May 13, 2021

Ever feel like your candle doesn’t smell strong enough? Or perhaps it smells a lot stronger in your bedroom than your living room?

Have you considered the size of your room and specific candle location when burning? What impact can this all have on smelling your candle?

Well, the intensity of your candle scent differs depending on where you place your candle, its surroundings, the size of the room as well as your candle.

Here are Vellabox’s five top-kept secrets to make the most of your candle experience!

The 8-10 Rule: Place one 8 ounce candle for every 10 feet radius of room

It’s a good rule of thumb to follow the 8-10 rule to ensure your candle scent permeates the entire room equally. Your living room, a prime example, may require more than two small candles to smell the delectable scents from all corners of the room. In general, it’s best to light the same candle scent.

This rule is not only effective, but safe because if your candles are too close together (within three inches) they may give off a lot of heat (and we don’t want our candles melting each other lol). 

Generally speaking, stay clear of putting your candle next to other objects that could be flammable. Or else, you’ll run the risk of something catching fire.

Side note: An eight ounce Vellabox candle can burn for 50+ hours, so don’t forget to blow those candles out at the end of the day or when you leave the candle unattended! 

Try one of our snuffers to extinguish your flame without the billowing smoke and soot inside the glass jar.

Next time you feel as though you aren’t smelling your candle, remember to try the 8-10 rule!

Placement is Key

It’s all about discovering the perfect match between your candle and your room. There are surely some things and places to avoid when it comes to maximizing smelling experiences. 

Be sure to avoid placing candles near or under air vents, fans and windows. This will affect how strong the candle smells because it affects the rate at which the scent is being cycled in the air.

On top of that, just think of when you walk past a lit candle. Doesn’t it go crazy? Moving air disturbs its flame and will lead to black marks on the glass.

Remember to also avoid placing your lit candle near curtains and fabric. Instead, put your candles on a durable, heat-resistant surface such as tables and countertops. 

Jazz up your candle display by placing it on a stack of books or one of our macrame coasters that exude woven functionality and a gorgeous, timeless look.

Candle Size Matters

Burn a candle that compliments the size of the room dimensions. Our candles range in sizes to suit any space in your home.

If you choose to burn your candle in a smaller room such as a bathroom, small bedroom, on your desk or entryway, opt for a smaller candle. Our 4 ounce candle has a 25+ hour burn time.

For your larger rooms whether that be a bedroom, living room or kitchen, opt for an 8 ounce or larger candle that has a 50+ hour burn time.

The previous statement goes for office buildings that usually have high traffic of people moving around as well as high ceilings.

Remember to allow your candle, no matter the size, to burn for at least one hour, or until the wax pool reaches the edge of the container, to prevent tunneling. What is tunneling you ask?

This issue causes a tunnel of wax to produce inside the jar and wastes the remaining wax on the sides of the jar.

For larger candles, you can manually prevent tunneling by swirling the candle container gently around (with caution if the jar is warm).

Feng Shui + Candles

Going off of candle placement and size, does the specific location of your candle matter?

Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese home decor philosophy. It uses energy to harmonize individuals with their surroundings. 

There are five basic elements of feng shui including wood, fire, earth, metal and water. 

If you’re moving into a new space or want to invoke a better mood in a room that doesn’t quite feel like home, try balancing these elements to make your space more comfy with the help of strategic candle location.

Candles, an obvious expression of the fire element, can elicit a vibrant energy to your space while giving it a sense of a sacred glow. 

They are best used in the south, northeast and center of your home as well as the bagua areas that thrive on fiery energy, such as the living room or bedroom. Candles are also great for areas of your home that may be lacking it.

Lacking areas include bathrooms that are chi depleted due to their overwhelming presence of water and metal elements. The bagua is the feng shui energy map that evaluates the energy of a certain area. 

With the help of feng shui, you can customize your space with candles to compliment your personality and goals.

Candle + Room Compatibility Breakdown

Did you know that around halfway through watching an episode of Schitt’s Creek (or about 15 minutes), your nose can go nose blind. It’s because your sense of smell becomes desensitized to a smell. 

You may be inclined to light another candle; however, someone else could enter the room and be overwhelmed by the scent.

Try using a different scented candle in different rooms of your house, so that your nose will be restimulated from room to room! Below are Vellabox picks for each room’s twin flame.

Kitchen

Being home to Mom’s special recipes and family dinners, try incorporating a food scent in this area of your house or apartment. 

Try Pear + Honey or Sweet Grapefruit during the day, and a scent like Cinfully Sweet to give you that snickerdoodle cookie dessert and food coma vibes.

Living Room

It’s where you and Dad watch Sunday football or the setting of a rom-com with the girls. Next time you celebrate that stay-in movie and wine night, burn Cozy Cashmere.

And if you want to smell something refreshing or cozy in the background when you’re reading a book on the couch, try Tuileries.

Bathroom

Candles in bathrooms are a great way to neutralize any bathroom smells or take your self-care bath tub game one notch higher!

Keep your bathroom smelling fresh and relaxing with Grapefruit + Mandarin.

A great place to put your candle in the bathroom is in the corner of the sink countertop, on the side of the tub if you’re taking a bath or behind the toilet. But ladies, remember to watch your hair while going to the bathroom if the candle is burning.

Bedroom

The grand finale. Your personal sanctuary is where you recharge or unwind at night, so select a scented candle you love.

Your next candle to try for the bedroom should be Black Amber + Lavender to help you fall asleep at night.

At the end of the day, remember the purpose of the room you intend to place your candle. Do you want something to feel rejuvenated and boost your mood? Or do you want to unwind to a calming and cozy scent? 

With this in mind, select the candle size and scent that will accomplish your candle goals while enjoying great scents!

DM us on Instagram with any questions and happy burning!