Candle safety: Protect your home’s ambience

Candles are a safe product that can bring the user a great deal of relaxation, but they can also be a danger that can lead to serious harm if not used properly. Accidental fire is the only large problem associated with candle use, which is why proper attentiveness to candles and responsible candle use is very important if you want to fully enjoy the candles that are placed throughout your home.

According to the National Candle Association, there are 15,000 candle fires reported yearly, most of which could be avoided if consumers were more cautious and attentive to their candle use. In order to protect the relaxing calm that proper use of candles can bring, the following are proper candle safety guidelines that can prevent an accidental fire from occurring within our home.

First of all, a burning candle should always be within your sight and within the same room as you. If you will be moving throughout your home then it is not a good time to light a candle. Additionally, before leaving your home or heading to sleep all candles should be extinguished.

Second, you need to be cautious never to light a candle near anything that is flammable such as furniture, bedding, carpets, drapes, paper, decorations, or books. This rule needs to be followed regardless of whether you have a gel candle, potted candle, or free standing candle as all can produce large flames from time to time that could potentially cause damage.

Third, in order to avoid large flames from spontaneously occurring, all candlewicks should be trimmed to a fourth of an inch before lighting the candle. The wick length should be checked every time a candle is lit even if it has been burnt previously as uneven burning can cause a wick to be exposed in various lengths between burnings.

Finally, candles should always be placed in a candleholder that is designed for use with candles as not all holders are heat resistant and able enough to contain the candle wax that drips from a candle as it burns.