How to Make Your Candles Last Longer

With everyone trying to save money these days, making things last longer has become increasingly important. There are several steps you can follow to prolong the life of your candle. While it may be tempting to buy cheaper candles, I believe that you really do get what you pay for. A more expensive candle will pay you back in the long run by burning better and longer while producing a stronger scent.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the scent of my candles for as long as possible is to set a jarred candle on top of my heating vents instead of lighting it. This way, the wax heats up and releases its scent. Even after doing this with one candle for an entire winter I couldn't tell that it had been used at all. This works great when you are living in college dorms or do not want flames because of children or pets. Of course, you could also buy a candle warmer but that is just another added expense. On the other hand, when you are not enjoying your candles you should keep them in a cool spot and out of the sunlight to prevent them from melting.

Storing candles in the freezer will prevent this unwanted melting as well as prolong the life of the candle when you do light it. This effect is more noticeable in small or taper candles than in large jars that you leave burning a long time.

If you are going to burn your candle, make sure you keep the wick trimmed to about a quarter of an inch. The flame should stay small and not smoke. If you need to, blow the candle out, trim the wick, and relight it. This will prevent the fire from getting too hot and melting more than necessary.

One of the best ways to get more candle for your money is to make sure that you are burning all of the wax. Sometimes this is very hard to do, especially with large jars. If you have finished the candle but there is still wax left on the sides, scrape it out and use it to make a new candle. Wick string can be purchased very cheaply in craft stores. Melt down the old wax in a double boiler and pour it into a smaller jar while holding the new wick in the center. This will give you a brand new candle to start over again with. If you find that there are only small amounts of wax left when you finish your candles, save it until you have enough to make a decent sized new one. Make sure you label what scent it is. Then you can combine similar fragrances to make a new scent. For example, mix two or three different flower scents.

If you follow these tips you will get a longer life out of the candles that you spend your hard earned money on.