• Burn your pillar candle one hour for every inch of its diameter the first time you light it. This will allow the pool of wax to extend to the outside rim and prevent your candle from forming a "canyon" in its center.
• Burning your candle this way will also set its memory. Each time you re-light the candle it will "remember" to burn out to the rim.
• Trim the wick of any candle - canister candle, pillar, taper, tealight or votive - to one-quarter inch every time you light the candle. This will ensure clean, smoke-free burning. Be sure to remove any wick debris that has fallen into the candle.
• If in the unlikely event that your candle is smoking, and you've already trimmed the wick to one-quarter inch, extinguish the candle immediately. Pinch or trim the wick just a bit more and the smoking will stop.
• If you've bought a superior-quality candle, you shouldn't have problems with smoking. Fine quality candles are virtually smokeless.
• Candles need oxygen. If you burn a candle in a small, confined area it will smoke. So consider the size of the room when you arrange your candles.
• The most effective way to extinguish the flame of a candle is to use a candle snuffer. The snuffer helps prevent the wax from spraying, and keeps the wick centered as well. If you don't have a snuffer, here's an effective way to extinguish a candle:
  Position your forefinger between the candle and your mouth, aligning it with the flame. When you blow at the candle, the "air" will circle around your finger, and hit the flame from both sides, rather than approaching it directly. It's a clever trick. Try it!

• You can keep your candles smooth and silky-looking by gently rubbing them with ordinary nylon stockings. This will remove scratches, and will also rub off the "bloom" that forms on a beeswax candle.
• To guard your candles against fading, avoid placing them in direct sunlight.
• Store your candles in a dry, cool, dark place.
• Before you slip a votive candle into a votive cup or holder, drop a teaspoon of water into the cup. This way, when you want to remove the votive candle to replace it with another, the candle should slide out easily. Plus, you won't have to struggle, or run the risk of damaging the holder. Check periodically to make sure there is ample water remaining in the holder.
• Wish there were an easier way to steady a taper candle in a candlestick than tipping the candle over to melt the wax, and letting it drip down into the candlestick? There is a www.seventhsenseindia.com Candle Stickers. Simply place one of the soft wax Candle Stickers (or just a portion of one) into the candlestick, then sit the candle on top of it. These amazing little wonders work like magic - you'll wonder what you ever did without them!
• Special tip: To sample a scented candle, breathe the fragrance in from the bottom of the candle rather than the top or side. Undisturbed by circulating air, the aroma will be intensely concentrated there, more so than on any other part of the candle.

Did you have a candle mishap? Here are some tips and tricks for safely removing wax from carpets, furniture, and other surfaces:

To remove wax from carpeting or fabric:

• Gently remove as much of the hardened wax as possible. A tined instrument, like a fork, is a great tool for removing wax from carpeting, as it will not tear out the fibers, and will help separate them in the case they've clumped together. Take an old towel, paper toweling, or a brown paper bag, and lay it over the remaining wax. Using a clothes iron, or a blow dryer on its lowest heat setting, warm the toweling. The wax beneath the toweling will melt and absorb into the toweling. Blot, and repeat as necessary.

To remove wax from wood surfaces:

• Gently and carefully scraped as much of the wax off the surface as possible, using only your fingernails or a flexible tool, such as a stiff piece of cardboard. Using a blow dryer on its lowest setting, warm any remaining wax, and immediately wipe away with a soft piece of cloth. Another product we highly recommend for removing wax is our own Wax Remover!

• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Ensure that flammable materials are removed from the vicinity of the flame.
• Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
• Always place your candles on sturdy, non-flammable holders, in sizes appropriate for the candles.
• Always light candles in draft-free areas, to prevent dripping and smoking. If a draft cannot be avoided, turn the candle 180 degrees every hour.
• Never burn a candle completely. Dispose of it when it burns to within one inch of the base or holder.
• Remember to remove the labels on your candles before you light them.