Candle Care

A well-loved candle should feel like a tiny ritual, not a safety lecture. Here’s how to get the longest, cleanest, coziest burn from your Tall Pine Candles — while keeping your home and surfaces safe.

Before you light your candle

Set the scene safely

Choose a stable surface: Place your candle on a level, heat-resistant, non-flammable surface.
Give it space: Keep away from curtains, papers, decorations, and anything that might catch fire.
Mind kids and pets: Never leave children or pets near a burning candle without active supervision.
Let it settle: Always allow your candle to cool and fully reset before moving it — hot wax likes to surprise people.

Trimming the wick

The 1/4 inch rule

Before every burn, your wick should be about 1/4 inch long.

Check the length: If the wick is longer than 1/4 inch, trim it with a wick trimmer or small scissors.
Why it matters: A properly trimmed wick helps your candle burn evenly, reduces soot, and prevents tunneling or “mushrooming” at the top of the wick.
No debris: Make sure no wick trimmings or match pieces are left sitting in the wax.

Your first burn

The first burn teaches your candle how to behave for the rest of its life.

Let it reach a full melt pool: Allow the wax to melt all the way from the center to the edges of the container. This helps prevent tunneling and gives you more hours of burn time.
Give it enough time: This may take a while depending on the candle size, so make sure you have time to let it do its thing.
Do not exceed four hours: Even on the first burn, never burn your candle longer than four hours at a time.

Second and subsequent burns

This is where your candle settles into its groove.

Trim before each burn: Always trim your wick back to about 1/4 inch before relighting.
Check the wax: Ensure there are no foreign objects in the wax — no wick bits, no matches.
Burn time: Burn your candle for up to a maximum of four hours at a time.
Cool between sessions: Always allow your candle to cool and reset completely before lighting again.

When to say goodbye

As tempting as it is to burn every last drop of wax, there’s a safety line.

Stop at the last 1/2 inch: Never let the wax burn lower than the final 1cm at the bottom of the vessel.
Why: When the wax is very low, the heat can transfer directly to the container and the surface underneath, which may cause damage or cracking.

Getting an even burn

If your candle is misbehaving, it’s usually trying to tell you something.

Common culprits of uneven burning:

Untrimmed wick: A long wick can cause flickering, smoking, and uneven melt.
Drafts: Burning in a drafty area (near vents, fans, open windows, or heavily trafficked walkways) can cause the flame to lean and burn unevenly.
Best practice: Keep your candle out of drafts and trim your wick before every burn to help maintain a level melt pool.

Extinguishing your candle

How you put a candle out matters.

Do this:

Do not do this:

Do not use the candle lid to smother the flame.
Never use water to extinguish a candle — it can cause hot wax to splatter and may crack the container.

The golden rule

We saved the most important part for last:

NEVER LEAVE A LIT CANDLE UNATTENDED.

If you leave the room, blow it out. If you’re going to sleep, blow it out. If you’re not sure whether to blow it out… blow it out.

Have a question about candle care?

If something feels off, or you’re not sure what your candle is trying to tell you, we’re happy to help. All you have to do is contact us!!!