Candle Safety

First—a word about wicks—beware!

Our beeswax candles use environmentally friendly and safe square braid cotton wicks. The following quotation from the article entitled Killer Candles published by the Lead Advisory Service of NSW describes how important it is that you choose candles with the appropriate wicks:-

"Candles sold in Australia have been found to have lead wicks which when burnt can cause lead poisoning or even death. Adelaide lead assessor Mike van Alphen found that these candles, all imported from China could release 500 to 1000 micrograms of lead per hour into the air."

The full article is available at www.lead.org.au. Please read it. The long term health of you and your children might be at stake.

Second—a word about fragrance—beware!

Many candles particularly those imported from overseas countries, have an increased use of synthetic fragrance oils to achieve the desired and fashionable “smell appeal”. As a result Black Soot Deposition, a direct effect of burning overly scented candles, is becoming more and more widespread. The black soot being found in homes is on the walls and furniture, is damaging air and heating units and lungs! Quite frankly, you get what you pay for, but good health is precious and cannot be purchased at any price.

Third—a word about bloom– it’s safe

The white powder which often appears on a beeswax candle is in fact one of the proofs of the purity of the beeswax. It is caused by the migration of some of the components of the wax migrating to the surface. If desired, it can be easily removed by wiping the candle or applying gentle heat.

And last but not least—use your Common Sense!

Burning candles is safe if you follow some basic common sense rules:-

• Keep burning candles away from children and pets and never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Keep candles out of draughts which include open windows, fans, the heater or air conditioning vents. The blowing air can move the wick and cause dripping wax, smoke and even crack glass if the flames get too close to the holder.
• Trim the wick between a 1/4" and 1/2" before each lighting. A short wick produces a smaller more controlled flame. Snip the excess after each use to get rid of black buildup on the tip which causes the wick to bend and the wax to melt unevenly. Never leave wick trimmings in the candle.
• Limit the burn time. It is recommended that you never burn a candle for more than four hours at once.
• Between burning, let the candle harden and completely cool before relighting. Always trim the wick before you re-light.
• Always burn the candle in a suitable container, including votive candles. If the container seems unsafe don’t use it.
• AND OF COURSE— remove all candle packaging!! To recycle your packaging doesn’t mean burning it.