Candle Care

Candle Care, Instructions & Safety

At Paw & Wick Co., every candle is hand-poured with care using a coconut soy wax blend, premium fragrance oils, and a cotton, lead-free wick. To get the best performance, scent throw, and burn life from your candle, please follow the care and safety instructions below.

Before Lighting

Before each burn, trim the wick to approximately 1/4 inch. A properly trimmed wick helps create a cleaner, steadier flame and can reduce soot, mushrooming, and uneven burning.

Place your candle on a stable, heat-resistant surface away from drafts, open windows, fans, vents, curtains, plants, papers, furniture, or anything flammable.

Make sure the wax surface is clear of wick trimmings, matches, dust, pet hair, or any other debris before lighting.

First Burn

The first burn is very important.

Allow the wax to melt evenly across the full surface of the candle, reaching the edges of the jar before extinguishing. This helps prevent tunneling and creates an even burn pattern for future use.

As a general guide, burn your candle for 2–3 hours on the first use, or until a full melt pool has formed.

During Each Burn

Burn your candle for 1–4 hours at a time. Avoid burning for longer than 4 hours, as this can cause the jar to become too hot, affect fragrance performance, and create excess wick mushrooming.

Never leave a burning candle unattended.

Keep candles away from children and pets at all times. Even pet-conscious candles should still be treated as an open flame and hot wax product.

Do not move the candle while it is burning or while the wax is still melted. The jar, wax, and flame can be hot and may cause burns or spills.

Extinguishing Your Candle

For best results, use a candle snuffer to extinguish the flame. This helps reduce smoke and prevents hot wax from splattering.

Do not blow aggressively into the candle, and never use water to extinguish a candle. Water can cause hot wax to splatter and may damage or crack the jar.

After extinguishing, allow the wax to fully cool and solidify before trimming the wick, relighting, moving, or placing the lid back on.

When to Stop Burning

Discontinue use when approximately 1/2 inch of wax remains at the bottom of the jar.

Burning a candle too low can cause the jar to overheat, which may lead to cracking, surface damage, or injury.

Pet-Conscious Candle Use

Our candles are created with pet-conscious homes in mind, but every pet is different. Pets can be sensitive to scent, smoke, and changes in their environment.

When burning candles around pets:

Keep candles out of reach of paws, tails, noses, and curious faces.

Burn candles in a well-ventilated area.

Avoid placing candles near pet beds, food dishes, litter boxes, crates, cages, aquariums, or small animal enclosures.

Monitor your pet for signs of sensitivity, such as sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, hiding, agitation, or leaving the room.

Never allow pets to ingest wax, fragrance oil, wick pieces, or any candle materials.

For birds, reptiles, small mammals, or pets with respiratory sensitivities, use extra caution and consult your veterinarian before using scented products in the home.