Burning a candle is a widely popular way to add fragrance to your home. They’re easy and convenient and you don’t have to worry about the chemicals in aerosol spray by lighting a candle. Plus, candles are great to use in any room you could possibly think of. One thing that could come to mind when using a candle, though, is how much carbon monoxide does your candle produce and is it enough to give you carbon monoxide poisoning?
While candles do emit carbon monoxide, you don’t have to worry too much about getting carbon monoxide poisoning from it. Unless you’re burning a large number of candles in a small, unventilated room, you’re not going to experience any health problems from the carbon monoxide being released from your candle.
There are many different ways that carbon monoxide can enter your home, not just through candles. There are also plenty of ways to make sure you’re using your candle carefully and safely so you don’t have to worry about having to deal with the health effects from carbon monoxide. By making sure you’re following safety guidelines, you’re going to be able to burn your candle and still stay healthy.
What Causes Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
Carbon monoxide is a gas that can be deadly if you inhale too much of it. While candles produce carbon monoxide, they’re definitely not the product in your home that produces the most carbon monoxide. The most common form of carbon monoxide will come from the exhaust that’s emitted from your vehicles. This is what you hear of most often when you hear about someone being hospitalized or dying from carbon monoxide poison.
There are other things in your home that can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, too. Generators can often create carbon monoxide, as well as any product that uses fire or gas, such as a gas stove or a grill. Anything that needs to be powered using a flame or gas is going to produce carbon monoxide, which means you’re going to need to use them carefully and take precautions to ensure you’re not going to fill your home with the carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is incredibly dangerous, not only because of the health effects, but also because your body doesn’t register when it’s being poisoned by it. This gas is commonly called the “silent killer” because you don’t know when it’s affecting you. None of your senses will pick up on your body being poisoned by it. Carbon monoxide affects the oxygen in your body through your veins. It slowly begins to push the oxygen away and begins to harm your body.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is completely avoidable, though. One great way to ensure you’re not ingesting lethal doses of carbon monoxide is to have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. If it registers that the levels of carbon monoxide are too high, it’ll go off, which will let you know to get out of the house.
You can also ensure you’re not getting carbon monoxide poisoning by making sure that all of your appliances that use gas or flames are turned off when not in use. You can also make sure you’re using them in a well ventilated area. For example, you don’t want to turn your car on if you garage door is closed. Because of the amount of carbon monoxide released from your car’s exhaust, it can fill your home with carbon monoxide quickly.
A few symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning that you should be aware of are lightheadedness or vision problems. If you experience these symptoms, make sure you get to a well ventilated area where you know the air is clean and call for help. Other symptoms that come from carbon monoxide poisoning include flu-like symptoms, without a fever, and memory issues, as in not remembering what you were doing a few minutes prior.
By keeping these symptoms and safety guidelines in mind, you can burn candles safely without having to worry about getting carbon monoxide poisoning from your candles.
How Much Carbon Monoxide do Candles Produce?
While candles do produce carbon monoxide, they don’t produce enough for one candle to be harmful to you. When you start using more candles, such as if you were to light several candles throughout your bathroom when you take a bath, then you’re opening yourself up to being exposed to more carbon monoxide.
In short, candles are able to produce carbon monoxide, but you shouldn’t be worried about it causing you harm because a single candle doesn’t produce enough for it to be a health risk. You’re more at risk of something in your home catching fire than you are of getting carbon monoxide poisoning.
Just like with preventing a fire from a candle, you can prevent carbon monoxide poisoning by burning your candle safely. Make sure that when you burn your candle, you’re in a well ventilated area so that you don’t have to worry about the carbon monoxide being trapped inside your home.
If you’re burning your candle in a bedroom or larger room, you don’t have to worry about a single candle causing any harm to you through carbon monoxide. So you can continue to burn your candles without any worry. If you choose to burn a candle in a small bathroom without ventilation, then you might want to take a bit more caution.
While a single candle doesn’t let off too much carbon monoxide, it’s still emitting some so you’re not going to want to sit in a small space that isn’t ventilated. If you enjoy burning multiple candles while you take a bath, then you’re definitely going to want to take precautions. Many bathrooms tend to be small and aren’t very well ventilated, so burning multiple candles in this type of environment can be dangerous.
If you choose to burn multiple candles, make sure you either open a window or keep a door cracked. You could also turn on the fan in your bathroom to help, too. You are more than able to continue burning your candles during your bath time but it is extremely important to your health that you do so in a safe way so that the carbon monoxide doesn’t build up in your unventilated bathroom.
Another way to ensure that you’re not going to risk carbon monoxide poisoning is to make sure you don’t sleep with candles on. Some people enjoy sleeping with a calming fragrance, such as eucalyptus or lavender, but what they may not be aware of is that they’re risking carbon monoxide poisoning.
Not only is it dangerous in that aspect, but it’s also a fire risk and it can damage whatever surface you place it on because the vessel will heat up. Also, most candle companies recommend you only burn your candle for 3-4 hours, so the candle’s health will deteriorate if you leave it burning overnight, too. The best way to avoid all dangers that come from candles is to extinguish your candle before you go to bed.
Final Thoughts
Burning a candle is a great way to add fragrance to your home but you may need to take caution if you’re burning multiple candles in a small room. While burning a single candle won’t generally lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, it’s best to make sure you’re taking care while burning your candle, as they do release carbon monoxide.
Just like you would with anything that releases carbon monoxide, make sure you’re using a candle in a well ventilated area and not leaving it unattended. The best way to ensure you’re using your candle safely is to follow the best practices for candle burning. If you take care when burning your candles, you’re going to be able to enjoy them safely and healthily.