Candle Safety

04 Nov Candle Safety

As the nights grow longer, the days get cooler, and we gather around with our friends and family members, our usage of candles increases this time of year.

Whether you’re lighting dinner candles for Thanksgiving dinner, lighting the menorah, or creating the coziest environment for curling up to watch a favorite family movie, make sure you’re always following these candle safety rules to protect what means the most to you this holiday season.

1. Place candles on sturdy, stable, heat resistant, and level surfaces that are out of reach of children and pets.
2. Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children, and put the safety locks on lighters that have them.
3. Trim the wicks of your candles to 1/4 inch before you light them, each time.
   • There’s usually a reminder of this on the bottom of your candles in case you forget.
4. Always keep candles away from combustibles.
   • These include holiday decorations, books, curtains & blinds, flammable liquids, clothing & bedding, lampshades, and other potentially flammable objects around your home.
5. Never light a candle when there is an oxygen source (like a compressed air tank) is in the home.
6. Roll your sleeves away and pull your hair back before you light a candle or extinguish one.
7. Extinguish your candles when you leave a room or when the candle has melted down within 2 inches of its holder.
8. Never fall asleep with a candle still lit.
   • As a rule, always extinguish candles before you lay down in bed.
9. Never touch or carry a burning (or still melted) candle.
10. Be careful using candles during power outages.
    • Battery-powered lights are a safer (and brighter) alternative.