Minimizing Soot: Clean Burning Candle Tips

Candles create a warm, inviting atmosphere, but sometimes they produce unwanted soot. Soot can stain walls, ceilings, and furniture, and it can also affect indoor air quality. If you want to enjoy your candles without the mess, it’s important to understand how to minimize soot and keep your candles burning cleanly. Our hand-poured 8.5 oz coconut-apricot wax candles are crafted with care to ensure a clean burn for 35+ hours, but even the best candles can produce soot if not used properly. Here are practical tips to help you reduce candle soot and enjoy a cleaner, safer candle experience.

Why You Should Reduce Candle Soot

Soot is made up of tiny carbon particles released when a candle burns inefficiently. It can cause black marks on walls and surfaces, and inhaling soot particles is not healthy. Reducing candle soot helps:

• Keep your home cleaner

• Improve indoor air quality

• Extend the life of your candle

• Enhance fragrance throw by maintaining a steady melt pool

  
  

Our slow-craft approach ensures every candle burns evenly, but your candle care habits also play a big role in reducing soot. Simple changes can make a big difference.

Clean burning candle flame with no soot

Tips to Reduce Candle Soot

Here are some effective ways to reduce candle soot and enjoy a cleaner burn:

1. Trim the Wick Regularly

   Keep the wick trimmed to about 1/4 inch before each burn. A long wick causes a larger flame, which produces more soot. Trimming helps maintain a steady, small flame.

   
   

2. Burn Candles in Draft-Free Areas

   Avoid placing candles near fans, open windows, or vents. Drafts cause the flame to flicker and burn unevenly, increasing soot production. Many people believe that placing it in front of a fan or AC unit will help spread the scent, but it creates unstable flames that create soot.

   
   

3. Allow a Full Melt Pool

   Let the candle burn long enough for the wax to melt evenly across the surface. This prevents tunneling and helps the candle burn cleanly.

   
   

4. Use High-Quality Wax and Fragrance

   Our coconut-apricot wax blend is designed for clean burning. Cheaper waxes or synthetic fragrances can increase soot.

   
   

5. Avoid Burning Candles Too Long

   Burning a candle for more than 4 hours at a time can cause the wick to mushroom, leading to soot. Extinguish and trim the wick before relighting.

   
   

6. Keep the Candle Free of Debris

   Remove any wick trimmings or foreign objects from the wax pool to prevent uneven burning.

   
   

By following these tips, you can enjoy the full 35+ hours of clean burn our candles offer, with a steady melt pool that throws fragrance evenly from first spark to last flicker.

Trimming candle wick to reduce soot

How to Fix Sooty Candles?

If you notice your candle producing soot despite your best efforts, don’t worry. Here are some quick fixes:

• Trim the Wick More Often

Sometimes the wick needs extra attention. Trim it down to 1/8 inch if soot persists.

• Clean the Candle Jar

Wipe the inside of the jar with a cloth to remove soot buildup.

• Relight in a Draft-Free Zone

Move the candle to a different spot away from air currents.

• Use a Candle Snuffer

Extinguish the flame with a snuffer instead of blowing it out to avoid disturbing the wick and wax.

Using a candle snuffer to prevent soot

The Art of Slow-Craft Candle Making

Our candles are hand-poured in small batches, finished by candlelight, and labeled by hand. This slow-craft approach ensures each candle burns cleanly and evenly. We use a unique coconut-apricot wax blend that melts steadily and throws fragrance beautifully. Every candle is inspired by a tale or myth, like Minthe, the nymph of the Underworld that had a crush on Hades leading to her ultimate demise, or Break, the whiskey-drinking teacher with a smoldering gaze. Lighting one of our candles is like opening a storybook filled with characters, settings, and emotions.

This dedication to quality and storytelling means you get more than just a candle - you get an experience. And with proper care, you can enjoy that experience soot-free.

Creating a Clean and Cozy Candle Experience

To maximize your candle’s performance and minimize soot, remember these key points:

• Always trim the wick before lighting

• Burn candles in calm, draft-free spaces

• Allow a full melt pool on each burn

• Avoid burning for more than 4 hours at a time

• Keep the wax pool clean and free of debris

  
  

By following these simple steps, you’ll keep your home clean and your air fresh. Plus, you’ll get the most out of your candle’s fragrance and burn time.

Enjoy the magic of a clean-burning candle that tells a story with every flicker. Your space will feel cozy, inviting, and soot-free.

Cozy room illuminated by clean burning candles

By embracing these clean burning candle tips, you can reduce candle soot and enjoy a beautiful, fragrant atmosphere without the mess. Our hand-poured candles are designed to help you do just that - slow-crafted for a clean, even burn that brings stories to life. Light one today and experience the difference.