I bought a large "Kathy Ireland" home baked jar candle yesterday. I paid more than I normally would for a candle. But it was so pretty and smelled so good. I burned it yesterday for about three hours.
This morning I re-lit it and it's been burning for another two hours. The wax is about one quarter inch melted, but the wicks are as thin as a hair and the flame is "struggling" to burn. I don't know why they would use such cheap, thin wicks in such an expensive candle. I know once I blow it out, it will not relight or burn again. There is still at least six inches of un-melted candle left. How can I salvage this?
By Erika from Tallahassee, FL
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You might try getting one of those electric candle warmers. I am not sure how to fix the wick. I do know the candle warmers are relatively cheap and can usually be found in dollars stores and stuff.
If you are that unhappy with the candle, return it. I sympathize with your experience as I notice the same thing happens to me. Sometimes cheap candles burn well, sometimes expensive ones are junk. I have better luck with 3-4 oz. candles in glass. The larger ones with one wick don't burn well IMO.
When I have a dud candle, I melt the unburned portion in a candle warmer as spiderhannah mentioned. I use a device that is supposed to keep a coffee cup warm. I place the glass candle holder on this and it gradually melts and releases the scent. I have created my own candles out of this old wax using purchased wicks from Michael's Crafts, but they don't burn very well.
I've read that you can use the warmer plate of a coffee maker to warm a candle and spread the scent. This could save you $ from having to buy a separate candle warmer and still provide the same effect.
When burning a new candle don't burn it longer then 20 to 30 minutes the first time. Also after burning a candle cut or break off the wick so it's not longer then a quarter of an inch. That will keep a pillar candle from melting on the sides and leaking wax from the side.
I must agree with the concensus of opinion...return it. If it was a cheap candle, I would go to a craft store, such as Michael's, and purchase a new candle wick. Put the jar in a pot of hot water and simmer until the wax melts, then insert the new wick in the melted wax and let the wax harden.
This truly has nothing to do with expensive or cheap! It has to do with how you are treating the candle and wick :-( I've burned hundreds of candles of many types in my lifetime and when I don't follow the rules of thumb is when they've become ruined :-( Here's a couple of links to explain candle care:
everything2.com/
Please be kind and don't saddle the store you purchased it from with a monetary loss because of a mistake you made by returning it :-( Doing that is one of the reasons prices keep rising because the stores have to recoup these types of losses somehow :-(
You figured it out yourself. Cheap, thin wick. Always look for nice thick wick. I learned my lesson after throwing away candles with thin wicks that refused to burn. Now I use battery candles. Much safer, especially with pets. If you use wax candles, be sure to trim the wick to 1/4" before lighting it each time.
I'd also look them up on their website (Google search) and write a polite, positive, but clear letter telling them about your dissatisfaction with their product. Include your address. Often brands/manufacturers/retailers will send a coupon or some other incentive in the name of good customer relations. Good Luck.
I've burned many, many candles, both expensive and cheap. Rule of thumb is 1/4" wick and to burn the candle 1 hour for each inch of width.
Sometimes, for some candles, that just doesn't seem to work. I recently bought an expensive candle with the wooden wick (which was very thin). As much as I loved the scent, I had to keep pouring wax out to keep the candle burning. I never throw wax away as I save it to make new candles. When I had a pot-full of wax and about 1/3 of the candle left, I cut the rest of the wax out and melted it to make new candles. Sometimes that's all you can do. I won't buy that brand ever again.
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