Candles are a great accent to bring light and aroma into a household, but are they really THAT great? Believe it or not, burning candles has a massive effect on the air you’re breathing in.  We have come up with several solutions in reducing the air pollution of that Cinnamon Apple candle you’ve been dying to light.

Avoid Tall and Thick Wicks

It’s ideal to avoid candles with wicks that too thick, or wicks containing a core that is too long. When lighting candles with a thick wick, a large amount of soot is released, along with other harmful chemicals. You should also keep in mind the length of your wick because if your wick is too tall, the flame won’t be able to consume the wax being fed. Try to burn candles with short weaved wicks that are thin and burn equally with the wax.

Escape Your Scented Candle Obsession

Collecting almost every flavor at Yankee Candle may seem like such a fun pastime, but do yourself a favor and save your money. Scented candles contain toxins and other artificial fragrances that are extremely hazardous to not just your home, but to your lungs. Asthma is a common disorder that’s often a result of burning aromatic candles, since they give off scents that aggravate the symptoms of people and restrict the oxygen flow.

Steer Clear of Sooty Residues

As much as we love burning candles, we could certainly do without the sooty residue left around the edges of them. Soot tarnishes furniture, walls, and finds it’s way into our ventilation systems, this CAN be prevented. The size of your flame affects the amount of air pollution the candle puts out, so make sure you keep your flame small.  If you keep a flame small and stable, the secretion rate of sooty residue will be much lower than the overload of soot that comes from a large flickering flame that is constantly burning for over two hours.

Try an Alternative

With theories of health risks being brought to attention, the burning of the average oil-based candle creates a huge build-up of air pollution. A recommended alternative for all you candle-lovers is to try beeswax or soy candles. These burn cleaner and the wax that burns is an all-natural, renewable resource.