Before lighting your candle, be sure the wick is trimmed to ¼”. The wick is key: 90% of a candle’s performance is based on the wick. It’s such a small part of the candle, yet the wick plays the most integral role in a successfully burning candle (one that burns clean, not leaving any wax on the side of the container). When the wick is too long, it will smoke and may leave black soot on the container. Also, the flame will burn hotter and make the candle less safe by heating the container to excessive temperatures, which may cause a severe burn if the container is touched. However, if a wick is too short, it will not burn properly. A short wick will not burn hot enough to melt a wax pool large enough to reach the outside of the container, which will cause the candle to “tunnel” and leave wax on the outside of the container. Sometimes a short wick will extinguish itself and refuse to light again. A short wick can usually be remedied. First, light your candle and let it burn for about five minutes. Extinguish the candle and pour out the wax pool in to the garbage, or better yet, in to the bowl of a tart melter. Relight and let burn. If after another thirty minutes the wax pool does not melt to the outside of the container and it is starting to burn down, pour a little more wax out. This should remedy the problem. We at Minnesota Soy Candle Company continually burn and test our candles to ensure that each wick in each size of candle burns properly. Rarely do we find that a wick is simply a “dud” and nothing can be done about it. However, if you find one of our candles does not burn as it should, please return the candle to us and we will swiftly replace it. Let it burn! Soy candles burn best when they are left to burn for at least a couple hours at a time. This allows for the pool of wax to reach the outside of the container and for all of the wax to burn down evenly. If the candle is extinguished before the wax pool reaches the outer walls of the container, the candle will “tunnel,” leaving a ring of wax on the outside of the container. The best way to extinguish a candle is to use an extinguisher. Simply and gently push the lit wick into the pool of wax and immediately pull it back up when the flame is dead. This process instantly kills the flame and prevents a smoldering wick and the lingering, distinct scent that follows. The wick is then coated with wax which makes relighting easier and faster. Also, right after a wick is extinguished is the best time to trim it because it is more pliable and less prone to snapping off at the base. If you need to trim a wick that was previously lit but has hardened, light the wick for ten seconds, extinguish, and then trim. This makes the wick softer and less likely to break when trimming. 
