Get more life out of your candles!
10 Tips to Make Candles Last Longer and Work Better
Updated on Apr. 24, 2024
Pasta Lighter
We’re sure you’re stocking up on sweet smelling candles to make your home extra cozy for the colder months. But if your candles are burning too low to reach the wick, there’s no reason to go without your favorite scent.
Instead of burning your fingers, light a piece of uncooked spaghetti. It’ll reach deep and burn long enough to light the candles on Grandpa’s birthday cake!
Remove Candle Wax
Candles are great for creating ambiance, but the mood can quickly sour if you get melted candle wax on your fine wood furniture.
To remove it, first soften the wax using a blow dryer on its hottest setting. Blot up as much as you can with paper towels. Then remove what’s left with a cloth soaked in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Wipe clean with a soft, absorbent cloth.
Psst! Candle warmer lamps are another great way to extend the life of your candles. Bonus: They’re a safer alternative, too!
Prevent Candle Tunneling With Aluminum Foil
Take some aluminum foil and wrap it around the outside edge of the candle. Make sure the foil reaches over the tunneled wax. Be sure to keep an open center so the flame can continue to burn as usual.
The aluminum foil allows the flame to stay even and continuously radiate heat. The foil helps retain heat by helping the leftover wax melt. Ellie Martin Cliffe, Taste of Home’s executive editor, tested this and swears by its magic. “I tried the aluminum foil trick over the weekend and it worked beautifully,” she says.
Light Candles With Toothpicks
Use toothpicks to light candles. Because toothpicks burn slowly and are little longer than normal matches, they give you a little extra reach when you need it!
Photo: Courtesy of PixCove.
DIY Candle Holder
These awesome-looking candles sit inside cookie tins that hang from a wooden hanger with clothespins. If you have some extra tins sitting around, this is a delightful way to light up a room.
Mason Jar Lanterns
Glass Mason jars, with their signature Ball branding, have become ubiquitous among DIYers in the past decade or so. Some people even eat and drink out of them!
Our favorite repurposed Mason jar project involves stringing them up, popping votive candles inside and hanging them on the patio as outdoor lanterns.
Make an Emergency Candle
When the power goes out unexpectedly and you’re without candles or a flashlight, make an emergency candle with a stick of butter and a toothpick.
To do this, cut a stick of butter in half and a single sheet of toilet paper into four squares. Fold one square diagonally and twist into a wick. Now make a deep hole in the stick of butter with a toothpick and place the makeshift wick inside. Rub the top of the wick with butter for starter fuel, then light.
Repurpose Candle Jars
Larger glass candle jars can be used to store food in bulk, while smaller jars with lids are perfect for coffee, loose tea and spices. They can also be repurposed as bathroom storage for Q-tips and cotton balls, or make for a trendy cocktail glass. Find out what “Q” in “Q-tips” stands for.
Trim Candle Wicks Before Lighting
Trimming the candle wick down to 1/4-in. can help you prevent problems like black flames, flames that are too tall, black smoke stains on glass candle holders and wax that’s burning too quickly. Learn more about this process here.
Clean Candle Globes in Your Dishwasher
Dishwashers are for so much more than just washing dishes. Use yours to dust off knick-knacks like Mason jars and glass candle globes. Pretty much anything glass or ceramic should be fine going in the dishwasher; just avoid meltable plastics.
