Candle Safety Rules
- Always use a candle-holder or a dish. The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy, and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.
- Be sure the candle-holder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface. This can help prevent heat damage to underlying surfaces and prevent glass containers from breaking.
- Always keep a burning candle within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep. Be sure the wick ember is no longer glowing.
- Don’t burn a candle all the way down. Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container. For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains or ½ inch if in a container.
- Extinguish the flame after 2 hours of use. Then reuse the candle once the wax has gone solid again.
- Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire.
- Keep burning candles out of the reach of children and pets.
- Trim candlewicks to ¼ inch each time before burning. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning and dripping.
- Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.
- Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans and air currents. This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, and avoid flame flare-ups and sooting.
- Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
- Place burning candles at least three inches apart from one another. This helps ensure they don’t melt one another, or create their own drafts to cause improper burning.
- Use a snuffer to extinguish a candle. It’s the safest way to prevent hot wax splatters.
- Never extinguish candles with water.
- Be very careful if using candles during a power outage. Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are safer sources of light during a power failure.
- Extinguish a candle if it repeatedly smokes, flickers, or the flame becomes too high. The candle isn’t burning properly. Cool, trim the wick, then check for drafts before relighting.
