A while ago I came across a tip for making candles last longer: adding a little salt to the wax. The guy claimed that sprinkling a little salt doubled the burn time of his candles. Intrigued, I decided to investigate further.
I first conducted my own tests using some cheap identical tea light candles. I lit two candles and immediately added about 1/8 teaspoon of salt to one of them. The control candle burned brightly for about 4 hours; the experimental candle had a much smaller flame for about an hour and then burned as brightly as the control. It lasted about 30 minutes longer, nowhere near double the burn time, and the longer burn time can partly be attributed to the smaller flame it started with. I wasn’t impressed. Burning 30 minutes longer in this case is 12.5% longer. I mean, yeah, you’re saving a little bit here, but it’s not the 100% that was claimed.
So what’s the issue here? Several articles on the internet asserted that adding salt to candles did increase the burn time. But no one provided any sources for the claim. All of them recommended adding the salt after the candle had its first proper burn (described below). None of them used tea light candles to which the salt was immediately added or mixed in after some of the wax had melted. And no one mentioned what kind of wax was in the candles they used.
That begs the question: Can candles really be made to burn more efficiently? Most definitely. Here’s what you need to know if the power is out and you’ve got to make those candles last as long as possible:
First off, the rate of candle burn depends largely on the type of wax involved.
Paraffin, which is obtained from petroleum or mineral oil, is cheapest and burns the fastest.
Soy- or vegetable oil-based candles come next.
Beeswax candles are the most expensive and longest-lasting, with about double the burn time of paraffin. (Some sources claim a much longer burn time.) However, beeswax averages about 10 times the cost of paraffin. (Note that there is little regulation when it comes to listing candle ingredients. A candle can be called a “beeswax” candle when it contains barely any beeswax at all. If using beeswax is important to you, look for candles labeled 100% pure beeswax.)
No-brainer tip for making candles last longer:
Keep candles out of drafts. A draft is going to make that candle flicker against the sides and burn wax much more quickly.
Commonly known tip: Freezing candles. Unfortunately, this is not a one-and-done kind of thing. You can’t freeze the candles, pull them out of the freezer and pack them away in storage, and expect that they will burn longer. The candle has to be recently (as in, within the last hour or so) removed from the freezer to burn longer. Tapers only need to be in the freezer for an hour or so to double their burn time; pillars and jarred candles need 8-24 hours, depending on size. Unfortunately, most of us do not have excess room in the freezer for storing candles. We really need that space for food. But in colder climate areas, keeping a few candles outside during the winter may do the job handily.
Less-commonly known tips:
Trim the wick. The ideal wick length is from 1/8 to 1/4”. Longer wicks burn more wax and create smoke and soot. They’re also a bit more hazardous.
Prevent tunneling (where the candle burns down without melting the sides and thus wasting that wax). For the first burn of a new candle, keep it lit for 2-3 hours initially, or whatever time it takes for the top layer of wax to burn all the way across the diameter of the candle. Subsequent burns should last 3-4 hours. No candle should be allowed to burn longer than 4 hours at a time. (Candles that burn longer apparently increase the risk of fire as the wax and scent oils reach their flash point. Not sure I believe that, but that’s what most sources—all unscientific—say.)
Add 1/16 to 1/4 teaspoon salt, depending on the diameter of the candle, to the melted wax, mixing it in carefully with a toothpick. Do this following each burn of the candle, before the wax hardens.
A couple of other candle tips:
Be sure to store non-paraffin candles securely. Mice and other rodents will eat plant and animal-based candles.
Round candles are the most efficient because the edges are all the same distance from the wick; the wax melts evenly and there is no waste.
Links to related posts:
Oil Candles
Uses for Rancid Oil
Salt
4 january 2021
You can clean any dusty candles by using rubbing alcohol and wiping them down.
ReplyDeleteI like keeping taper candles around because I can use them on sticky zippers (just run the candle up and down the zipper a couple of times), and to use on sticking drawers(again run some candle wax on the bottom the drawer).
Here's a tip to make taper candles fit in the holder if it's a bit too big for it: Wrap the bottom of the candle with a strip of plastic wrap until it's big enough to fit in the holder.