Candle Safety
Ultimately, candles exist to help make your house feel like a home, our basic guidelines on candle safety will help extend the life of the candle and your enjoyment. The #1 rule is to always keep the wick of a candle trimmed to about 0.3-0.5cm (about 1/4 inch) this will maximise burn and minimise smoke
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Place Candles on a protected surface | ![]() |
Never handle candles that are in use |
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Do not leave candles unattended | ![]() ![]() |
Keep away from drafts |
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Keep multiple burning candles at least 10cm apart | ![]() |
Do not allow children or pets near burning candles |
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Keep away from sources of heat | ![]() |
Keep wick trimmed to 0.3cm |
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Extinguish using a candle snuffer | ![]() |
Don’t drop matches into the wax |
The Basics of Candle Safety:
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Never burn a candle on or near anything that might catch fire.
- Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
The Best Way to Burn a Candle
Before lighting
- Trim the wick to about ½ cm each time before burning. The safest way to do this is with a wick trimmer. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning, dripping or flaring.
- Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. Yankee Candle glass jars are heat resistant, sturdy, and quality tested. For votives use an appropriate holder and for wax melt use a quality melt warmer.
- Burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
- Place the jar candle or appropriate holder on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
- Keep the wax pool clear of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times. This will alleviate smoke.
- Avoid having your candle in a draft. This will help prevent uneven burning, dancing flames and excessive smoke or blackening of the jar.
- Follow the recommendations on burn time and proper use. You will find EU regulated pictogram information on the bottom of all candles - see descriptions at top of this page.
While burning
- Never touch or move a burning candle. Never move a votive or jar candle when the wax is liquefied as the holder may be hot.
- Don't burn a candle all the way down. For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 1cm of wax remains. This is always allowed when burn times are calculated and with most candles, a safety mechanism is built into the design to automatically extinguish the candle when the 1cm is reached.
- Extinguish a candle if the flame becomes too high or flickers repeatedly. Let the candle cool, trim the wick, and check for unwanted drafts before re-lighting.
- Always keep the candle within your sight. If you are going to leave the room, be sure to first blow out all candles.
When extinguishing
- Use a candle snuffer to extinguish a candle. It's the safest way to prevent hot wax from splattering.
- Never use water to extinguish a candle. Water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might break a glass container.
- Don't touch or move the candle until it has completely cooled as the jar or holder may stay hot for a period after the flame is extinguished.
- Our safety tips apply to all candles of all makes and styles.