Candle Care 101

• Whether it is a party with friends or a relaxing evening at home, nothing sets the mood better than candles. So here is what I call Candle Care 101:
• A little trick to extend the life of your candle: wrap the wick in saran wrap and place your candle in the refrigerator of a couple of hours before burning. A cool candle will burn more slowly. This is really helpful during a long dinner party!
• Long wicks create black smoke that can mark your ceiling. To avoid this, trim wicks to a 1/2 inch before you light them.
• To remove wax that has collected at the bottom of your glass votive, stick your votive in the freezer and after it freezes, the wax will crumble easily.
• If wax drips onto your fine linens, simply warm up the wax with a hair dryer then cover it with a cloth that you don't mind throwing away. Run a warm iron over the cloth and wax will adhere to the cloth! If that doesn't work, check craft or fabric stores for wax removing products.

Remember to keep candles away from foliage and drapes as well as children and pets.