The Most Important Candle Warning Instructions which You Need to Include with Your Hand Poured Candles

Many countries legally require that candle manufacturers and retailers include a candle safety instructions label with each candle product. Whether you make soy wax candles, wick candles, tealights, container candles, outdoor candles or any other type of candles, you will need to include a warning label or a candle care card with your products in order to be compliant with your local authority.

The legal requirements for candle care instructions does differ slightly from country to country so it’s important to know the regulations of the country where you intend to manufacture and/or sell your candles.

Don’t know where to start? We are here to help! We have listed the most important candle do’s and don’ts tips below, so you know what type of candle safety information you need to include. You can, of course, add more safety information for your specific candles but these are the candle safety instructions you need to include for most types of candles.

If you don’t want to design candle warning stickers or candle care notes yourself (or if you simply don’t have the time), then you can use one of our ready-made candle care cards and candle safety label templates. All of the candle business templates in our shop are editable and printable, so you can quickly create a personalised candle safety guide for your candle boutique.

Candle Care and Burning Instructions:

The following candle care and safety information can be included in a candle safety guide, candle care note, or candle warning label:

Allow enough time for the wax to melt completely to the edges of the container to prevent “tunnelling”

Tunnelling occurs when a lit candle melts the wax in the centre of the candle but fails to melt the surrounding wax. This results in a tunnelling hole forming in the centre of the candle. To prevent tunnelling, you should allow your candle to burn for enough time, so that the wax melts to completely cover the edges of the candle container. There should be a full covering of melted wax across the top surface of the candle.

Trim the wick to 1/4″ tall before you relight your candle to keep the wax clean and burning nicely

The wick should always be trimmed to ¼ inch before you relight your candle, so that the wick burns more efficiently and produces a balanced flame, free of dirty soot, flickering and flame leaping. This should be done every 3 to 4 hours of burning and the candle should be left to cool down before trimming and relighting.

Avoid burning your candle for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time

Never burn your candle for longer than 4 hours. This results in wick mushrooming, where the wick ends up longer than usual. Balls of carbon build up on the wick, leading to a larger flame, and more heat, as more wax is pulled up the wick. A wick mushroom is obviously dangerous as a fire hazard, but also damaging to the candle itself because when the carbon balls fall into the melting wax, and when the burning leaves soot, this can make the candle dirty. There is a minimum burn time to avoid tunnelling, but also a maximum burn time to avoid wick mushrooming.

Never leave a burning candle unattended; be sure to extinguish the candle before leaving the room

The risk of leaving a candle unattended, is the possibility that nearby flammable objects might catch on fire. Unattended candles lead to tragic deaths and destruction every year globally. According to the National Candle Association (NCA), in the US there are around 18000 candle-related fires every year, with 36% of those fires being caused by unattended candles. A candle should never be left unattended. Rather extinguish the candle before leaving the room and relight it again upon return. Take precautions to safeguard against these risks by fitting smoke detectors, and by keeping candles away from combustible items.

Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets

Children and pets can also be a fire hazard. There is the risk that children or pets bump over the candle, or that children accidentally start fires while using candles. Children should be educated about the dangers of using candles, and if possible, prohibited from using candles. Candles should also be kept out of reach of pets at home. Pets can easily knock over a candle and start a fire by accident.

Place candle on a stable, heat resistant surface away from flammable objects before lighting

The candle should be placed within sight but away from windows, pets, and children. The candle should be placed on a heat resistant, secure, and stable surface before lighting, and away from flammable objects, such as paper, curtains, plastic, furniture, or any other combustible objects which might pose a fire hazard. A wind draft can carry a candle flame so make sure that the candle is placed away from windows and that there is adequate distance between the candle and any flammable objects.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, these are the top 6 candle safety tips to include with your candles.

Remember, it is important to include a candle care card / candle safety instructions with each candle, to not only follow your local authority’s rules and regulations, but also to do your part in educating your customers about the fire hazards associated with candle use. Your customers will be better informed about the safety considerations, and they will also look after their candles more effectively by reading the provided candle care and safety instructions.

And if you don’t want to waste precious time making your own candle care cards from scratch, then have a look at Diymydesign.com and find the perfect design for your candle business!