Candle Care

HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR WOODEN WICK CANDLE

Wood wicks provide a unique experience when used in candles. Just like with cotton wicks, they need maintenance in order to perform at their best. The care for a wooden wick, is slightly different from that of a cotton wick.

Wood wicks can be temperamental and each one is unique. All our wood wicks are made with untreated wood that can vary slightly in thickness and grain. This will cause every Simplicity & Co. Candle to burn a little bit differently.

Despite these variances, wood wicks deliver an added unique burning experience than a cotton wick. The soft crackling sounds of the wood wick along with the soft glow of the flame provides a calming atmosphere within your home. They are also clean-burning and environmentally friendly.

The first time you burn your candle you must give the candle enough burn-time to develop a melt pool that spreads all the way to the edge of the vessel.  This may take a few hours depending on the size of the candle. If you don’t allow a full melt pool to form, the candle can tunnel and when you burn it again, it may continue to tunnel even when allowed to burn for a long time. Burning the candle until you have an even wax pool every time, but especially the first time, is the key to a long-lasting candle that is relatively problem-free. Please don't burn any of your candles for longer than 4 hours at a time.

Wood wicks can take a couple of attempts to become lit but once alight, should burn beautifully but on the rare occasion your wood wick candle won’t light or keeps going out you may be experiencing the wick reaching a knot or inconsistency in the timber. These flaws aren’t always noticeable and can cause the wax to be less successful when drawn through the grain of the wood wick. This can cause the wood wick's flame to become too small or even just burns out.

So, how can you fix it? Trim your wick! Wood wicks need to be short, so trim all the burnt bits off. Wick trimmers are the best way to do this, they also help avoid the burnt remains from blackening your fingers or falling onto the wax. When relighting your candle, tilt on an angle and let the flame travel across the length of the wick so the whole wick is burning evenly.

It's normal for there to be a small amount of wax left in the bottom of the candle. Your candle is finished when the wick clip is visible beneath the wax. You may have up to 1 cm of wax leftover. Burning with only a small amount of wax remaining can cause the base of the glass container to overheat. To avoid cracks or any damage to the surface surrounding the candle, we recommend discontinuing use at this point.

To protect your candle from fading or discolouration, we recommend always storing it in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight. This doesn't affect the burning of the candle but can sometimes cause the creamy colour to turn yellow.

Simplicity & Co. is not responsible for poorly burned candles.  Please burn your candles on a flat heat resistant surface away from drafts, pets, & children.  Always burn your candles in sight.