Key candle safety tips for sensible users

Beautiful as they are, candles are potentially hazardous, and you need to take some sensible precautions when using them.

• Don't leave a candle unattended. That doesn't mean you have to watch a candle every second like a hawk, but it does mean that you need to check up on lighted candles from time to time.
  
• Obviously, keep them out of reach of children and pets....
  
• Try not to walk with a lighted candle. Wherever possible, position them first and then light them.
  
• Equally, don't move a glass container when the wax is liquid.
  
• Choose sensible positions. Make sure the candle container/holder rests on a surface that is level, stable, heat resistant and protected.
  
• Keep candles away from drafts (safer, and it saves money because they'll last longer). Also, keep them way from flammable objects such as drapes and walls.
  
• Trim the wicks to ¼ inch before use, and keep them trimmed. That way you'll avoid smoking and soot in the air and on your walls and furniture.
  
• When you do trim the wick, hold the extinguished candle upside down so that the wick trimmings fall free and not into the candle.
  
• Also keep the candle free of match fragments or anything else that could be a fire hazard.
  
• Extinguish any candle that smokes. Check any instructions that came with it. If you need to trim the wick allow the candle to cool first. Allow it to cool anyway before relighting.
  
• The easy way to put out a candle is to use a candle snuffer. If you don't have one, bend the wick over into the pool of molten wax, using something non-inflammable (teaspoon, fork, knife etc). After a few seconds you can straighten the wick again. This technique also stops the wick smoking and smelling once it has been extinguished.
  
• Don't try to economize too much. Don't allow the flame to burn too close to the candle holder or container. Dispose of a candle in any case once it is only an inch long.
  
• Remove wrappings or labels before lighting any candle.
  
• These safety tips apply particularly to gel candles, which can reach very high temperatures.