The first burn is the most important. When you light your candle for the first time, let the candle burn for at least 1-2 hours to allow for the wax pool to reach the edge. The first burn time will depend on the width of the candle and the type of wick. If you don't allow that to happen a 'memory ring' will form which will cause tunnelling of your candle for the rest of its burn life.
The other important thing to do is to keep the wick length to 1/4 inch. Always trim the wick and remove any debris before each burn. This will maintain a nice clean burn. When the wick is too long it can cause uneven burn, flare up of the flame and create sooting.
Once your candle has finished burning it can be reused as cup, mug or bowl (depending on the piece).
An easy way to clean it is to:
- fill the vessel with boiling hot water and let the wax float to the top (don't pour the melted wax down the sink!)
- let it cool and the hardened wax will form a layer on top which you can easily discard
- repeat (if necessary) until you no longer see any wax on the bottom
- the metal tab can be easily remove with your fingers or if it's too tight you can use a metal spoon to lift it off
- wash with hot soapy water.