You've Been Burning Your Candles Wrong All Along

Nothing makes a home more homey than some fresh scents, right? Whether you opt for a warm, comforting scent or one that's light and summery, candles are a bonafide way to uplift your spirits and create nuance in a space. They can even make your home feel like a getaway. (Of course, there are some scents you simply must burn on those days when you need to relax.)

The only real downside of candles is that they don't last as long as many would like, but if that's their only downside, we'd say they're nearly perfect. As long as you buy quality candles, you're in good hands — but you need to ensure that you know how to properly burn them. While candles are great on their own, they can be handled poorly — and even be dangerous — if not burned correctly.

A perfect example of a candle burning misstep is not burning them long enough on their first burn. According to Brooklyn Candle Studio, you get the tunnel effect in your candle when you don't allow it to burn long enough. On a first burn especially, a candle should burn one hour for every inch in its diameter (a two inch wide candle should burn for two hours, for instance). This is because wax has a "memory" and will learn not to tunnel — which occurs when only part of the candle has burned, creating a sunken center — after doing it correctly the first time. 

Keep scrolling for more tips on how to properly handle your candle.

Outside of burning your candle properly the first time you light it, there are some other measures you can take to better burn your candles. According to Apartment Therapy, you should constantly trim your wick. "Trim the wick to 1/4-inch each time before burning to prevent your candle from smoking a lot and creating soot marks on your container," Kelly Heyen, a candle store manager, told the website.Furthermore, when it comes time to extinguish your candle, you may want to stop blowing them out. This blows ash out of your candle, and it can mess with your wax, too. Instead, you can use your candle's lid to snuff out the flame by simply putting it onto your candle.

Finally, according to Smallflower, you should always keep your candles clean. This includes wiping them down and removing any dust from them. If they're dusty or have anything else on them, they can produce excess smoke and not burn properly. Keeping them clean only takes a second, but can make a world of difference.

With these tips in mind, go forth and bring all the good scents into the world!