Gel Candle Safety: What You Should Know Before You Buy

Home
>
Home Improvement
>
Gel Candle Safety: What You Should Know Before You Buy

Gel Candle Safety: What You Should Know Before You Buy

A lot of attention has been focused on gel candle safety in recent years. Irresponsible (usually foreign) candlemakers have flooded the shelves of dollar stores and discount retailers with poor quality and at times unsafe container gel candles. As a result, gel candles have gotten a "bum rap" as being hazardous works of the devil, rather than being viewed as an alternative decorating option for candle lovers. Following the guidelines here will help you in choosing safe gel candles for your home or gift giving needs.

Most gel candles are container based, meaning decorative materials (called embeds) and a wick are placed inside a container (generally glass) and the container is then filled with molten gel. The gel is mostly mineral oil, blended with a stabilizing polymer, which helps the candle retain fragrance load. The thicker (more dense) a gel is, the more fragrance load it can carry. Remember, too that the thicker the gel, the higher the melt point, which means a generally hotter and longer burning candle.

And there's the rub! Careless manufacturers assume that gel candles can be made in the same manner as traditional paraffin candles. Not so! Because the candle "wax" is hotter, there are more safety precautions that need to be taken into account.

First, gel candles should not contain flammable materials as embeds. The wick can float in a gel candle and set any of those embeds on fire. The added heat can cause a container to crack or even worse, explode, sending flaming gel around the room. Embeds should be made of glass or other non-flammable materials and should be secured away from the path of the wick. The wick should be secured with a wick clip (also called a sustainer base). The wick clip should have at least a 3mm neck. This helps control the burn path of the wick by holding the wick upright as it burns. Many gel candles have no sustainer base of any kind, which results in wick "float" as it burns.

Second, it is important to inspect all your container candles before lighting - this includes paraffin candles. Often a chip or crack goes unnoticed until the glass breaks under heat stress - a very dangerous situation. Many times a gel candle is otherwise not a threat to life and limb, until the integrity of the glass is compromised. Make sure that glassware used to house your candle is designed to withstand the heat of the candle inside it. Ask your candle maker. Candle glassware comes in many shapes and sizes and not all are suited to gel.

Finally, it is important to supervise a burning candle. The Navy Safety Center tells a story of how lighting a gel candle led to a horrible explosion and severe burns on the hand of one Michelle Shebloski Weyer. While the glassware may or may not have been unsuitable for gel candle use, the author glosses the fact that the candle was left unattended and when she heard it fall to the floor, she noticed it was broken and picked it up anyway - while it was still burning. The end result was days in a burn unit and plastic surgery to repair her severely damaged hand. Careless consumers can cause just as much damage as careless manufacturers. Never leave a burning candle unattended - and never touch a burning candle!

Another type of container candle is called a "double glassed" gel candle. In this instance, a smaller container with the actual gel candle is placed inside an outer container where the design using gel and embeds has been made. This is a safer design concept that allows you to burn the candle without losing the original look of the scene designed within the candle. It segregates the burning wick from the potentially flammable embeds The candle also becomes refillable - which is a great way to try different scents.

In the last five years a new type of clear candle has emerged - freestanding gel-type candles. Again using a base of mineral oil, candle uses a patented resin as the stabilizer, creating a candle that outshines both traditional paraffin and gel candles. It requires no container like gel candles, burns longer than paraffin and holds more fragrance than either. The flame burns down through the inside of the candle as light radiates through the candle's side wall. Without the potential of an exploding glass container, there are fewer safety concerns with this type of candle. Resin-based candles can be made in traditional paraffin pillar shapes, lending them more decorative appeal than gel candles and more durability than paraffin.

Whatever your candle choice, know what your burning. Read and follow the directions that come with each candle. Understand how candles create heat and light. Take the time to learn about candles and be an informed consumer. That can literally make the difference between life and death.

Lisa Robbin is the Director of Product Development for the giving candle, the maker of Heavenly Gems resin-based clear candles. Lisa writes articles on all things candle related in an effort to educate consumers about making the most out of their candle purchases. You can email her directly at lisa@thegivingcandle.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Gaza fighting rages despite cease-fire proposal (AP)

AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage. Despite the heavy fighting, strides were made on the diplomatic front with the U.S. throwing its weight behind a deal being brokered by France and Egypt.

Obama taps spending watchdog, eyes Social Security (AP)

AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.

Senate Democrats yield to Obama, retreat on Burris (AP)

AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."

Feds say inauguration attractive terrorist target (AP)

AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.

Obama hails 'extraordinary' moment with presidents (AP)

AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.

Cheney says Obama should keep terror polices (AP)

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday it would be a mistake for President-elect Barack Obama to scrap the Bush administration's terrorist-fighting policies designed to prevent future attacks on the U.S.

How big Jurassic flying reptiles got off ground (AP)

AP - The Jurassic version of jumbo jets huge flying creatures weighing hundreds of pounds is a mystery of dinosaur-era flight: How did something so big get off the ground? A Johns Hopkins University biologist thinks he has figured out the answer.

People's Choice Awards have heroic odds (AP)

AP - "The Dark Knight" could soar away with several trophies Wednesday night at the 35th annual People's Choice Awards. The Batman film will vie for awards in such categories as favorite cast, action movie, on-screen matchup and superhero.

Pa. man opens neighbor's door with chain saw (AP)

AP - An eastern Pennsylvania man may face up to 37 years in prison for tearing open a neighbor's door with a chain saw. Police say 34-year-old Robert Kane began sawing through the front door of Jamie Zaleski's apartment in Scranton while Zaleski and several friends ran out the back.

AP source: Browns to hire Eric Mangini as coach (AP)

AP - Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Mangini's contract has not been finalized.

Israel pounds Gaza again (Reuters)

Reuters - Israeli aircraft and tanks pounded the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and troops battled Palestinian guerrillas on the ground as U.S. backing for a proposed truce raised expectations of an end to the 12-day-old offensive.

Budget deficit to hit $1.2 trillion in fiscal 2009 (Reuters)

Reuters - The U.S. budget deficit will swell to a record $1.186 trillion in fiscal 2009, congressional forecasters said on Wednesday, the result of an economic recession that has cut tax receipts and caused massive government bailouts of banks and automakers.

Senate Democrats move to seat Burris (Reuters)

Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Union gears up for negotiations with GM and Chrysler (Reuters)

Reuters - United Auto Workers bargaining teams are arriving this week in Detroit as the union gears up for negotiations with General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC, which are mandated to cut labor costs under a $17.4 billion federal bailout.

Mumbai-like attack could happen in U.S.: Bush aide (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorized Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people, the White House homeland security adviser said on Wednesday.

"Enemy combatant" will be early test for Obama (Reuters)

Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.

Salmonella outbreak sickens 388 across U.S.: health officials (Reuters)

Reuters - An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning has made 388 people sick across 42 states, sending 18 percent of them to the hospital, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.

U.S. presses to jail Madoff on diamonds, watches mail (Reuters)

Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.

Israel approves tougher war on Hamas (AFP)

AFP - Israel on Wednesday approved an even tougher war on Hamas, warning residents to flee southern Gaza ahead of planned bombing of cross-border tunnels, as the Palestinian death toll passed 700.

Kremlin lays down terms as gas crisis engulfs Europe (AFP)

AFP - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday laid down terms for a resumption of Russian gas shipments via Ukraine to Europe as tens of thousands of Europeans suffered heating cuts amid freezing weather.

Gel Candle Safety: What You Should Know Before You Buy

Home Improvement Home Improvement