Jessie Taylor
Covering a candle while it's smoking can be harmful. While it may seem like a good idea to prevent smoke from escaping into the room, the smoke and soot will instead be trapped within the jar, leaving a black, sooty residue on the underside of the lid and the inside of the container. This can affect the candle's integrity, scent preservation, and appearance. It can also create a vacuum seal, causing the lid to get stuck. Additionally, the trapped soot can settle into the wax, altering the candle's original fragrance and causing it to smell smoky. To extinguish a candle without producing smoke, consider using a wick dipper or snuffer, which minimize smoke and maintain the health and appearance of the candle.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Effectiveness of covering a smoking candle | It can extinguish the candle |
| Safety concerns | It may create a vacuum seal, causing the lid to get stuck |
| It may cause the lid to melt or deform if made of flammable or heat-sensitive material | |
| It traps smoke and soot inside the jar, leaving a black residue | |
| It can alter the candle's scent | |
| Alternative methods | Using a wick dipper or snuffer |
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What You'll Learn
Covering a candle can lead to soot production and hazards
Covering a candle while it is still smoking can lead to soot production and hazards. While it may seem like a good idea to cut off the oxygen supply to a flame, there are several reasons why this is not recommended.
Firstly, not all candle lids are designed to be used for extinguishing. Some lids are purely decorative and may be made from flammable materials such as wood or plastic, or contain rubber seals that can melt or deform when exposed to heat. Using such lids to extinguish a candle can be a safety hazard.
Secondly, when a lit candle is covered, the smoke and soot get trapped inside the jar. This leaves black, sooty residue on the underside of the lid and the inside of the container. The trapped soot can also settle into the wax, affecting the appearance and scent of the candle. This is especially undesirable for white-colored soy wax, which will look dirty and discolored.
Thirdly, repeatedly trapping smoke under the lid can alter the original fragrance of the candle, causing it to smell smoky. This is a concern for those who wish to preserve the scent of their candles.
Additionally, if there is a lot of empty space in the container, the flame may continue to burn for a short time, creating a vacuum seal that suctions the lid tightly to the jar. This can make it difficult to open the lid again and may require the use of tools such as pliers to remove it.
To avoid these issues, it is recommended to use alternative methods for extinguishing candles, such as wick dippers or candle snuffers. These methods minimize smoke and help maintain the appearance and fragrance of the candle. Wick dippers involve pressing the lit wick into the wax pool, instantly snuffing out the flame, and then pulling the wick back up. Candle snuffers involve hovering a small cone or bell over the flame and lowering it to touch the surface of the wax pool, cutting off the oxygen supply and extinguishing the flame. These methods produce minimal smoke and are visually elegant and sophisticated.
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Smoke can get absorbed into the wax, altering the scent
Additionally, the smoke absorbed into the wax can change the candle's original scent, making it smell smoky. This is especially undesirable for scented candles, as it ruins their fragrance. Therefore, to preserve the scent and appearance of the candle, it is recommended to extinguish the flame without using the lid.
Some alternative methods for extinguishing a candle include using a wick dipper or a candle snuffer. A wick dipper involves gently pressing the lit wick into the wax pool to instantly snuff out the flame and then pulling the wick back up. This method produces minimal smoke and re-coats the wick with wax for a clean flame when relit. A candle snuffer is a long-stemmed metal rod with a small cone or bell at the end. The cone or bell is hovered over the flame and lowered until it touches the wax pool, cutting off the oxygen and extinguishing the flame. While this method produces slightly more smoke than the wick dipper, it is still minimal and visually elegant.
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The lid traps smoke and soot, leaving black residue
While using a lid to extinguish a candle may be better than blowing it out, it is not recommended. One of the main reasons for this is that the lid traps smoke and soot within the jar. This can leave black, sooty residue on the underside of the lid and on the insides of the container. The trapped soot can also settle into the wax, affecting the appearance of the candle, particularly if it is white-coloured soy wax.
The smoke and soot produced by extinguishing a candle with a lid can also affect the scent of the candle. Repeatedly trapping smoke under the lid can change the original fragrance of the candle, making it smell smoky. This is particularly undesirable if you are using a scented candle.
In addition to the above issues, using a lid to extinguish a candle can also cause the lid to get stuck. If there is a lot of empty space in the container, the flame will continue to burn for some time until it uses up all of the oxygen inside. When the oxygen gets used up, it can create a vacuum seal that suctions the lid tightly to the candle jar, making it difficult to open again.
To avoid these issues, it is recommended to use alternative methods to extinguish candles, such as wick dippers or snuffers. These methods produce minimal smoke and help to maintain the appearance and scent of the candle.
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The lid might get stuck due to a vacuum seal
Covering a candle while it is smoking can be dangerous. While it is possible to put out a candle by covering it with a lid, this method has several drawbacks. One of the most significant risks is that the lid might get stuck due to a vacuum seal.
When there is a lot of empty space in the candle container, the flame can continue to burn for some time after the lid is placed on top, using up the oxygen inside. Once the oxygen is depleted, a vacuum seal can form, creating a suction effect that pulls the lid tightly against the candle jar. This can make it extremely difficult to remove the lid again. In some cases, people have had to resort to using tools like pliers to force the lid open, which can be dangerous and damage the candle or its lid.
To avoid this issue, it is recommended to use alternative methods to extinguish a candle, such as a wick dipper or a candle snuffer. A wick dipper involves gently pressing the lit wick into the wax pool to extinguish the flame and then pulling the wick back up. This method produces minimal smoke and re-coats the wick with wax. A candle snuffer is a long-stemmed metal rod with a small cone or bell at the end. The snuffer is hovered over the flame and lowered until it touches the wax pool, cutting off the oxygen and extinguishing the flame. While this method produces slightly more smoke than the wick dipper, it is still minimal and visually elegant.
In addition to the risk of a vacuum seal, using a lid to extinguish a candle can also trap smoke and soot inside the jar, leaving black residue on the lid and inside the container. This soot can settle into the wax, affecting the appearance and scent of the candle. Therefore, it is generally recommended to avoid using the lid to extinguish a candle and instead opt for safer and more effective methods like wick dippers or snuffers.
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Better alternatives include wick dippers or snuffers
Covering a candle with its lid to extinguish it can lead to soot production and unexpected hazards. It also affects the candle's integrity and scent preservation. Therefore, it is recommended to use wick dippers or snuffers to put out a candle.
A wick dipper is a slender instrument designed to submerge a burning candle's wick into a pool of molten wax, cutting off oxygen and extinguishing the flame without smoke. Metal wick dippers are preferred due to their durability and sleek appearance. Their heat-resistant nature makes them a safe choice for extinguishing flames without warping or discoloration. They are also decorative pieces, adding a touch of elegance to candlelit spaces.
Wick dippers gently extinguish the flame, preventing smoke and keeping the candle's aroma intact. They are especially useful for larger-diameter candles, where the curved end can be used to push the wick into the wax pool. This ensures a smokeless experience and primes the wick for the next lighting.
Candle snuffers are another alternative to blowing out candles. They are tools that allow you to pinch the wick and snuff out the flame without generating excessive smoke or splattering hot wax. The most common style is the bell-style snuffer, often crafted from silver or brass. However, this style can lead to unnecessary smoking, making it challenging to relight the candle. A newer style is the pinch-style snuffer, resembling a mini pair of kitchen tongs, which is great for candlesticks or smaller-diameter candles.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, covering a candle with its lid can lead to soot production and unexpected hazards. It can also affect the candle's integrity, scent preservation, and appearance.
Smoking is often a sign of a too-long wick. It is recommended to extinguish the candle, let it cool, then trim the wick before relighting.
Two recommended methods for extinguishing candles are using a wick dipper or a candle snuffer. These methods minimize smoke and maintain the health and appearance of the candle.
The burnt wick residue might fall off into the wax pool, and if you're not careful when pulling the wick back out, you might end up with a buried wick.
Using a candle snuffer produces slightly more smoke than the wick dipper method. Additionally, debris from the burnt wick can fall into the wax pool, especially if the wick has started to mushroom.
