Hi Everyone !
Like I mentioned in my previous post on how to recycle your Yankee Candles jars, I really love Yankee Candles ! Based on same fact, I very often consider them as gifts to give to others. For example I gave a Yankee Candle in the "Snowflake Cookie" scent to my mother later last year and other scents to other special persons. Later on I came to find out that their Yankee Candles have been "tunneling" over time !... As such, in this post I will describe means to avoid this issue and/or to repair your candle if ever you use Yankee Candle jars as well. It is important to know about theses because honestly speaking, if you are going to invest a certain sum of money to purchase a product, better ensure that you use the latter optimally!
What is tunneling as applied to candles?
A candle is said to be tunneled if it has got more than one different burning surface levels as in the picture below:
How to avoid tunneling?
You should ensure to burn your candle for at least 1 hour or until the wax has melted up to the jar border forming like a small "pool". If it has not reached the border even after 1 hour, then wait for more time (even up to 2 hours or more) because if you do not allow your wax to melt up to the border, be sure that you increase the risk for tunneling to occur.
"Allowing the wax to melt up to the border !"
You may also use an "Illuma-Lid" while burning your candle however not only it is another investment but if you still do not burn your candle up to the border of the jar, tunneling can still occur. So the latter is quite optional here, the most important/recommended is that you allow your candle to burn for some hours instead of letting it burn for a short time.
How to repair candles that have tunneled?
Unfortunately at times you do not have the choice to let it burn for some hours or until the melted wax reaches the border. For example you might light your candle but you need to leave after 30 minutes or less! In such case do not panic, follow the procedure below and hopefully you will have back your candle as on day 1!
NOTE: The procedure below may be used for tunneled candles whose tunneling depth is reasonable (1-3cm). Trespassing that depth, you encounter the risk that your wick becomes totally immersed/covered by the wax which will melt and thus it may even ruin your candle ..
TIP: If ever the wax melted while repairing your candle has totally covered/immersed your wick, you may get another wick ("dummy" wick) from another candle (even the cheapest ones) and place it in vertical position in the center of that same melted wax (somewhere near your actual wick) and allow the wax to cool and harden. After some time of burning your candle afterwards (using the "dummy" wick) and that the wax level has decreased, you may then remove that extra wick ("dummy" wick) added and continue with the original one ..
Repairing your Yankee Candle jars !
Procedure:
Step 1: Cut a piece of Aluminum foil long enough to go around the perimeter of your jar and covering the tunneled area completely!
Step 2: Press firmly your Aluminum foil around your jar and light your candle for about 1-3 hours depending on the depth of tunneling involved
Step 3: After about 2 hours check if the wax has fully melted and has reached the border of the jar, even making a small "wax" pool.
Step 4: Once the melted wax has reached the jar`s border, gently remove the Aluminum foil paper
Step 5: As you will see, your candle top surface is now flat and smooth ! Blow out your candle and wait for the wax to cool and harden.
Step 6: About 15 minutes after blowing out the candle from step 5
Step 7: About 1 hour after blowing out the candle from step 5
Step 8: Here you are with your repaired candle !
Other tips to take care of your Yankee Candles:
Always ensure that your burning wick length is about 0.5cm and cut diagonally - You may use a nail clipper but preferentially a Yankee Candle wick cutter (I got mine here). The latter is far better to use because it is designed with a small "built-in debris tray" that collects your wick cut-off and thus prevent same wick to fall inside your candle which might cause a mess.
I normally purchase my Yankee Candle jars in Mauritius however most if not all of my other Yankee Candle accessories and other products I mostly prefer to purchase them online. This is not only because I love purchasing online but also and mostly because there are far more choices!
For instance it is sad that the choices of Yankee Candle accessories are quite limited in Mauritius yet hopefully with time this will change !
If after some hours burning you find that your wick length becomes quite long (more than 0.5 cm), blow out the flame, cut your wick to the required length then light it again. Normally if your flame becomes big and/or flickers and/or start to cause soot to be formed in your jar, then it means that your wick is too long.
Thank you for watching !
