How Many Hours Should You Burn A Yankee Candle?

What are Yankee Candles?

Yankee Candles are scented candles produced by the Yankee Candle Company, a Massachusetts-based company founded in 1969 by Michael Kittredge. According to the company’s history, Kittredge created the first Yankee Candle as a gift using melted crayons when he was unable to afford a proper candle for his mother’s birthday (https://www.yankeecandle.com/statics/images/desktop/about_us/south_deerfield_travel/020915_YCSD_ProfileForm.pdf). This homemade candle impressed both his mother and neighbors, leading Kittredge to start making and selling candles out of his parent’s basement. Yankee Candle developed into a popular brand known for its extensive variety of scented jar candles, wax melts, fragrance plugins, and other home fragrance products.

Today, Yankee Candle offers over 150 different scents across various product lines including jar candles, votive candles, tea lights, wax melts, fragrance plugins, car jar air fresheners, and more. Some of their most popular candle scents include Clean Cotton, Lavender Vanilla, MidSummer’s Night, and Vanilla Cupcake. The signature item remains the 22-ounce jar candle, prized for its long burn time, fragrance quality, and collectible glass jars. Yankee Candle has a loyal following, with many customers collecting the branded jars and returning to purchase their favorite scents repeatedly (https://www.tiktok.com/discover/yankee-candle-house-founder). The company sells its products in Yankee Candle retail stores as well as major retailers like Walmart, continuing its humble beginnings creating homemade candles in Massachusetts to becoming an internationally-recognized brand.

How Yankee Candles Are Made

Yankee Candles are primarily composed of high-quality paraffin wax. Paraffin wax is a byproduct of petroleum refining that is considered safe for use (according to the FDA), though some raise health concerns due to its petroleum origins. Yankee Candle insists its candles pose no health risks. The paraffin wax in Yankee Candles is a higher quality cosmetic grade paraffin that adheres to FDA guidelines.

The wax is combined with fragrances and dyes to create the signature Yankee Candle products. Fragrances are added for scent using a proprietary cold-pour method, while liquid dyes provide vivid colors. According to an inside look at the Yankee Candle factory from Today.com (https://www.today.com/home/how-are-yankee-candles-made-take-look-inside-factory-t123644), 175,000 pounds of wax are used each day to produce around 500,000 candles per week.

The liquid Yankee Candle wax mixture is poured into glass containers and left to cool and solidify into candle form. The candles are subject to rigorous quality control checks throughout the manufacturing process. All Yankee Candles are hand-finished and inspected to ensure exceptional quality and meet safety standards.

Jar Candle Sizes Offered

Yankee Candle offers jar candles in four different sizes:

Small: The small jar candles contain 6-8 ounces of wax. These are the shortest Yankee Candle jars, standing about 3-4 inches tall.

Medium: The medium jars contain 11-12 ounces of wax. These jars stand around 4-5 inches tall.

Large: The large size jars contain 22-24 ounces of wax. These are the most popular and common Yankee Candle jar size, standing around 6-7 inches tall. (1)

Extra Large: The extra large jars contain 28-33 ounces of wax. These are the largest Yankee Candle jars available, standing around 7-8 inches tall.

So in summary, Yankee Candle jar sizes range from small 6-8 ounce jars to extra large 28-33 ounce jars. The most popular large size contains 22-24 ounces of wax. Knowing the different jar sizes available can help you pick the perfect candle for your needs.

(1) https://www.ebay.com/itm/385085588331

How Long Jar Candles Typically Last

Yankee Candle offers jar candles in a variety of sizes, each with different estimated burn times. According to Yankee Candle, here are the typical burn times for each size jar candle:

• Small Jar (6 oz) – 30-45 hours
• Medium Jar (14.5 oz) – 75-110 hours
• Large Jar (22 oz) – 110-150 hours
• Extra Large Jar (31 oz) – 150-200 hours

The actual burn time can vary quite a bit based on factors like wick length, wax pool depth, and burning conditions. Deeper wax pools, shorter wicks, and draft-free environments tend to prolong burn times. However, the above ranges give a good ballpark estimate of how long Yankee Candle jars typically last.

Properly caring for and storing candles when not in use can also help maximize burn times. But in general, larger Yankee Candle jars provide more hours of fragrance than smaller sizes.

Proper Burning Techniques

There are a few important steps to follow when burning Yankee Candles to extend the life of the candle and prevent issues like black smoke and tunneling. According to Yankee Candle’s website, trimming the wick before lighting is essential. Use the included wick trimmer to cut the wick to 1/4″ before the first burn. This will help prevent excessively large flames that can lead to black soot on the jar and shortened burn times.

It’s also important to allow the wax pool to completely liquefy before extinguishing the candle per Yankee Candle’s recommendations. For large jar candles, allow the candle to burn for at least 2 hours for the first burn to form an even wax pool. According to the product review on Revain.org, for subsequent burns, allow the wax pool to liquefy across the entire top before blowing out. This helps prevent tunneling.

Finally, burning the candle for the recommended time periods is key. Yankee Candle suggests burning large tumbler jars for 4-6 hours per session. Medium jars can be burned for 3-5 hours, while small jars only need 1-2 hours per burn. Sticking to these guidelines will maximize the life of your Yankee Candle.

Maximizing Yankee Candle Burn Times

There are several tips to follow to help maximize the burn time for your Yankee Candles and extend their life as long as possible:

Keep wicks trimmed – Be sure to trim wick to 1/4 inch before lighting. Long wicks can lead to smoking, tunneling, and uneven burning. Use the Perfect Wick Trimmer tool that comes with Yankee Candles. Source

Allow the wax to pool – For best results, allow the wax to melt all the way to the edges of the jar on the first burn. This helps ensure full fragrance and even burning. Allow it to burn for at least 4 hours the first time. Source

Avoid drafts – Don’t place candle near vents, windows, or doors where drafts can blow it out and disrupt even burning and pooling.

Limit repeatedly blowing out – Try not to blow the candle out repeatedly, as this can disturb the wax pool. Let it burn continuously when possible.

When to Extinguish Yankee Candles

Knowing when to properly extinguish a Yankee Candle is important to maximize burn time and prevent tunneling. As a general rule, Yankee Candle recommends the following for when to snuff out jar candles:

• After 4 hours of continuous burning for large 22-ounce jars (according to Yankee Candle). The larger the candle, the longer the recommended initial burn time.
• When there is only 1/4 inch of wax remaining (via Yankee Candle). At this point, there is not enough wax for an even melt pool.
• If the wick stops glowing and self-extinguishes on its own, signaling the end of the candle’s life.

Extinguishing the candle before these endpoints could lead to issues like tunneling where the wax does not burn evenly. Allowing the wax pool to reach the edges before extinguishing ensures optimal performance.

Storing Yankee Candles

Properly storing Yankee Candles in between uses will help preserve the scent and avoid issues like frosting. After blowing out a Yankee Candle, it’s recommended to cover the melted wax with an airtight lid or aluminum foil (Yankee Candle). This prevents the scent from dissipating and seals in the fragrance.

When it comes to storage conditions, Yankee Candles should be kept away from extreme temperatures and direct sunlight. Storing candles in areas that may experience big temperature fluctuations, like attics or garages, can lead to frosting on the wax surface (Pinterest). The ideal storage temperature is around 60-80°F. Try finding an interior closet or cool, dark cabinet. With proper storage between uses, Yankee Candles can retain their signature scents and provide many more satisfying burns.

Signs Your Candle Is Nearing Its End

There are a few signs that indicate your Yankee Candle is nearing the end of its useful life and should be extinguished and disposed of properly.

The most obvious sign is a diminished scent throw. Yankee Candles are designed to fill a room with fragrance when burned. If you notice the smell is no longer as strong, it means the candle can no longer effectively fragrance the space.

Additionally, take note of the wax level and wick length. When the wax pool gets low and the wick becomes shorter, it means the candle’s burn time is nearly over. The ideal wick length is 1/2 inch. According to Yankee Candle, when the wick becomes shorter than 1/2 inch, it’s time to extinguish and dispose of the candle.

Lastly, watch out for signs of sooting, which is black smoke on the wax, or mushrooming, which is carbon buildup on the wick. These are signs of improper burning and indicate the candle should no longer be used.

Safely Disposing of Yankee Candles

Once your Yankee Candle has reached the end of its life, it’s important to properly dispose of it. Here are some tips for safe disposal:

Allow the wax to fully pool and harden before disposal. Avoid throwing away candles when wax is still liquid, as this can create messes and be a fire hazard. Let the candle burn all the way down until just the wick remains. At that point, blow out the flame and allow the wax to fully harden overnight before handling.

Put hardened candles in your regular household trash. The cooled, hardened wax can go directly into your garbage can. Make sure to extinguish wicks fully to prevent any fire risk in the trash.

Recycle empty glass jars. Once candles have burned down completely, the glass jars can often be recycled through local municipal recycling programs. According to the TerraCycle website, Yankee Candle and WoodWick glass jars may be recyclable through curbside pickup or drop-off locations. Check with your local recycling policies to confirm.

By allowing candles to fully burn down, harden, and cool before disposal, you can safely and sustainably get rid of used Yankee Candles.