Finding the appropriate wick size for your candle is one of the most crucial components of candlemaking. A well-wicked candle burns cleanly and has consistent burn times and scent throw. So, how long should a candle wick be?
Your candles will burn longer. It will continue to fill your house with a delightful scent since the air and walls around you will be cleaner. Most cotton and wood wicks will ‘mushroom’ or split over time.
It produces charred debris that must be cleaned. Large, untrimmed wicks produce hotter and bigger flames. It causes your candle to burn quicker and transform your money into soot and smoke.
How Long Should a Candle Wick Be
To keep your candle healthy, we recommend cutting the wicks to 1/4 inch before each burn. While your candle is burning, you may notice that the flame is too high. What if your candle flame is larger than 1/2 inch and emits a lot of smoke and soot pillars?
It’s certainly time to examine the wick height. Extinguish your candle right away since it will not only spew unpleasant soot into your home. Its tall flame should also be tamed for safety concerns.
Avoid burning candles for more than 4 hours at a time. Most candle manufacturers recommend burning candles for at least 1 hour. No more than 4 hours at a time to ensure the candle’s longevity.
Excessive height and carbon accumulation in the wick will happen from burning a candle for more than 4 hours at a time. As the wick strives to consume more fuel than it was supposed to, fuel will be pulled up into the wick at a faster rate. Your candle will begin smoking.
Larger wicks will aggressively consume wax and aroma; you may even notice that what wax remains has less perfume. Successive burns of your candle will be less fragrant as the wax-to-candle fragrance ratio has altered. Regularly trimming your candle wick will be beneficial.
What is ‘Mushrooming’ in a Candle Wick?
Now that you know how long should a candle wick be, let’s head on and discuss mushrooming.
Candle wicks that have been left unattended for an extended length of time may begin to produce a clump of carbon buildup. It is evident at the very highest area of your wick. This is known as ‘mushrooming,’ and it does like a little mushroom growing out of your candle.
This carbon accumulation will cause your candle flame to burn hotter. Your candle to soot and smoke. It’s a terrific way to tell when it’s time to trim your wicks!
What Are the Best Candle Wick Trimming Tools?
Since we now know how long should a candle wick be, we will now learn how to trim it. Trimming your candle wick is easy, but it may be messy. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves and a few possibilities for you to think about while you cut your wicks. So what tools can you use?
Candle Wick Trimmer
First and foremost, it must be stated that there is a genuine utensil known as a wick trimmer. These are fantastic for keeping your fingers and occasionally your arms free of soot and wax. It keeps them out of your candle containers.
Finger Pinching
What if you have candles in almost every corner and cranny of your house? You can reach in and pinch the wick debris out of the candles with your fingers. Albeit a holster or fanny pack for a wick trimmer is a terrific idea.
Nail Clippers
We also use toenail clippers for tougher wicks, such as wood, or difficult-to-reach candle wicks. Yes, toenail clippers appear to be the ideal broad width. They’re less fragile and lack the curve of fingernail clippers.
Scissors
When cutting wicks, a nice sharp pair of scissors might come in handy. Just be sure to remove the clipped wick debris from the candle wax. Scissors perform well with basic cotton wicks and less well with wood wicks.
How to Trim your Candle Wick
Candlewick trimming is a simple process. These stages will be much easier to complete if you use one of the tools listed above. Consider keeping a garbage container and a paper towel nearby for wick debris disposal.
Trimming Cotton Wicks
Cotton wicks are very easy to trim. In a cooled/solid candle, carefully squeeze or cut the candlewick down to a height of ¼-inch. Take caution not to trim too much. Remove the debris from the container and discard it in a waste bin.
Trimming Wood Wicks
If you don’t have clippers, you can use your fingers to pinch the charred. Split section of the wood wick to remove it from the candle. Ideally, use a very robust pair of nail clippers to cut your wick back down to fresh wood.
Do it still to approximately ¼-inch above the wax of the candle. When attempting to relight these candles, trimming the wood wicks also makes a huge impact.
Trimming the wick at regular intervals as the wax cools helps keep it manageable for your candle. When larger, unmanaged wicks get too tall for the demands of the candle. They will also generate more smoke.
Conclusion on How Long Should a Candle Wick Be
Things like knowing how long should a candlewick be is important knowledge to keep in mind. Especially if you are the type of person who loves to buy candles. You would want to use your candles to their full potential, right?