Why Your Candle Keeps Letting You Down (And How to Actually Fix It)

You keep buying candles. They keep letting you down. You light one, and twenty minutes later you can't smell a thing from the couch. She tunnels straight down the middle and wastes half the wax. And by the weekend, she's basically gone. Sound familiar? Here's exactly why it happens, and how to never get burned again.

1. You can't smell her from the couch

This is the big one. Most candles smell incredible cold, in the jar, on the shelf, then do almost nothing once they're lit. That's because they're perfume in wax: heavy on the sniff test, light on the actual fragrance load. A candle that can't fill a room is just expensive decor. What you want is throw, candle-speak for how far the scent travels once she's warm. I load mine so she's just as loud lit as she is in the jar.

2. She tunnels down the middle

Tunnelling is when a candle burns straight down the centre and leaves a ring of hard wax welded to the glass. That's not you, it's the wick. Cheap candles use the wrong wick for the size of the vessel, so she never melts edge to edge. Two fixes: candles wicked properly for their size (mine are tested to melt every inch), and a proper first burn. Let the whole top melt to a full, even pool before you blow her out. Rush the first burn and you'll tunnel her for life.

3. She's gone by the weekend

If your candle vanishes in a few nights, she's simply too small, or burning too hot. A little 200g candle doesn't stand a chance against an open-plan living room. Bigger candles with multiple wicks last longer and fill more space. My 3kg gives you around 112 cosy nights. Work out the cost per night and the big one's the bargain.

The stuff nobody tells you (but I will)

A few maker's secrets to get the most out of any candle:

• Trim the wick to about 5mm before every burn. Long wicks mean smoke and soot.
• Let the wax pool to the edges every single time, especially that first burn.
• Shut the door for the first 30 minutes so the scent can build.
• Keep her out of draughts, and off a hot windowsill in summer.

The Gertie difference

I only make candles that actually perform. Maxed-out fragrance load so you can smell her from the front door. Wicks tested to burn clean and even, no tunnelling. Oversized, so she fills the whole house and lasts the season. And clean coconut-soy, no nasties.

Life's too short for a candle you can't smell.

Ready to meet one that doesn't quit? Find your scent.