Always adapt the wick choice to the diameter and shape of the container, the wax type and any fragrance. For wider jars or tins it may be appropriate to use two or more wicks in order to create an even wax pool across the entire surface. We recommend starting by testing on a smaller series of candles – gradually changing the wick length and the number of wicks, monitoring the wax melt rate, flame height and any smoking. Each time the wax formulation or fragrance is changed, the test needs to be repeated.

Cotton wicks are generally well usable with most common waxes, such as paraffin, vegetable (for example soy) or blended waxes. However, each wax and fragrance burns slightly differently, so we always recommend carrying out your own test pours in the actual container in which you will sell or use the candle. Use the test to verify burn rate, flame stability, behaviour of the wax pool and any smoking.

It is not suitable to recycle a used wick for another candle, because it has already undergone thermal stress and may burn unstably. The packaging – vial, jar or tin – can, however, be reused repeatedly if hygiene principles are observed. Before each new filling, it is advisable to remove wax residues and mechanical impurities from the container and to clean and disinfect it thoroughly. For disinfection we recommend using isopropyl alcohol or ethanol, which you can find, for example, as the products IPA 99 % isopropyl alcohol and Ethanol 96 % denatured vegetable. After cleaning, let the packaging dry completely and only then refill it with wax and a new wick.

If you decide not to use the packaging in which you use the cotton wick any longer, we recommend recycling it according to the material specified in the parameters of the particular product on the Handymade website. In general, glass vials, medicine bottles and jars belong in the glass container once wax residues and metal components have been removed. Plastic jars and containers are sorted according to the plastic type stated in the material designation on the packaging, while metal caps or wick tabs go into metal waste if such a collection option exists. Before throwing them into sorted waste, it is advisable to remove wax residues mechanically as much as possible to make recycling easier.

The simplest way to choose a suitable vial, jar or tin is to use the extended filter in the packaging category. After clicking on the selected category, you will find the extended filter at the top of the page, where you can conveniently filter by neck type, size, colour and packaging material. Thanks to this, you can quickly narrow down the range to containers that will match the type of candles you plan to produce in terms of dimensions and appearance, and easily assign a suitable cotton wick to them as well.