Candle Safety

Use a candle right and it is perfect for a relaxing bath, warmly scented home, or a romantic dinner. Use it wrong and you might be choking on soot or calling 911. Candles are responsible for thousands of home fires and at least 17200 of them in 2004, according to a November 2006 report from the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass. Negligence and consumer error played a major role: More that half of the fires occurred when the candle was set too close to something flammable.

Even without catastrophe, candles can cause problem. Anytime you light a candle, whether it is paraffin or beeswax or any other kind, you are putting some air pollution into you home. It is just natural Tha from any open flame you are getting combustion gases, including a small amount of carbon monoxide, like fumes emitted from an open wood fire or grill. You might be surprised to learn that many candle ingredients, are petroleum by products. Some imported candles me even contain lead from the metal wicks,. Although lead had been banned in the United States, there is no telling what you are getting from China.

Candles also have soot. The soot not only may discolor your walls and furniture, it can also contaminate your homes ventilation system with fine particles. Even a lovely home fragrance is not totally benign. Whether it comes from plant oils or synthetic chemicals, it can trigger allergies, asthma or migraine headaches. Still there are reasons to breathe easy. An Iowa State University study found that neither soy nor paraffin candles produced a significant amount of toxic compounds.

The National Candle Association, an industry trade group in Washington, D.C. says that all candle waxes when provided in high quality format, have been shown to burn cleanly and safety. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to determine the ingredients or quality the candle association suggests sticking to reputable manufacturers. A study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission suggest that 85 percent of candle fires could be avoided if consumers followed three basic safety rules: Keep candles out of the reach of pets and children. Do not burn a candle on or near anything that might catch fire, like clothing, books and curtains; and never leave a burning candle unattended.

Tips to follow for Candle safety:

Trim the wick to 1/4 inch before light the candle to maximize dark smoke and soot. The wick should burn down evenly with the wax.
Be sure your candle is on a nonflammable surface and in a sturdy candle holder.
Keep candles at least a foot away from any thing that could catch on fire.
Look for lightly scented candles made of hard wax. Heavily scented or soft to the touch candles contain large amount of oils that do not burn completely and produce more soot.
Keep your candle in a well ventilated area. Flickering is a sign that the candle is in a draft.
Stop burning any candles that smoke. Slicker have a high flame, or leave soot.
Burning candles should be at least three inches apart.
Never move a burning candle or one where the wax is still liquefied.
Use a candle snuffer to put out your candles. Never use water. Water will cause the hot wax to splatter.
Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get down to two inches from the holder.