Four Common Candle Tools and How to Use Them

By Chandler Cat

If you buy candles, this post is for you! Whether you are a total candle connoisseur or just beginning your candle collection, we want you to get the most out of your candle purchase. These common candle tools not only extend the life of your candles, they can improve the fragrance and overall burn performance, too. Read on to learn how to use each one, and discover the benefits they provide to your candle burning experience.

Wick Trimmers

Trim your wicks, people!

THE FACTS: The ideal wick length is ¼ - ½ inch, and trimming the wick to that length at purchase and beyond is always recommended. A wick that is too long will cause excess smoke and sooting, plus excess wick debris to collect at the top of the wick, not fun and not safe.  An untrimmed can also cause the candle to burn too hot, which can affect the fragrance and cause your candle to burn up faster than necessary.

THE CANDLE TOOL: Wick Trimmers. Trimming the wick is easy enough when your candle is new, but that gets tricky when the candle has been burned a few times. Enter wick trimmers. The long handle of this popular candle accessory allows you to easily reach the wick at the bottom of the candles, and the cleverly designed trimmers not only clip the burned wick debris, they collect it for easy retrieval. Awkward scissor wick trimming, be gone!

Wick Dippers

New tool on the block!

THE FACTS: Candles smell great, but that smoke after you blow them out...not so great. Blowing out candles without any tool can cause excess smoke, a strong burnt aroma, plus can cause hot wax to blow out of the vessel and onto your wall or candle surface.

THE CANDLE TOOL: Wick Dippers. This simply brilliant and easy to use tool provides a smoke-free, cleaner option for extinguishing your candles. Simply dip the lit wick into the melted wax pool, and voila! The flame is extinguished without the hassle of smoke and rogue candle debris.

Candle Snuffers

Keepin’ it Classy.

THE FACTS: If wick dippers are the newest candle tool to hit the shelves, candle snuffers are the OG of candle tools. Wick dippers are great for your container candles, but snuffers allow you to extinguish taller candles such as tapers and pillars, while eliminating the chance of blowing hot wax all over the place.

THE CANDLE TOOL: Candle snuffers have been used for centuries for extinguishing candle flames. The cone shaped top keeps air away from the flame which causes it to extinguish. Candle snuffers can be used for all types of candles: scented container candles, tapers, and pillars. We recommend snuffers that “dangle” so that you can extinguish from any angle.

Safety Matches

Safety first, kids.

THE FACTS: There are countless tools you can use to light your candle, but safety matches are our fav. But what ARE safety matches? A box of safety matches contains specifically designed matches that only ignite when struck on the side of the matchbox, making them inherently safer than strike anywhere matches or matchbooks which house the striker in contact with the matches.

THE CANDLE TOOL: Safety Matches. Beyond providing a safer match to keep in your home, our safety matches are often at least 4” long, making it easier to light candles that have burned down a few inches into the candle vessel.