Has your wax melts ever appeared to be smoking? It is most likely you have many questions ranging from whether your wax is of the right quality or if the smoke can be dangerous. Below we explore some of the reasons why your wax smelt is smoking. Why are my wax melts smoking?
If you see smoke rising from your wax melts then it is likely that your wax melts are becoming much too hot. In addition, sometimes what you see is not actually smoke, sometimes it is the fragrance oil vapor rising from the molten wax. This is what gives your wax melts a fragrance.
However, there are still a few other causes that we can go over. Rising smoke may signal a problem with your wax warmer that is more serious than some evaporating fragrance oil.
Wax Melt Smoke Causes
What causes wax melts to smoke?
- Fragrance Oil Being Released
- Wax Is Burning Too Hot
- The Type Of Warmer
Fragrance oil being released
The fragrances in your wax are the products responsible for the scent you smell. When your wax melts, the fragrance oils evaporate. Therefore, the vapor you may see as smoke is the scent being released into your room. So, when you see a white smoke emanating from your wax melts, it should be no cause for alarm.
Fragrance vapor can neither affect the product nor have any effect on the user. Some wax products have more scents than others because manufacturers use the maximum amount of the scent the wax can hold. Therefore, you may see more smoke come from candles from one brand than the other.
Wax is burning too hot
Have you noticed black smoke coming from your wax melts? While other vapor colors shouldn’t be a cause for alarm, black smoke should. Black smoke from your T-Light candle indicates that the wax is burning too hot.
Additionally, the presence of a hairline crack in your burner’s dish may release black smoke. Therefore, extinguish your T-Light candle immediately if you see black smoke.
The warmer
Another reason why your wax melts may produce smoke is the warmer you are using. T-Light warmers overheat the wax making it produce smoke. To avoid wax tart smoking, you should invest in electrical tart warmers. They are a great choice.
Wax Melts Smoking Caution
Is It OK for wax melts to smoke? To release the scent, the wax melts have to smoke or “evaporate”. Therefore, it should not alarm you if you see clear or white vapor coming from wax melts. Because various products use varying fragrances in varying amounts, the intensity of the smoke will not be the same.
So, the smoke you see is the scent from the fragrances being released into the air.
Having looked at reasons for wax melts smoking, how can we prevent it? Below we consider some safe burning practices that will prevent your wax from producing smoke.
Preventing Wax Melts From Smoking
While it should not be alarming, the steam may make you uncomfortable. Below are some of the ways to stop the wax tarts from smoking.
How do I stop my wax melts from smoking?
- Invest in an electric warmer
- Use the right amount of fragrance oil
- Heat the wax at recommended temperatures
Invest in an electric warmer
T-Light warmers tend to heat up more than electric warmers. Therefore, tea light warmers overheat your wax which makes it smoke. Using an electric warmer can help reduce smoking. If you use wax with a low melting point in an electric warmer with a wattage of 12 or 14, the tart melts fine, and the scent lasts longer.
Ensure that the melt pool is equal to or less than the approximated amount. The hotter the wax gets, the more the smell it will put out. If too hot, it may smoke. Therefore, invest in a low-wattage electric warmer and the smoke will be an issue of the past.
Using the right amount of fragrance
Many people put as much fragrance as the wax can hold. While this means that there will be more scent, it also means that your wax melts may smoke. To minimize wax tart smoking, you should buy lots of lower-scented tarts.
Strongly scented tarts cost much more than lower scented ones. As the saying goes, too much of a beneficial thing can be harmful. It is the most straightforward way of preventing your wax melts from smoking.
Heating the wax at recommended temperatures
As discussed above, overheating the wax leads to black smoke. Therefore, you should heat the wax at the recommended temperatures to prevent smoking.
Wax Warmer Smoke Causes
Wax warmers are not supposed to smoke. They are essential in holding and warming your wax. They may be oil-based or electrical. Below we consider the main reasons why your wax warmers may smoke.
Why is my wax warmer smoking?
- Dirt in the oil warmer
- Low levels of oil
Dirt in the oil warmer
How often do you check your oil warmer? The presence of dirt in your oil warmer can make it start to smoke. You should periodically look if there are dirt and dust particles in your wax warmer. If there is, immediately extinguish and clean it.
Low levels of oil
Does your oil dish have the appropriate level of oil? Some wax warmers use oil like paraffin. You should regularly check the oil levels of your oil warmer. Ensure that there are appropriate oil levels in your oil warmers dish and watch out for a smoke. Extinguish the warmer if it begins to smoke
Having looked at the above reasons why your wax warmer may be smoking, let us consider how we can prevent it.
Preventing Wax Warmers From Smoking
How do I stop my wax warmer from melting?
- Ensuring your warmer is clean
- Maintain appropriate oil levels
Ensuring your warmer is clean
Dirt in the oil warmers is also a contributor to wax warmer smoking. Routinely cleaning your warmer can prevent the wax tart from smoking. Cleaning your oil warmers also increases their lifetime.
Maintain appropriate oil levels
You should always ensure that there are appropriate levels of oil in the oil dish. When the oil levels reduce to near the bottom of the oil dish, the warmer begins to smoke.
Maintaining an appropriate level of oil helps prevent this. It is a simple activity that can make your house clean, and your wax lasts longer.
Why do my wax melts smell burnt?
Why do my wax melts smell burnt? The main reason why your wax melt may smell burnt is the type of warmer used. Generally, T-Light warmers overheat your wax. Therefore, it will most likely smell burnt. However, electric warmers usually have better temperature control making it less of an issue.
Electric warmers come in two forms; hot plate and bulb. While both of them are ideal, the problem arises from their wattage.
The electric burner should not also produce much heat. Ensure the melting point of your wax almost corresponds to the heat produced by the warmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wax melts should not smoke during normal use. The “smoke” that you may be seeing could actually be fragrance oil vapor that is seen through normal use. This is nothing to be alarmed by, it means that everything is operating as it should.
Wax melts can be burned for 2-4 hours at a time in most wax melt burners. However, some allow you to burn them even longer. Some electric burners cycle on and off allowing you to enjoy the fragrance of your wax melts throughout the entire day and even into the night.
You can leave wax in the warmer, but the wax is easier to clean when the warmer is still warm. If you find cleaning hardened wax too difficult, then you may need to warm it slightly with your choice of natural cleaner.
Most electric wax warmers will shut off automatically. In addition, some wax warmers are programmable and will allow you to select the time that you want them to be on and shut off, or the amount of time you want them to run before shutting off.
You can sleep with wax melters on. The current wax melters being released on the market can come with precise time, temperature, and light controls. New wax melters can even operate without the light created by bulbs in older types of wax warmers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, proper use of wax can mean the difference between saving and using more money. Invest in newer burners that are fitted with recent technology to prevent hazards.
When buying wax ask yourself; is this amount of fragrance necessary? If your candle produces clear or white smoke, don’t worry, that is normal. On the other hand, if it throws a black smock, extinguish it.