From wick trimmers to candle snuffers: look after your candles and extend their lives with these candle care kit essentials...
1. Wick trimmers: make your candles burn evenly
As the wax level lowers on a candle, the wick can become long. A long or crooked wick can cause high flames, smoking or “sooting,” which can damage your container, blacken your walls, or even cause fires. To avoid this, trim your wick regularly to around 6mm (or ¼ of an inch).
For best results, use a specially designed wick trimmer. When trimming the wick, be sure to also straighten it, as a slanted wick can cause an uneven burn. The top part of a wick can also become crumbly, causing debris to fall into the wax pool. Remove this part before lighting to avoid this.
Our favourite wick trimmers:
Atelier-38 Wick Trimmers (£10) – available in black or rose gold
2. Lid: keep candles covered to prevent dusty wax
It’s normal for dust to settle on surfaces around the home, but the last thing you want is dusty wax when you go to light your favourite candle! To avoid this, make sure you cover your candle when it’s not in use. This will also prevent the candle from losing its scent over time.
If your candle didn’t come with a lid, why not create a cover out of card or fabric, or even use a coaster! Alternatively, we’ve seen people using glass cloches to cover their candles, which adds a stylish and classy touch.
Our favourite candle covers:
3. Candle snuff: extinguish your candles with care
Many people extinguish candles by blowing them out. After all, we are encouraged to blow out candles on birthday cakes from a young age! However, blowing out candles can cause hot wax to splatter, potentially causing burns. It can also lead to carbon or debris falling into the wax pool.
To avoid this, extinguish the flame with a candle snuff. These candle care accessories will also prevent the candle from spreading smoke.
Our favourite candle snuffs:
Lakeland Candle Snuffer (£9.99)
4. Tweezers: keep the wax pool clean
Lots of things can fall into the wax pool, from dust and debris to wick trimmings and matches. Not only does this make the wax look dirty, but they can also catch fire if too close to the flame. This leads the debris to act as a secondary wick, encouraging your candle to burn faster.
If debris does fall into the wax pool, carefully remove it using a pair of metal tongs or tweezers while the wax is still liquified. Any tweezers will be effective for this job. We recommend having a designated candle care pair, rather than using your eyebrow-plucking ones, to avoid getting wax, soot or debris on your face!
5. Wick dipper/hook: extinguish flames and straighten the wick
As the wick burns, it will often curl. Sometimes, this can cause it to topple over altogether and rest in the wax pool. Keep your wick afloat with a specially designed candle wick dipper or dipper, which makes quick work of straightening your wick so it’s ready to relight.
These tools are also designed to be used as flame extinguishers: simply use the wick dipper to press the lit wick into the liquified wax pool, and hold it there until the flame dies. Then, use the dipper to hook the wick out of the wax pool and straighten it.
Our favourite wick dippers/hooks:
Amara Wick Hook (£35)
Bonus candle care tip: place candles on a coaster
This one is more to protect your furniture, as opposed to your candle. When lit, candle containers can get extremely hot, potentially causing damage to the surface below.
To avoid this, make sure you place your candle on a coaster and routinely check the surface for signs of damage.
Our favourite candle care kits:
Solve all your candle care needs in one purchase with these handy bundles…
St. Eval Candle Accessories (£34.99) – this set includes a wick trimmer, hook and snuffer, all in stylish matte black. Packaged in a plastic-free box for easy storage and recycling.
JinSu Candle Accessories Set (£11.99) – this cheap and cheerful candle care kit includes a wick trimmer, snuffer and intricately engraved hook.
Olor Candle Snuffer and Wick Trimmer Set (£20) – these matte black tools add a touch of luxury to any candle-lover’s home.
Twoodle Candle Snuffer and Wick Trimmer Set (£30) – this stylish duo comes in a luxury rose gold colour.
Clan Candle Candle Care Kit (£8) – this budget-friendly option includes a candle snuff, wick trimmers and hook.
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