I hate it when I light my candles and then wick tunnels all the way down with a large amount of unburned wax on the sides!
Well, I recently learned how to fix this problem and I had to share it with you all!
Unfortunately I was so excited to try it, I forgot to take a “before” photo. But you can see in the picture below, the different layers of unmelted on the side. If I were to continue to let this candle burn, it would just tunnel down leaving a lot of wasted wax.
It is simple: wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the candle. You will want the foil to hang over the unmelted tunneled wax you want to fix. You need to leave enough room for the flame in the center so it has enough oxygen to burn. Don’t let the flame touch the foil. You light the candle, and let it burn long enough until the wax has melted completely to the edge. Depending on how bad your tunneling is, this may take several hours, so be prepared! Be careful removing the foil as it may be hot. Do not leave burning candles unattended or near pets/children.
The size of the candle and wax quality may affect how well this works. But I say if you’re frustrated about all the wasted wax, it is worth a try! This candle below is Diptyque.
Below is the after! See, much better! There is still a tiny bit on the side. I probably should have let it burn 30 more minutes but I had places to be!
Now, the best thing to “fix” the tunneling problem is just to AVOID it happening from the beginning!
How do we do that?
First, With bougie candles, like Diptyque, you do NOT trim the wick on the first burn. It is exactly the correct length. The first burn wick has to be a little longer. I am uncertain about B&BW candle wick length and if you need to trim them first.
Second, you must let it burn long enough on the first burn so the wax is completely melted to the rim. A general rule of thumb is: for every inch diameter the vessel is, it must burn 1 hour. So a 3 inch diameter vessel must burn 3 hours. The type and quality of wax will affect this.
Other tricks to keep candles burning properly: you should trim the wick just before lighting. It should be about 1/4 inch. Don’t trim when when the wick and wax are hot/warm.
