Soy candles and kerosene candles. An important health issue
One of the most well-known characteristics of soy candles is their clean burn. For those who rarely burn scented candles in their homes, a clean burn may not mean much, but for frequent candle users, for those who are bothered by charring (soot) on top of containers, walls, curtains, and sometimes even furniture, a candle that produces much less or no soot is very, very important.
Why do kerosene candles soot?
Soot is the solid particle produced by the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous products, in this case oil-based candles. This is called soot, which is not found in soy waxes. Soy candles produce almost no soot because they contain vegetable oils and not petroleum oils. Lower soot levels help maintain clean air quality and reduce home maintenance problems associated with soot buildup.
Soy scented candles offer consumers the opportunity to use clean candles from ecological and renewable sources. But aside from the environmental issue, buying a soy candle supports the agricultural sector – unlike the oil industry, which supports kerosene candles. Large and small farmers around the world who grow soybeans benefit from this innovation in candles.
What would you most like to burn in your house?
Many carcinogenic ingredients are found in kerosene waxes. Almost all of them have been classified as “toxic” by various environmental authorities and, in particular, by the US state of California, which has banned their sale in retail stores.
Because soot particles are very small, they can potentially penetrate deeper areas of the lungs. The researchers warn that the very young and elderly, as well as people with respiratory diseases such as asthma, should avoid contact with soot.
But there are other factors that contribute to the deposition of black soot in candles
Please note that the only flame that does not contain soot is the natural gas flame. This flame is completely blue in nature and is characterized by what is called “complete combustion”.
Can a wax flame have “complete combustion”? Not completely, because a wick is required to burn a candle. And a wick leaves a residue, in a sense. But there are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of soot left behind by a candle wick.
The most important thing is that every time you light a candle, whether it is the first time or the last time before the candle goes out, you should rub the wick about 0.5 cm high. This will prevent the flame from being too large.
Second, keep your candle away from drafts that might blow into the candle to feed the flame and make it burn stronger.
And thirdly, extinguish the wick with a bell or, if you do not have such accessories, with a classic finger ointment! When you blow out or seal the wick, it creates a lot of smoke that you definitely don’t want…. want to land on your walls!