How to Use a Wick Trimmer for Your Candle

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Don’t pinch that mushroom top off your candle’s burnt wick. Use a wick trimmer instead! 

Wick trimmers have been around for quite some time now and, along with candle snuffers and wax dippers, are one of the most useful tools for candle care. Wick trimmers provide lots of advantages and can also look rather stylish on your table centerpiece along with your candle collection. Using a trimmer is quite easy! In this guide, Homesick teaches how to use a wick trimmer, so you can adequately care for your candles and make them last as long as possible. 

Why Is a Wick Trimmer Necessary?

You love your Homesick candle and want it to last forever and always. Luckily, there are lots of ways to give your candle the best care to make it last, like keeping it away from drafts and extinguishing a flame before it grows too high or big. However, one wonderful tool that comes in handy is a wick trimmer. Why exactly is a wick trimmer necessary?

A Wick Trimmer Is the Perfect Candle Tool

Using a wick trimmer is a lot easier than trying to reach into a candle container with a giant pair of scissors or even your hand. If you’ve ever tried to cut a candle wick with a pair of scissors only to pull your hand away with a smear of soot, you know what we mean. Plus, even if you get your hand inside the jar, often you can’t even see the wick to cut it. 

Also, unlike scissors, a wick trimmer features a plate-like cutter with a raised edge designed to capture the burnt wick you trim away. However, even if you have small enough scissors to reach inside the candle jar, once you trim back the wick, it will shed burnt ashes onto the wax, which can smear and be challenging to remove. 

A Wick Trimmer Helps Candles Burn Brighter, Cleaner and Safer 

It’s important to understand how candles work. A properly trimmed candle wick will help your candle burn brighter and safer. When a wick gets too long, it can create a higher flame, which can melt your special candle that much faster. Not to mention, a higher flame can create embers and become dangerous. 

Furthermore, a trimmed wick burns cleaner, maintaining a clear candle jar without that smoky, sooty interior. Keeping the tip of the wick close to the wax also enhances the scent of your favorite candle without causing “mushrooming,” which is carbon buildup.

A Wick Trimmer Looks Sophisticated and Stylish

A well-placed wick trimmer next to your favorite candle or candle collection elevates the home. With a sophisticated candle tool like the wick trimmer, it also lets your guests know you take great care of your home and possessions, even your candles. Plus, the Homesick wick trimmer offers a minimal design and is made of a dark tone metal that lends an elegant beauty and weight to a styled centerpiece.   

Learn How to Light a Candle Without a Lighter in Our Guide!

How to Use a Wick Trimmer

Now that you understand some of the benefits of a wick trimmer, let’s teach you how to use a wick trimmer correctly. 

Before each use, trim the wick when the wax is completely dry. Keep the wick trimmer nearby to remind you to do so and never attempt to trim back a lit wick. 

Reaching inside the candle container with the wick trimmer, make sure the cutter’s blades are aligned and straight to avoid trimming the wick askew or at an angle. 

Trim back the wick to roughly one-quarter of an inch. This will remove the burnt, mushroom-looking tip to give it a cleaner look and help it burn safer. While the wick trimmer offers a disk-shaped plate to contain the burnt clippings, they can fall over it. Be sure to remove any debris or soot from the wax before igniting the wick. 

A candle may be left to burn for about four hours. Then you can extinguish it (with a candle snuffer, ideally). Again, allow the wax to cure completely or even overnight before trimming the wick and igniting it again.  

Wondering How Do Candles Work? Find Out Here

Whether you want to prolong the scent of a Memory candle that transports you to a special time or a City or State candle that reminds you of home, a wick trimmer can help. Take home the Homesick wick trimmer today. Each trimmer also comes in a custom cloth bag that can store it safely away in a drawer nearby too.