Candle Storage Question

[DonC]

Is it ok to store finished container soy candles in a cool basement?

I simply have no room in the rest of the house to store them. I was lucky just to get my wife to give me the room to pour upstairs!!!

The basement stays about 65-68 degrees year round.

[Violetsexoticcandles]

IDK... you might get frosting with those sorts of temps...but maybe others can help out here.

[DonC]

Thanks Violet,

I forgot to mention that I don't use dye in my candles:D

So frosting probably won't be an issue.

[islandgirl]

I stored some my undyed candles in my un-heated garage last year for test purposes.

I did not have any problems with the burns!! They held up well!!

So this year I can stock pile my candles in there!!

:whoohoo:WHOHOO!!! :whoohoo:

So IMO.. Yes!!!

[Stella1952]

I forgot to mention that I don't use dye in my candles:D

So frosting probably won't be an issue.

"Bloom," or frosting in soy candles in NOT caused by dye - some dyes simply exacerbate the problem. It is caused by the crystal structure in the wax becoming slightly unstable and reforming because of several conditions, one of which is cooling too quickly and another is being stored too warm, then cooling. Read up on "bloom in chocolate" if you would like to learn more. Additives such as coconut oil and other emulsifiers help reduce the tendency of 100% soy waxes (not blends) to frost. Tempering the wax is a great insurance against this annoying condition, which is only a cosmetic problem - frosting does not impair the candle's throw or burning in any way that I have experienced.

Ideally, soy wax candles should be stored between 72° - 75°, however they will tolerate some fluctuation on either side of those temps - more to the cool side than the warm. HTH

*...wish I had a basement...*

[DonC]

Thank You Stella,

I am fully aware that frosting isn't caused by dye. I was just saying that with undyed candles, it wouldn't be as noticable, if at all.

It is weird though, I have been pouring now for over a week(I'm new) and have yet to see any frosting on any of my candles. I have been making container, votives and melts. All came out perfect so far!!

I have had a couple that had a chalky finish on the tops, but when I did a second pour, it disappeared completely and came out baby butt smooth.

I am using C-3.....

No additives or dye

Heat to 180, transfer to pouring pot...

add scent, 1oz per pound

pour at 100

For votives and melts:

14oz V-1

2oz C-3

and proceed as above

out of nearly 100 votives and about 70 melts NO CRACKS YET.

Excellent release.

The only problem I had was when I reduced the C-3 to 10% and I got cracks in a couple of melts.

went back to 2oz and all is good:D

[Guest Candelishis]

I store mine in the basement. I bought a cheap little weather station thingy that tells me the temp and humidity, and I have a dehumidifier (It's always humid in Southern IL) and I just open and shut a/c vents to control the temp. I keep it around 73 down there, with 50% humidity, and have never had any problems storing anything.

[CareBear]

Is humidity implicated in soy frosting?

[Stella1952]

CB, I do not know the answer to that question. I am gonna take a leap and assume that it does simply because it does factor in "bloom" of other types of vegetable oils, but don't know the how or when of it...:undecided

Once day I will have to get an indoor hygrometer and keep an eye on the humidity when I make candles. Around here, humidity is nearly always a problem unless one has a really efficient air conditioning system... Guess who doesn't have a really efficient air conditioning system?

[SoyCandleQueen]

We use a dehumidifer in our basement and that is the coolest place I can find close to 75 degrees at the moment. This might sound like a stupid question but I am kinda new at this and only have gone through one season. (serves me right for stating in the summer, eh?) Is it better to store them with less humidity or more? I would guess less?

Dawn

[Crafty1_AJ]

Is humidity implicated in soy frosting?

I don't know for certain, but I doubt it. Mine are stored with the lids tightly on, and I don't notice a difference in frosting between winter and summer. (Winters here are dry; summers are humid.)

And I also have stored mine in a basement successfully. Ours stays fairly consistent in temp with only a few degrees fluctuation between summer and winter.

[Guest Candelishis]

CB, I do not know the answer to that question. I am gonna take a leap and assume that it does simply because it does factor in "bloom" of other types of vegetable oils, but don't know the how or when of it...:undecided

Once day I will have to get an indoor hygrometer and keep an eye on the humidity when I make candles. Around here, humidity is nearly always a problem unless one has a really efficient air conditioning system... Guess who doesn't have a really efficient air conditioning system?

I don't know the answer to it either, but I am going to assume also that it does. My basement is a pretty controlled environment, due to the dehumidifier and weather station I have, and I've never had any problems with frosting. I use GW464, and I've heard other people having frosting problems with it. But I've heard that EZsoy is the worst. And color doesn't affect frost, you can just see it better in a colored candle than an uncolored one.

I don't have a very efficient a/c system either, Stella And living in a house that was built in 1925 doesn't help that either Especially when the weather is completely schizophrenic around here!!! Yesterday it was 97 degrees, and by the end of this week the lows are supposed to be in the 40's...makes you glad that you're not the weather man!!