SCENTS OF SMELL
Candle Tips
Puddle Size - The larger the puddle of melted wax in a candle, the more scent it will give off. A small candle, no matter how fragrant, will not give off as much scent as a comparable but larger candle. It is unreasonable to expect a tiny candle to fill an entire living room with its aroma. Burn smaller candles in a small room unless you burn multiple candles at a time.
Candle Memory - Did you know that a candle has a memory? If you light a candle & blow it out before it has a chance to melt a puddle of wax that extends all the way to it's container, it tends to burn straight down and leave a lot of unburned wax on the sides of the jar. (However, this does not happen with my candles). It's important the first few times you light a candle to let it puddle all the way across the jar before you extinguish. A general guideline for the amount of time required to melt a puddle to the edge is 1 hour/inch of diameter of the candle, especially the first few times you burn it.
Trim that Wick - Soy candles with cotton/paper wicks have drastically cut down on the smoking, but if too much of the wick is burning too fast, the wick itself will smoke. If the wick is too long, the wick itself will burn because it is no longer in contact with the wax (this is what causes the soot). Although 100% cotton/paper wicks are less likely to smoke, it is important to trim the wick before each lighting. Trimming the wick will also help the candle burn more slowly and puddle all the way to the edges The little mushroom that may form on the wick will help remind you it's time to trim. If your candle starts burning to one side, adjust your wick, check for drafts, turn your candle.
Extinguish - It is recommended that you do not "blow" your candle out to extinguish, but rather use a wick dipper or snuffer. You can push the wick into the wax puddle to eliminate any smoking or smoldering of the wick. If you do not have a wick dipper or snuffer, you can try holding your index finger between your lips and the flame when blowing. This causes the air to flow around your finger, hitting the flame from both sides. This reduces the chance of blowing wax out onto the table.
Clean up - Soy wax is much softer than paraffin. Therefore, should you accidently get the wax on surfaces, they can be easily cleaned with soap and warm water. A non-sharp edge can also scrape up the wax (i.e. pampered chef pan scraper, a spatula edge). When you have fully burned your jar candle, you can pour the tiny bit of remaining liquid wax into a can or container - NEVER POUR DOWN YOUR DRAIN, remove the metal wick tab with a butter knife and simply wash out your container with soap and hot water. You now have a perfectly good container to use for something else. Should your container retain a scent, simply wipe it out with rubbing alcohol.