Candles have evolved from being simple light sources to becoming a home decor staple, and with evolution comes variety. The candle market ranges extensively from type to size, intended purpose, etc. No matter what, any candle that requires lighting a wick on fire needs to be respected, and the best way to do that is through proper care and maintenance. Candle care accessories are tools designed to help each candle owner do just that– care for their candles.
What Are Candle Care Accessories?
Candle care accessories are small tools usually made of durable, heat-resistant materials designed to maintain the candle's wick. If you didn't know, the wick is the most critical component of the candle to care for. Our top three candle care accessories are the wick trimmer, wick dipper, and candle snuffer. We've curated a two-piece set of stainless steel candle care accessories in a sleek matte black finish.
Wick Trimmers
Trimming your wick before each burn is one of the most straightforward and necessary precautions to take because it can help ensure the wick performs as expected. Wick Trimmers are scissor-like tools made specifically for cutting wicks. They usually have ergonomically designed finger holes and extended shanks angled at the tip where the rounded blades can easily reach as far into the container as needed. If we had to rank them, the wick trimmer is Queen where candle care accessories are concerned.
Candle Snuffer
Using a tool is super simple and can help prevent unnecessary hazards. A worthy runner-up to wick trimmer is the candle snuffer. The wick dipper and candle snuffer help safely and effectively extinguish the wick; the candle snuffer functions better with the wide variety of candles in today's market. The long handle and dangling dome of the candle snuffer allow you to hover it over the wick and snuff out the flame from a safe distance. Because of science, depriving the flame of oxygen for a moment will put it out, which is a safer practice than blowing the candle. Blowing too hard can accidentally push melted out of the vessel, causing burns or, at the very least, getting wax all over the place. It can also dislodge the burnt wick and get debris in the melt pool.
Wick Dipper
Last and most surely not least is the wick dipper. Wick dippers can extinguish a candle without any hassle or smoke and are lightweight. The single-piece tool has one rounded edge to hold on to that tapers down to a thinner angled tip used to dip lit candle wicks into the wax melt pool. It only gets a little simpler than that. The only caveat is they may not be suitable for all candle types; here's why. First, because wick dippers dip the wick into the wax melt pool, cotton or natural-fiber wicks work best. Second, since a melt pool is required, container candles are ideal because the vessels will contain the melt pool. Wooden wicks aren't meant to be bent, so dipping them into the wax isn't an option here. Wick dippers might work with candles of the sculptural variety if there is enough of a melt pool.
My Fine Line's 2-Piece Candle Care Set is available in two styles; a Trimmer and Snuffer set and a Trimmer and Dipper set. The "Trimmer and Snuffer" set is excellent for any candle size and wick type. The Trimmer and Dipper are perfect for cotton/natural-wick container candles. They can work with some sculptural candles as long as there is a sufficient melt pool.