It’s been a long week. You’ve worked hard and feel exhausted. You come home, take a long bath, dress into your robe and then? What next? Why not lay in bed next to a relaxing, aromatic candle? Have you ever done something similar to this? As simple as they may be, candles truly are one of the most pleasant inventions! A candle is essentially a small flammable rope, or wick, covered in wax or tallow that provides a light source when lit. Wondering how a candle functions? Once the wick is lit by a match or other heat source, the residual heat of the flame melts the wax underneath the wick. The wax vaporizes and creates a fire-sustaining gas that keeps the flame burning. Want to know more? Read below for more candle wall art facts!
Burn Bright
- Did you know that you may have been burning candles the wrong way all this time? The first time you light a candle you should actually let it burn for as long as it takes for the top layer of wax to become liquid. This could take several hours depending on the size of the candle. Wondering why? Not doing this may result in a candle that burns unevenly!
- To continue off of the first fact, a candle that burns unevenly eventually tunnels. In other words a tunnel around the wick is created, while the outermost part of the candle remains completely solid. This results in a “tunnel” in the middle of a candle. To prevent this, cover the top of your candle with foil and then cut a hole in the center where the flame is. This encourages the outer wax to melt once you light the candle again.
- Have you ever lit a candle, walked away, then come back to find your room filled with smoke? It should go without saying, but a candle should never produce any kind of smoke! Wondering why this happens? When a wick is too long when being burnt, it starts to collect carbon which makes the candle incredibly unstable. This could even lead to a fire! If this happens to your candle, simply cut the wick down a bit.
- There are a lot of myths and rumors about candles. One of the most prevalent is that freezing a candle will make it last longer. This isn’t true! According to the National Candle Association, this effect only lasts for a short while. Once a candle is lit, the temperature of the candle will eventually revert back to normal. If you were thinking of freezing yours, it really isn’t worth it!
- This is one of the most shocking candle facts! So shocking that you’ll probably ignore it and mentally discard this fact! You should never blow out a candle! Blowing out a candle produces both soot and smoke. In addition to that, you run the risk of blowing hot droplets of liquid wax on your surrounding area that may land on a person or furniture. According to the European Candle Association, the best way to put out a candle is by using a special device called a snuffer. This device puts out flames by depriving it of oxygen. Read below for more candle wall art facts.
Fantastic Flame
- Here’s a surprising one. Did you know that not all candles drip? In fact, there are two ways that a candle can be made to be dripless. The first is to make sure than the candle with a thick wick that absorbs liquid wax. Another way is making a thing candle from very soft wax, then dipping it into thick wax that burns at a higher temperature (which makes it burn slowly).
- Did you know that candles aren’t always made from regular wax? Tallow, which is the byproduct of melting beef fat, was used in Europe throughout the Middle Ages for candles. That said, many other things have been used to candles. Spermaceti from sperm whales, beeswax and even insects mixed with plants have been used as candles. Candles nowadays are mostly made from paraffin, which is a solid that extracted from refining crude oil.
- Aromatic candles are the most popular types of candles according to sales data. Although they smell amazing, did you know that burning them during dinner can actually be disastrous? Things that we smell actually have an influence on our taste buds. Studies have shown that when eating, smelling a scent that differs from what our food tastes like creates an unpleasant dissociating effect. In other words, it’s a good idea to snuff out any candles before eating.
- Did you know putting candles on birthday cakes isn’t a modern invention? Ancient Greeks even did it! Greeks would bring out baked goods with candles on them; these candles represented the moon. They would bring these baked goods to the temple of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the moon. That said, it really became a tradition in the 1700s.
- Wondering what the technical term is for a candlemaker or seller of candles is? They are called chandlers. This word is derived from the Old French word chandelier, which before the discovery of electricity, were made from several candles. Did you enjoy these candle wall art facts?
Conclusion
Now that you know so much about candles, how do you feel? Are you going to light one when you get home? Perhaps take a bath while a candle burns? Maybe you’ll go shopping for candles now? So many choices! What color? What scene? Cinnamon and apple? Fresh mountain meadow? Something floral? Something sweet? Whatever you pick, we hope you have a great candle-related experience. Thanks for reading our blog and our candle wall art facts.