Recent Candles in the News and Safety

Hemp Wick Candles LLC strives to be transparent and ensure all of our customers are safe and educated in candle safety. I have recently seen several articles in the news about some candle brands recalling candles due to safety concerns that all of us face as candle makers. So I want to share some common issues that can happen with candles and what you should do if you encounter these issues. 

First, is wandering wicks are a common occurrence in candles. Especially in candles that use softer wax, such as soy, and wicks that are not self trimming. This can also happen if the wick moved slightly during the hand pouring process. 

At Hemp Wick Candles LLC we see this happen in our own candles at times. Those candles are discarded, but can sometimes go undetected.

If you have received a candle from us and you find your wick wanders from the center of the candle, we want you to put out the candle immediately and do not relight the candle as this can cause the side of the jar to get too hot. Please take a picture of the candle and contact us for a replacement or refund. Then discard the candle. 

Second, is the importance of inspecting your candle as soon as you recieve it. We all know the mail is not very careful with our packages no matter how many fragile stickers we put on the box. What does this have to do with candle safety? The efficacy of the glass. Any glass candle you receive should be thoroughly inspected by customers when they receive them. This is whether you order online or buy from a store, because likely the glass or candle was shipped at some point, and defects can be missed. Glass that has chips, cracks, or breaks can be dangerous once heated and become a fire hazard. If you see any chips, cracks, or breaks DO NOT light that candle. Contact whoever you bought the candle from to receive a replacement or refund. That includes Hemp Wick Candles LLC. 

Third common issue, not trimming candle wicks each time you light a candle. Wick trimming is a safety measure. Not trimming your candle wick to at least 1/4 inch before lighting your candle can result in a high flame, overheating of the glass, and wick wandering. ALWAYS trim a candle wick if it is above 1/4 inch before lighting, whether it is the first light or subsequent lights. Hemp Wick Candles LLC recommends trimming our candle wicks to 1/8 inch before lighting.

The fourth common candle safety issue is letting a candle burn too long. Candles should not be burned for longer than 3 to 4 hours per light. This is because high heat on any glass for an extended amount of time can cause the glass to explode or the candle flame to get dangerously high and wander outside of the container. It's that time of year where power outages are common in many places. Please do not use candles longer than 3 to 4 hours at a time in these circumstances because fire can result. Find a safer alternative light source for long periods of power outages instead. It is also recommended not to let a candle continue to burn if its been less than 3 to 4 hours and the candle has more than an inch of melted wax melted in the container. In this instance please blow the candle out and allow for the wax to cool completely before relighting. 

Something a customer mentioned to me in casual conversation recently was burn time on wax melts. Wax melts, such as our wax shots, should not be melted on a wax melter for longer than two hours at a time. It is tempting to let the warmer melt your wax all day, but this can be a fire hazard as well due to overheating. Instead after two hours, turn off your burner, let wax cool until solid, then turn back on once the warmer bulb has also cooled. If you use a tea light warmer, allow the tea light wax to solidify and cool before relighting or replace the tea light with a new one. 

On the subject of putting candles out to cool. Consumers should never let a candle of any type burn down to the metal wick holder. Discard candles when there is about one inch of wax left in the container to prevent overheating and fire. 

Lastly, never leave candles or wax burners unattended. Don't leave your home, fall asleep, leave the room, or leave around children or pets alone with lit candles or wax burners. This can lead to a very dangerous situation. It's also important to keep these items away from curtains, home decor items, Christmas decorations, or anything else that could catch fire. 

Hemp Wick Candles LLC strives to provide the utmost quality products to our customers, but we also care about the safety of our customers. We urge customers to reach out to us for any questions or concerns they have about our products. We also want customers to know that if they have any doubt in our products, to please contact us before using any product purchased. We will do our best to remedy any product issues and provide the best information available to address concerns. 

Thank you for supporting small buisness and we hope everyone has a safe and healthy holiday season, and Happy New Year!