Candle Safety Information
Candle Safety Information
Candles mark special occasions and create a special atmosphere. They also bring fire into your home. So treat them carefully. Here are some guidelines.
- Always put candles on a heat resistant surface.
- Be especially careful with night lights and tea lights, which get hot enough to melt plastic tv's
- Put them in a proper holder.
- Candles need to be held firmly upright by the holder so they won't fall over. The holder needs to be stable too, so it won't fall over either.
- Position them away from curtains.
- Don't put candles near curtains or other fabrics - or furniture. And keep them out of draughts.
- Don't put them under shelves.
- It's easy to forget that there's a lot of heat above a burning candle. If you put it under a shelf or other surface then it can burn the surface. Make sure there's at least three feet (one metre) between a candle and any surface above it.
- Keep clothes and hair away.
- If there's any chance you could lean across a candle and forget it's there, put it somewhere else. You don't want to set fire to your clothes or your hair.
- Keep children and pets away.
- Candles should be out of reach of children and pets.
- Keep candles apart.
- Leave at least four inches (10cm) between two burning candles.
- Take care with votive or scented candles.
- These kinds of candles turn to liquid to release their fragrance, so put them in a glass or metal holder.
- Don't move them when they're burning.
- Extinguish candles before moving them. Also, don't let anything fall into the hot wax like match sticks.
- Don't leave them burning.
- Extinguish candles before you leave a room. Never go to sleep with a candle still burning. And never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child's bedroom.
- Use a snuffer or a spoon to put them out. It's safer than blowing them, which can send sparks and hot wax flying.
- Double-check they're out .
- Candles that have been put out can go on smouldering and start a fire. Make sure they're completely out.