Knowing how to burn candles : eBay Guides

In order to get the most burning time out of your candles, you should always burn them for several hours at a time where there is a clear layer of melted wax on the top.  Burning them for short periods of time will cause the wax to tunnel around the wicks and eventually the wicks will not stay burning.  Use a wick snuffer to extinguish your candles instead of blowing them out to keep them from smoking.  Always keep the wicks trimmed to keep your candles from burning with torched flame which causes the jar or container to get a coat of soot from the flame burning too high.  Blowing out taper candles will cause the wicks to get wax covered with the drippings and wont burn properly the next time they are lit.