It’s amazing how the Midwest weather can change in just 10 days.  Two weekends ago we were sitting in shorts and tank tops watching our son’s baseball game under the sun on an 80 degree day.  Today – the temperature maybe topped at 45 degrees.

We turned our heat and fireplace on and the candles came out.  Don’t ask my why, but I typically only burn candles in cooler weather.  It makes me feel more “cozy”.

When I dug out our glass jar candles, I noticed I held on to a couple that were almost burned to the glass bottom.  I’m not sure how much life they have in them but surely they’d be okay for just tonight.  Right?

WRONG!  You should never let the candle burn to the very bottom.  No matter how tempted you are to get the very last scent from the remaining wax, you should toss the candle once the wax drops below half an inch.

Candles cause nearly 10,000 house fires a year (35% from candles in the bedroom) and those candles I just mentioned, are a fire hazard.  Without enough wax in my pillar as a buffer, the flame can ignite debris (like a match particle that’s been left in the candle) and cause a blaze to flare up.  Even if a fire doesn’t ignite, the low-level of wax in the jar increases the likelihood of the flame brushing against the sides and the bottom.  If the glass gets hot enough, it could shatter.  In any case, if you let the wax burn lower than half an inch, you are putting your home at risk.

Although most of the time, the candle I’m burning is close to us like on a shelf or an end table, why risk it?  They’re going in the trash.  And, while I’m at it, I’m going to purge all other kinds of candles that are shorter than two inches.  It just gives me more reason to buy some pretty fall scented new ones!

Where should my first stop be on my candle shopping spree?

– S.O.
POB Agency