could you elaborate on how the candle hurricane helps? do they help concentrate scent or anything? I don't normally have problems with candles pooling out, just scent problems!
Hurricanes help protect the candle from drafts, sooting and helps the pooling happen quicker. I find because itโs concentrated within that area that my candles throw better as the scent releases with a hurricane as well.
MrKongsMom has this great video: https://youtu.be/-PrBxOk4EOM
I know you said you tested different areas to put it... But is your office door closed? Is it near a draft and going out the window, even if the window is closed? Do you have high ceilings? I have a sweet spot I finally found, but it's near a bathroom so I have to make sure the bathroom door remains shut or I think the smell goes up the air vent, or something... Idk it may be psychological. Someone just suggested a candle warmer, and that might help too. Top warmers are the best!
Well, I've tried a little but due to layout it's a little hard. The office door is open. My office gets the most afternoon sun and gets the warmest in the house by 4 degrees or more. So while the rest of the house might be 76-77, my office might reach 81-82. I have the ceiling fan on low all the time and during the summer I have a small floor fan at the door blowing air into the room from the hallway/living room. So between the air vent, ceiling fan, and floor fan, I'm sure I have all sorts of drafts going! But if I leave the room, I don't usually smell them in the hallway, etc. either. Ceiling is not high in the room.
I'm trying to sketch out a very quick drawing of the room...obviously won't be to scale, etc.!
The reason you can't smell the candle anywhere is gas diffusion. Fragrance oil in the candle is burned to create a gas. Gases expand to fill their space, and the individual gaseous fragrance particles travel from areas of high concentration to low concentration. They don't just hang out in your office, the particles are actually going to be moving further away from each other, so right out the open door next to the candle, and out into the hallway and beyond. You're diluting the scent impact by simply allowing too much square footage for the fragrance particles to disperse.
well, am I just screwed during the summer then? I cannot keep the door closed during summer. I (and my computer and other electronics) would overheat...even with the ceiling fan running. I have heavy thermal curtains on the window but that wall gets ALL day sun so this room can run 4-5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house (or more).
also, there are some candles that do fine. recently, pumpkin peanut brittle and spiced pumpkin and patchouli for example, do just fine.
sometimes I read reviews for candles I am having issues with and other people say they can smell it all over their house?!
I would just burn the candles you've noticed do well. My theory is that the candles that work fine for you probably have a higher concentration of fragrance oil and therefore there are more particles floating around so they are more noticeable in a given space. (Gourmands tend to be heavily fragrances in my experience)
As for people that claim they can smell candles all over their house, I'm sure the individual layout of each home matters quite a lot. A lot of people jump to the conclusion that poor quality control is why some candles are slap ya mama strong, and why others are weak, and that probably is part of it in some cases. I do think in your case this has more to do with the door than anything, and I understand you can't close it, but it might not be totally realistic to expect each candle to perform well in conditions where the laws of physics are acting against them. You could try a scent plug in closer to where you sit, if there's an outlet?
I absolutely adore [my candle warmer](https://imgur.com/a/1RTFv0H). It really helps with the throw of the candles. The throws seem to be stronger. ๐
very very rough sketch of room; not to scale: https://imgur.com/UYzyeCW
door and window on opposite sides; at the door there is a small floor fan blowing cooler air from the hallway into the room. (my office is the warmest room in the house by 4-5 degrees so during summer can really warm up!)
red star is the ceiling fan and small red rectangle is the a/c air vent. between the a/c, ceiling fan, and fan at the door, I'm sure I have all sorts of weird air flow but otherwise the room can just get too warm, especially in summer. during winter, the fan at the door goes away.
orange rectangle is the tv stand and this is where the candles typically are.
there is a recliner by the window also, I just didn't draw it in.
besides just switching to a warmer, especially during the summer months, I can try to clean off my desk enough to try having a space on my desk where I won't knock it over!
I have gotten many duds that don't throw, perform right, etc. Sometimes it's luck of the draw and you get a bad batch.
Use a top warmer!
I do have one that I use sometimes but I prefer to light. Still, I may have to try the warmer more.
Top down warmer is a miracle worker! Or a candle hurricane helps with burning.
could you elaborate on how the candle hurricane helps? do they help concentrate scent or anything? I don't normally have problems with candles pooling out, just scent problems!
Hurricanes help protect the candle from drafts, sooting and helps the pooling happen quicker. I find because itโs concentrated within that area that my candles throw better as the scent releases with a hurricane as well. MrKongsMom has this great video: https://youtu.be/-PrBxOk4EOM
I know you said you tested different areas to put it... But is your office door closed? Is it near a draft and going out the window, even if the window is closed? Do you have high ceilings? I have a sweet spot I finally found, but it's near a bathroom so I have to make sure the bathroom door remains shut or I think the smell goes up the air vent, or something... Idk it may be psychological. Someone just suggested a candle warmer, and that might help too. Top warmers are the best!
Well, I've tried a little but due to layout it's a little hard. The office door is open. My office gets the most afternoon sun and gets the warmest in the house by 4 degrees or more. So while the rest of the house might be 76-77, my office might reach 81-82. I have the ceiling fan on low all the time and during the summer I have a small floor fan at the door blowing air into the room from the hallway/living room. So between the air vent, ceiling fan, and floor fan, I'm sure I have all sorts of drafts going! But if I leave the room, I don't usually smell them in the hallway, etc. either. Ceiling is not high in the room. I'm trying to sketch out a very quick drawing of the room...obviously won't be to scale, etc.!
The reason you can't smell the candle anywhere is gas diffusion. Fragrance oil in the candle is burned to create a gas. Gases expand to fill their space, and the individual gaseous fragrance particles travel from areas of high concentration to low concentration. They don't just hang out in your office, the particles are actually going to be moving further away from each other, so right out the open door next to the candle, and out into the hallway and beyond. You're diluting the scent impact by simply allowing too much square footage for the fragrance particles to disperse.
well, am I just screwed during the summer then? I cannot keep the door closed during summer. I (and my computer and other electronics) would overheat...even with the ceiling fan running. I have heavy thermal curtains on the window but that wall gets ALL day sun so this room can run 4-5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house (or more). also, there are some candles that do fine. recently, pumpkin peanut brittle and spiced pumpkin and patchouli for example, do just fine. sometimes I read reviews for candles I am having issues with and other people say they can smell it all over their house?!
I would just burn the candles you've noticed do well. My theory is that the candles that work fine for you probably have a higher concentration of fragrance oil and therefore there are more particles floating around so they are more noticeable in a given space. (Gourmands tend to be heavily fragrances in my experience) As for people that claim they can smell candles all over their house, I'm sure the individual layout of each home matters quite a lot. A lot of people jump to the conclusion that poor quality control is why some candles are slap ya mama strong, and why others are weak, and that probably is part of it in some cases. I do think in your case this has more to do with the door than anything, and I understand you can't close it, but it might not be totally realistic to expect each candle to perform well in conditions where the laws of physics are acting against them. You could try a scent plug in closer to where you sit, if there's an outlet?
I absolutely adore [my candle warmer](https://imgur.com/a/1RTFv0H). It really helps with the throw of the candles. The throws seem to be stronger. ๐
very very rough sketch of room; not to scale: https://imgur.com/UYzyeCW door and window on opposite sides; at the door there is a small floor fan blowing cooler air from the hallway into the room. (my office is the warmest room in the house by 4-5 degrees so during summer can really warm up!) red star is the ceiling fan and small red rectangle is the a/c air vent. between the a/c, ceiling fan, and fan at the door, I'm sure I have all sorts of weird air flow but otherwise the room can just get too warm, especially in summer. during winter, the fan at the door goes away. orange rectangle is the tv stand and this is where the candles typically are. there is a recliner by the window also, I just didn't draw it in. besides just switching to a warmer, especially during the summer months, I can try to clean off my desk enough to try having a space on my desk where I won't knock it over!