6 Easy Ways to Restore a Candle That's Tunneling

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Save a candle that melted unevenly and learn how to prevent tunneling in the first place

Co-authored by Filip Kabashi and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: October 10, 2024 References

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Simple Fixes for Candle Tunneling

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What causes candle tunneling?

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Preventing Tunneled Candles

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Warnings

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You love the relaxing scent when you burn your favorite candle, but now it’s melting faster near the wick than it is around the edges. When a candle starts tunneling deeper, it doesn’t get a chance to melt all of the wax evenly. No matter how far your candle has tunneled, there are still lots of ways to melt the wax and restore the look of your candle. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the best fixes for your candle, as well as how to stop it from happening again.

Things You Should Know

Wrap foil around the top edges of your candle while it’s lit. Burn your candle until the wax melts to the edges of the container.
Heat the top layer of wax with a hair dryer to fix minor tunneling.
Put your candle in the oven at 175 °F (79 °C) for 5 minutes to help melt the wax.
Cut away the excess wax above the wick with a butter knife. Melt the wax in a wax warmer to continue using it.

Section 1 of 3:

Simple Fixes for Candle Tunneling

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1
Wrap foil around the top edge of the candle while it’s burning. Rip off a piece of aluminum foil and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around your candle’s container. Simply fold the foil in half the long way and wrap it around the top edge of the candle. Fold the edges over the top of the candle, but leave a hole in the middle right above the wick. Then, just burn your candle until all the wax on the surface melts and becomes level.^{[1]
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- The foil helps trap some of the heat from the candle’s flame, so it will melt more of the wax.
2
Melt the top layer of the candle with a hair dryer. If you have a hair dryer at home, turn it onto the highest heat setting and point it right at the top of your candle. Wave the nozzle over the candle for around 2–3 minutes to soften the wax and make it melt into an even surface.^{[2]
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- This works best if your candle has just started tunneling so you can prevent it from getting worse.
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3
Heat your candle in the oven at 175 °F (79 °C) for 5 minutes. Warm up your oven completely before you put your candle in so the wax doesn’t melt too much. Simply set your candle in the middle of a cookie sheet and put it inside your oven. After 5 minutes, pull the candle out with oven mitts so you don’t burn yourself. Then, just let the wax harden back up before you light your candle again.^{[3]
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- If you still see tunneling, leave your candle in your oven and check it again in 1–2 minutes.
If you have a free-standing candle without a container, then just light it and let the wax warm up for a few minutes. Gently press your thumb against the soft edges and push them down toward the wick. That way, the wax melts drips into the center as it melts and prevents your candle from tunneling.^{[4]
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Scrape the excess wax off with a butter knife. First, blow out the candle and let it cool. Then, press the edge of your knife into the excess wax above the wick and just scrape it out. Put the excess wax into a separate container.^{[5]
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- This works best on candles that have tunneled and are close to the bottoms of their containers.
- Avoid leaving all the excess wax in the candle container since it could cover the wick when it melts.
- Want to still use the excess wax? Melt it in a wax warmer to keep enjoying the scent.
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Melt out all the wax and replace the wick. Scrape out all the wax from your candle and set the wick aside for now. Melt the wax in a double boiler until there aren’t any solid chunks left. Then, slowly pour the hot wax back into the candle’s container and replace the wick so it hangs in the center. Let the wax cool and harden completely before you use the candle.^{[6]
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- Try melting the wax and replacing the wick if no other fixes work for you.

Section 2 of 3:

What causes candle tunneling?

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If you put out the wick before the wax melts all the way to the edges of the container, then it may start tunneling the next time you light it. The wax will only melt out to the edge of the pool where it ended the last time it was lit, so it will leave wax behind.
If you’re burning a large candle, it needs a thicker wick so it can generate enough heat to melt all the wax on the surface. If you made your own candles or got cheap candles, they may have thinner wicks than what you need for your container and leave wax around the edges.^{[7]
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Section 3 of 3:

Preventing Tunneled Candles

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1
Let the wax melt all the way to the edges on the candle’s first burn. As a good rule of thumb, let your candle burn for 1 hour for every 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter. When the pool of wax reaches the edge of the container, then it’s okay to blow your candle out.^{[8]
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- For example, if your candle’s container has a 4 in (10 cm) diameter, plan on leaving it lit for at least 4 hours.
- If your candle has multiple wicks, light them all at the same time so they burn evenly.
Use a small pair of nail clippers or a wick trimmer to cut the wick down to size. If you leave the wick too long, then your candle may burn unevenly and cause a tunnel to form.^{[9]
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Make sure your candle isn’t next to a breezy window or a fan that could blow on the flame. If the flame doesn’t burn properly, then the wax won’t melt evenly and your candle could start tunneling.^{[10]
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Warnings

Stop burning your candle when there’s only ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) of wax left since the heat could damage the surface underneath.^{[11]
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