Candles add a wonderful ambiance to any room, so it’s always a bummer if they melt quickly. But before you run out to grab more when yours whittle away, there’s a kitchen staple that could help you burn any candle for longer.
The next time you’re using a candle, consider including a little table salt. (Yes, table salt!) After you’ve burned a candle for long enough to where a small pool of wax is forming, sprinkle a few pinches of table salt directly into the wax and use a toothpick to distribute it evenly. The sodium chloride compounds slow the melting and dripping processes, meaning you can burn that candle a lot longer than before.
Additionally, if you want to keep your future candles from melting faster and you have a little more time on your hands, table salt can come in handy here, too. Put your candles in a dish of your choice and submerge them in two cups of water. Mix in two tablespoons of salt and soak them for roughly 24 hours. Once they’re completely dry, you’re free to light them. You’ll notice that they start to melt from within instead of dripping down the sides of the candle. This is due to the salt creating a “shell” barrier around the candle where wax can’t escape.
And if you have time to add an extra step to your candle maintenance, consider sticking yours in the freezer for at least a few hours before burning! The colder temperature of the wax takes more time to heat up, meaning that it’ll take longer for the wax to reach its melting point.
Armed with these tricks (and a little scientific know-how!), your candles will not only continue to look and smell great, but they’ll burn for so much longer too.
