Candle warmers are pretty cool gadgets that allow you to have the smell of a candle in your home without actually having an open flame. You might want to burn candles on a candle warmer for a variety of different reasons, but knowing what candles are even an option can be difficult.
Candles that are in glass containers are some of the best to be used on a candle warmer. You cannot just use any type of glass candle on a candle warmer, though. The candle you intend to use must be the right size for the warmer and have a container large enough to hold all of its liquified wax.
Putting the wrong type of candle on a candle warmer could result in a big mess, not to mention the possible safety concerns.
Because of the possible implications of putting the wrong type of candle on a candle warmer, this whole thing might seem a little intimidating or scary, but it isn’t as difficult as you might think when you know what you’re doing. That’s why in today’s article, I’ll talk about whether you can use a glass candle on a candle warmer, and I’ll cover some related questions to that as well.
Read more about Best Candles For Candle Warmers.
Can You Put a Glass Candle On a Candle Warmer? (And Some Things to Watch Out For)
Candles that are in glass containers are perfect for putting on a candle warmer. The glass can usually withstand pretty high temperatures and allow the candle to melt and spread the fantastic scents embedded inside it.
However, when putting a glass candle on a candle warmer, there are some things to look out for and double-check to ensure you have the best experience with both your warmer and candle.
Burning a candle by lighting its wick is pretty straight forward. You must make sure it is in a safe location with no flammable materials in reach, and then you simply light the candle for your enjoyment. But with candle warmers, it is a bit of a different story.
While candle warmers themselves are pretty simple devices, and overall, it is an easy process to melt a candle on one, there are some extra things you must be aware of and check. In the next few sections, I’ll cover a few things you should do and check before melting a glass candle on a candle warmer to ensure everything goes smoothly.
The Candle Must Be In a Glass Container That Can Fit The Candle Warmer
One of the biggest things that stop people from putting their glass candles on a candle warmer is their warmer or candle’s actual size. It’s such a small detail, but it can be detrimental to you going through with your plans to melt a candle in your home if you have the wrong size candle or warmer.
For you to successfully melt a candle on a warmer properly, the candle must be the right size to fit on the warmer’s heating plate. If your candle is too big for the warmer, the heat put off will not be enough to melt, and the whole process will be relatively ineffective at producing a consistent, pleasant smelling scent.
If your candle is tiny compared to your warmer’s heating plate, the problem is less dire, but there can still be a few potential issues. Small candles put on a large heating surface may melt too quickly and become too hot. If this occurs, it could result in your candle not lasting as long as it should, the glass candle cracking (we’ll go into this more in one of the next sections), or other potential problems.
The best thing you can do to combat this problem is to plan ahead and get a warmer that’s the appropriate size for the candles you wish to melt.
Make Sure the Glass Candle Container Can Hold All the Melted Wax
Another thing that is vitally important to you succeeding with putting your glass candle on a warmer is making sure that the glass container that your candle is in can hold all of the melted wax. This problem occurs more often than you might think, especially if your candle is brand new and filled to near the container’s brim.
When wax melts from its sold form into its liquid form, it expands slightly and will take up more room in a container. This doesn’t present any problem in many cases, but it can get serious if your candle’s glass container is in is not large enough to hold all of the wax once it begins melting and expanding.
When you light a candle’s wick, only the first half-inch or so of wax will melt at a single given time. However, when you put a glass candle on a candle warmer, much more of the wax will melt at one time. If you leave your candle on a warmer long enough, the entire candle will become liquid wax and will expand significantly from its original volume.
To avoid this becoming an issue, just be careful about how full your candles are before putting them on a candle warmer. If your candle is too full and would likely overflow if all its wax melted, try warming it for shorter amounts of time and letting it solidify between warming sessions.
Make Sure the Glass Candle Container is Extremely Heat Resistant
The issue of your glass container not being heat resistant is quite rare, but the implications of this happening can be pretty severe, so it’s worth mentioning.
Most candle manufacturers will ensure that their candles are only made in glass containers that are extremely heat resistant and will be fine on a candle warmer. However, some glass just cannot stand the more extreme heat that a candle warmer puts off and will crack when placed on a candle warmer.
While a candle’s container is exposed to a substantial amount of heat when you light a candle normally, putting a glass candle on a candle warmer can put it in contact with more heat than it would regularly be exposed to. The problem can become worse if your candle is exposed to heat, cooled off, and then exposed to more heat many times in a row.
All of this to say, be careful about what glass containers you put on a candle warmer. Most will do just fine, but it is worth your time to check if your candle is safe to put on a warmer before you go through with it.
Remove All Stickers From the Bottom of the Glass Candle
Just like the potential problem mentioned above, the chances of stickers on the bottom of your glass candle causing an issue is pretty slim, but it is worth mentioning just in case.
Whether it is for branding purposes, a price tag, or just a barcode sticker, many glass candles have stickers on the bottom of their containers. Stickers, especially the ones commonly present on glass candles, will usually only lose their adhesive strength and fall off when exposed to heat, but it can become a fire hazard in some cases.
Just to be on the safe side and ensure a simple sticker doesn’t cause significant problems for you, it is a good idea to remove any stickers from the bottom of your candle before you put it on a warmer. Again, this will most likely never be an issue, but its always better to error on the side of caution.
How Long Do Glass Candles Last On a Candle Warmer?
How long a candle in a glass container will last on a candle warmer is largely determined by the size of the candle. Some are able to melt for many days without running out of wax, while smaller candles can only last a few hours.
One thing to keep in mind is the amount of time you allow your candle to be on the warmer at one time.
To get the most out of your candle, you should only let it be on the warmer for 3-4 hours at a maximum before you take it off and let it cool down. After it has cooled, you can put your candle back on the warmer if you wish for another 3-4 hour session. The reason for doing this is to allow your candle to settle between melts and not lose all of its fragrance at once.