Making Candles Last Longer
by 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
