The Best Ways to Burn

Lighting a candle seems like a pretty straight forward activity, but what you may not know about burning candles might be preventing you from getting the longest, cleanest, most effective burn for your money. Here's just a few tips everyone should know before lighting their next candle:

Jar Candles:

*The first time you light up your soy candle, you should be prepared to let it burn for a while. The preferred time is to allow a soy candle to burn one hour for each inch in diameter of the candle. For many soy jar candles that would equate to 3-4 hours of burning, as they are 3-4 inches wide. The reason for this is to get the best burn pool going. As it burns you will notice there is a slow spread of the melted oil from the center towards the edge of the jar. You don't want to extinguish you candle until the pool has reached the edges of the jar each and every time you light it. If you plan on going to bed an hour after you light your candle, start burning smaller-sized candles.

*We frequently say, "Candles have a memory and they love to carry a grudge!" Candles 'remember' how wide their oil pool was in the past, and they will grow to that size in the future. That means if you only burn them a little while the first time around, they will stick to that size burn pool and burn down through the candle, instead of making use of the wax around the edges. This is the primary source of candles "tunneling" or leaving excess wax stuck to the sides of the jar.

*Your scent comes from this burn pool. The larger it is, the better the scent. You will get more fragrance from a larger candle than a smaller one and you will get more fragrance from your candles if you burn them for long periods of time before extinguishing them.


Pillar Candles:

To prevent dripping, when candle burns down to the point that you can no longer see the flame, allow to cool completely then slice off the top of the outer wall of the pillar to allow proper burning to continue. If you choose, you can throw the excess wax into the top of a melter to get the most from it!

Taper Candles:
Our palm wax tapers are dripless, but to ensure this: avoid drafts, excessive vibrations or nearby heat sources and be sure tapers are straight and set firmly in their holders. (We sell Taper "huggers" in our store to help achieve a straight, wobble-free taper.)

Votives:
Votives are made to liquefy; burn them only in appropriate holders, never burn a votive without a container that reaches up to the top of the candle.

Avoiding soot:

Although soy wax burns much cleaner, the all cotton wick may cause some soot. Also, if you light your soy candle with matches or a typical lighter (even a budget candle lighter) the flame usually paints the jar black. Use a candle lighter with an adjustable flame that can be kept only large enough to light the wick, not blacken the jar.

*Keep your wick trimmed only when it's too long and has a mushroom top on it. Avoid burning candles in drafts (ie. outdoors, near a fan or heater/ AC unit).

*When putting your soy candles out, pinch the wick with your fingers or a Candle Quencher. This will virtually eliminate smoldering and soot residue caused from blowing or snuffing out wicks.

If you follow these simple tricks of the trade, you will be able to get much more burn time for your money, as well as an optimal candle-burning experience!

The Health Effects of Burning Candles

Are burning Soy Candles Really Better for Your Home and Your Health?

Two popular issues surrounding the use of scented candles are one, the positive environment and effects of aromatherapy treatment and two, the threat of soot and toxins creating an unhealthy environment. Evidence suggests that if you not careful, it is possible to create an unhealthy environment while trying to create just the opposite.

Let's deal momentarily with the topic of aromatherapy. One of the basic concepts of mind/body medicine is that a positive frame of mind helps to keep people in good health. Aromatherapy is thought to improve a person's mental outlook and sense of well-being by affecting the area of the brain that regulates emotions. Relaxing and pleasant smells stimulate emotional responses of pleasure and relaxation. Without any technical qualifications to endorse or reject the ideas for any particular health result, I'll leave that debate to the trained professional aroma-therapists.

Now let's explore the second matter - soot and toxins. With 7 out of 10 households enjoying candles on a regular basis and scented candles being a popular gift, we should know if we're giving poisons to our loved ones. Paraffin candles, even expensive or popular brands, produce toxins, probable cancer causing agents, and nasty black soot that leaves visible trails in your home. While most candles made in the US do not use metal in their wicks, there are no laws governing it and many candles, especially imported candles may still contain lead wicks. A University of Michigan School of Public Health study revealed that after one hour, one third of the candles tested emitted unsafe levels of lead into the air. We recommend that you never burn a candle with a metal core wick.

How much damage can one candle cause? According to David Krause, of Indoor Air Solutions, results of recent experiments have shown that certain paraffin candles can produce up to 100 times more soot than low-soot producing candles. The American Lung Association also warns that burning paraffin candles can emit toxins in measurable amounts, into your home's air and testing by the EPA has confirmed that paraffin candles, and the smoke and soot they give off, contain several dangerous chemicals in significant quantities. These chemicals include known or probable carcinogens, neurotoxins and reproductive toxins.

No one knows for sure if paraffin candles cause cancer, but there are at least 4 cancer-causing chemicals associated with paraffin candles. The EPA lists these chemicals on their website:

1) Benzene (EPA classification as Group A, known human carcinogen).

2) Carbon Tetrachloride (EPA classification as Group B2 probable human carcinogen).

3) Trichloroethane (EPA classification as Group C, possible human carcinogen).

4) Toluene (EPA classification as Group B2 probable human carcinogen).

So what's the alternative to petroleum based candles? The long-standing favorite has been beeswax, but beeswax is very expensive and is generally not an option for the most popular candle variations - scented jar candles, tea lights and votives. The relatively new petroleum alternative comes from soybeans grown in Iowa. Be forewarned, many large candle makers are offering so-called soy candles, that may be as much as ninety percent paraffin (petroleum based) and 10% soy wax. Soy "blend" is not the same as a 100% soy wax candle. Candles made entirely from soy wax burn cooler and last longer than paraffin wax. Soy wax is derived from plants and is a renewable resource that's non-toxic, biodegradable and better for the environment.

As more people learn about the effects of burning paraffin candles in their homes, they're switching to soy candles and coming back for more while sharing great success stories. So the next time you want to create a relaxing, inviting or romantic atmosphere in your home, don't do so at the risk of your health or home. Choose natural soy candles as a healthy alternative.

Paraffin vs. Soy - some facts

Paraffin candles are made with paraffin, a white waxy substance that is a bi-product of fuel. When burned and in liquid form, it emits soot and carcinogens, such as carbon monoxide, into the air. Since this is airborne, you, your loved ones and your pets can breathe these substances into your lungs. The gray-black residue that is left behind is known as "ghosting" and can be seen in excess on the tops of candles, curtains, walls, and in your air filters. High levels of these toxins have been known to cause illness in some who frequently burn paraffin-based candles. Symptoms can include headache, dizziness and nausea. Those with pet birds or reptiles should be extremely cautious burning paraffin candles since these animals are very sensitive to pollution.

Over the past few years, the soy candle has grown in popularity and for good reason. Soy candles do not contain any of the toxins or soot that paraffin candles release. This means you can burn your candles without the worry of ghosting on your curtains and walls, or clogging up your air filters. You can also breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you and your family are enjoying cleaner air that isn't polluted with carcinogens. Some allergy sufferers find that soy candles are less irritating than paraffin candles because of the absence of soot and toxins. Soy candles are easy on the environment, not only do they not emit toxins, but they are a renewable source! Unused paraffin wax is not biodegradable, but soy candle wax burns clean. You can even use the jar for other purposes after you've cleaned it. Here's some more good news, soy wax can actually hold more fragrance than paraffin wax, so you get a strong fragrance throughout the life of the candle. You can also enjoy your candle much longer because soy wax burns at only 127 degrees fahrenheit, which is a much lower temperature than paraffin candles.

So to sum up: soy candles burn longer and cleaner than paraffin. Why would you burn anything but soy?

Keeping Your Canvas Fine Art Clean

This beautiful contemporary art on canvas might be great hanging on an elegant bathroom wall, but if you burn a regular paraffin wax candle (petroleum) then your artwork will ave a build up of nasty black soot you don't want to try to clean.

When you wash the glass on a framed print. you can see and feel the soot. How do you clean canvas fine art?

Today's contemporary canvas art is often actually canvas transfers that can be cleaned with a soft damp cloth - good luck cleaning off the soot though - the best way to protect your art, furniture and other household treasures is to burn only Beanpod soy candles. This art print on canvas by the way is from our sister company the Naked Wall Art Gallery. This piece is called Bano III by Anna Scott.

Soy Candles Help Keep Your Home Clean

We get questions about the harm of burning sooty petroleum candles all the time. Of course soy candles burn cleaner, but how much does it really matter? Well, it a common story - so many people have filed insurance claims for damage to their home they thought were caused by their oil furnace, the insurance companies did some research - we can always count on insurance companies to research ways to not pay claims, right? Well it turns out that too often the soot damage on your walls comes from burning dirty petroleum candles, not from the furnace. You might be amazed by that notion - after all, it's not like you burn a hundred candles in your house at once! Well, it turns out the insurance company research proved that burning one dirty candle can produce as much soot as burning 100 clean candles. They will not pay for your sooty walls from burning sooty candles.

Just for fun, we have tested burning over 100 soy candles in our home at the same time for an entire evening. At our famous Christmas parties, in fact, at two in a row, we lit our house entirely with Beanpod soy candles. Yes, over 100 soy candles burning at once - it was a thing of great beauty! Plus, I realized I could have saved a lot of time cleaning - god, I love candle light! Anyway, not only did we not catch anyone on fire, the ceilings and walls were spotless and even our guests that normally have allergies and complain about the smell of candles, all had a great time and felt no problems being among all those candles. And yes, they were scented soy candles - Holiday Memories and Evergreen - two favorites at the Soyfire Candle store in North Conway.

The Great Yankee Swap

Our Manager, Jami (a/k/a Ryan's Mom), posing with our friend Erin, owner of the Met Coffeehouse who caters all the events at Soyfire.

Our best customers are former Yankee Candle customers, and we hear stories everyday about the soot they're so tired of. Now, we don't like to pick on just one competitor, in fact we think Yankee is one of the best petroleum candles available- but it's still petroleum. Truth is, we're New England based, and in these parts Yankee Candle set the standard... but we have the new standard.

Another great New England tradition at Christmas time is the Yankee Swap. It's a way to make gift giving at the office much easier and more fun. (Okay, that' the premise, but there is some debate as to whether that ever happens.) So, this year we conducted our version of a Yankee Swap.

Customers brought in their old, used (completely or partially burned) sooty candle jars and we would swap them for a brand new free, soy candle from Beanpod. No purchase was necessary, just come in and swap. If they made a purchase of at least $14, we would swap their new free candles again to upgrade to a larger jar candle at the register.

We did lots of swapping, and as you can tell from the picture, our completely burned, clean Beanpod candle jar is photographed in front of a table full of other sooty old candles. That pictures says it all for many of our customers.