Candle Care

Scented candles are a beautiful way to add fragrance, ambience and beauty to your home. Superior quality scented candles appear to be expensive, but by following a few simple care instructions before, during and after burning, you can certainly maximise your candle's life and fragrance throw, making scented candles an affordable everyday luxury.

Candle Storage

Always store your candles in a cool, dark and dry place. Although candles are designed to be melted, excessive heat and sunlight can cause the wax to sweat. This is evident by beads that form on the surface of the candle. As the wax sweats, the scent of the candle can be affected. A candle that is not stored correctly can also have a reduced fragrance throw.

Lighting Your Candle

Before lighting your candle, trim the candle wick to approximately 5mm.

The first time you use your new candle, burn for at least 2-3 hours, allowing the wax to burn evenly across the surface. Scented candles develop a 'burn memory' and a candle that has not been burnt right to the edges on its initial use, will 'tunnel' and burn unevenly through the centre of the wax.

Maximising Your Burn Time

For maximum burn time, always keep candle wicks trimmed to approximately 5mm. Not only will trimming the wick help your candle to burn evenly, but it will also eliminate smoking and minimise soot forming on the glass. However, a small amount of soot around the edges of the glass vessel is normal, particularly as your candle reaches the bottom. To remove, simply wipe with a wet cloth while the glass is still warm.

Ensure you position your scented candle away from drafts. A draft can result in an uneven burn and will reduce the life of your candle.

Always burn your candle for at least 2 hours at a time, but never burn a scented candle for more than 4 hours. After 4 hours, extinguish the flame and allow to cool. Once the candle has cooled, trim wick to approximately 5mm and it may be relit again.

Extingushing Your Candle

When extinguishing your candle, never blow out the flame. This can not only damage the candle, but will also taint your beautifully scented room with the smell of smoke! Always use a candle snuffer to extinguish the flame. Many scented candle brands featured on Ambrosia Candles such as AQUIESSE and ECOYA incorporate a snuffer into the design of candle vessel - which is a very thoughtful addition. For other brands, consider investing in a candle snuffer to effectively extinguish the candle flame.

Stop burning your candle when you have about 2 cm of wax left and discard. Any remaining wax can be melted using an oil burner if you cannot bring yourself to discard the unused wax!

Candle Safety

When burning scented candles, it is important to remember that there is an open flame involved and some safety precautions should be considered. Some safety considerations include:

Never leave a candle unsupervised. Choose where you burn your candle carefully keeping the flame away from drafts, curtains, papers and other flammable items around the home.
Keep burning candles out of reach of children and pets.
Protect your furnishings from the heat. Scented candles, especially travel tins, can become quite hot after burning for more than 3 hours. So ensure candles are placed on a heat resistant surface and your furniture will thank you for it! Floris London scented candles include a perfectly sized cork mat - a subtle addition which effectively protects your furniture.
Always keep your candle wick trimmed to 5mm. Do not allow any wick trimmings to fall into the candle. Not only will this affect the scent of your candle but also poses as a fire hazard.
Remove candles from their packaging and discard all labels before burning.
Always read the safety instructions provided by the maker of your scented candle.