Candle Safety

[chickenscratch]

Hello! I've been reading here for a few weeks, I pour beeswax candles at work but I'm looking into developing my own line of tarts (original plan was to get an embroidery machine and start a business but finding one for less than 8k is impossible!) I'm currently waiting on delivery of my wax and clam shells.

More to the point, I am a craft/lifestyle blogger and I try to be a generally helpful person. I've learned a lot about burning candles here, mostly that I should never be allowed to burn them, ever. I'm a power burner all the way, and I never even knew it was a problem!

If you had a relatively large (I hope!) audience, what would you like them to know? What safety tips do you give your customers that you wish they listened to?

Thanks! I hope to get my wax on Tuesday so I can get testing.

Edited February 10, 2013 by chickenscratch

[Scented]

I'm a power burner too so welcome to the forum. You gotta figure, there's the one way we all say is how a candle should burn, but if we're selling, we gotta figure that there are more than just us two power burners in the world It's good to know how your product performs in a variety of situations.

No. 1 safety issue -- DO NOT LEAVE A BURNING CANDLE UNATTENDED NEAR FLAMMABLE OBJECTS or WHERE PETS AND CURIOUS KIDS CAN OOPS ... cause a real problem.

[JanetsCandles]

Never ever try to extinguish your candle with your fingers. Never burn any pillar/votive candle on a surface that isn't wax proof (and on some that are.) And for the love of god, don't lean over the candle to reach over, "blow" it out, or otherwise be anywhere above or near the flame. This goes double for women who like to wear their long hair down. Great way to have an oops.

[ChandlerWicks]

Never, ever put a burning candle on the back of the toilet & have guests over! See post above.

[HorseScentS]

Don't leave the house while your candle is burning and don't use your candle as a nightlight, blow it out before you get sleepy. (I used to do both of those things.)

[Scented]

Keep melt pool free of debris.

[Guest OldGlory]

My #1 safety tip not already mentioned is this:

(and i hope nobody here does this)

If you are buying a soy candle with the intention of applying it to your skin, you M.U.S.T. know that the fragrance is, in fact, skin safe, and that the percentage of fragrance oil used in the candle is 3% or less. Most candle makers use around 6% or more FO and that's great for candles. But, as those who make bath and body products know, 6% is DOUBLE, at least, what is considered safe. Sadly, not a single one of the candle makers I've met in this area, have considered this fact. And even when their error is pointed out, they continue selling their candles as skin safe. For example: 6 Pack of Scented Soy Candles

I wrote to this person and said 'I hope you are using less than 6% FO in your candles if you are telling people it's ok to use the wax on their skin...etc' She wrote back and said 'Thanks for pointing that out, I use 1 oz per lb. I will change my website.' But, she left her add on Craigslist the same. She is knowingly selling her candles in a way that is just not safe. Caveat emptor!

So, the point is this - if you don't know for sure that 1) the fragrance oil is actually safe for leaving on their skin, and 2) that the appropriate amount of fragrance oil was added for the application, don't use it on your skin.

[Judy, USMC]

Votives are not pillar candles and should be burned in a designed votive holder which have sides slightly taller than the votive. Wax actually increases in volume when melted. If an overflow occurs it may damage your furniture.

Some container candles can get very hot so always place them on a protective surface.

If burning a container candle extinguish the flame before replacing the lid. (Yep, one of my customers thought the best way to extinguish it was by "oxygen starvation.")