How To Stop a Candle From Tunneling [10 Must-Try Methods]

Candle tunneling doesn’t only ruin the aEsTheTiC of a candle and leave a vertical, hollow hole down the center of it. A tunneling candle also means plenty of wasted wax, significantly undercutting your candle’s total burn time. But how do you “reverse” an already-forming tunnel, and how do you stop a candle from tunneling in the first place?

If your candle is already tunneling (or you suspect it’s on that path), continue reading from here. Otherwise, skip to the section titled “How to Prevent a Candle From Tunneling” to learn how to stop a candle from tunneling (clever, eh?).

How To Fix an Already-Tunneling Candle

Exactly how “fixable” a currently tunneling candle is depends on a few factors. These include when the tunneling actually started, the severity of the tunneling, and your burning habits. 

If you’re new to all this candle terminology, here are a few signs your candle is already tunneling:

• Uneven wax melting: More specifically, the outer rim or edges of the wax aren’t burning at the same pace as the center.
• An increasingly harder-to-reach wick: The tip of the wick is essentially “sinking” into the tunnel. The buried wick will make it more difficult to light—even with an “EZ Reach” lighter—as the candle is burning only a small portion of wax each time.
• A decreased burn time: Your candle’s wax is burning out much quicker than other candles its size, without reaching the edge of the container.

Now, let’s overview six ways to fix candle tunneling. Not all of these will work in every situation, and you may even want to combine a few methods for optimal results!

1. Trim the Wick to About ¼ Inches (0.635 cm)

This one isn’t so much a method as it is one of the basic essentials of candle care. Trimming your wick to ¼-inch (roughly 6.35 cm) won’t necessarily “reverse” the tunneling. But—in very mildly tunneling candles—it can ensure that the gap doesn’t deepen on the next burn.

Though often overlooked, wick size is extraordinarily important regarding how well (and how long) a candle will burn. 

If a wick is too long, it’ll produce an unusually large flame that flickers, burns faster than normal, and generates more heat. This unnaturally high heat can cause the wax to melt unevenly and scorch a tunnel through the center. 

This is a phenomenon known as “burning too hot.” When a candle burns too hot, its flame requires much more oxygen to sustain itself and continue burning. The wick can’t get the oxygen it needs, leading to incomplete combustion, which happens when the fuel—or wax, in this case—doesn’t burn completely. 

The result is tunneling, a sooty residue, black smoke, and the release of unburned carbon particles into the air.

Shorter-wick candles are also much more effective at distributing the flame’s heat across the surface of the candle. If the wick is longer than ¼-inch, it’ll melt the wax around the wick relatively quickly while the wax along the edges lags behind or doesn’t melt at all. 

Trimming wicks dials down the heat and melts the entire surface of the candle, creating a melt pool that reaches the edge of the container for a clean, even, and controlled burn. But, again, this strategy only really “works” on candles with very slight tunneling.

How To Do It

Materials Needed: A cool candle with hardened wax and a wick trimmer (nail clippers or scissors can double as alternatives in a pinch)

1. Ensure the candle is cool and wax hardened before trimming your wick. Do not attempt to trim a candle wick that is currently lit or was just recently extinguished.
2. Lower your trimmer, scissors, or nail clippers into the candle.
3. Trim the wick to ¼-inch (or a tad shorter), keeping the cut as straight as possible. Candle wicks don’t require much pressure to trim!
4. Keep your cutting tool clamped shut as you pull it out of the candle container to avoid debris raining down onto your candle.
5. Discard the wick’s remnants in the garbage. Make sure the wick is 100% cool.

2. Burn the Candle Longer To Melt the Top Surface

This next method works best for slightly tunneling candles and requires little more than time and patience. Just remember that this method won’t always work and could take several hours-long burns to see the tunneling undo itself (if at all).

To understand why this tactic could work, I should discuss burn time and its connection to tunneling. Precisely how long it takes a candle’s top surface to melt largely depends on the wax used and the candle’s diameter (or the length of the jar at its widest).

The table below shows estimates for the approximate burn time by wax type:

Next, you’ll factor in the diameter of the candle. Multiply the estimated time for the type of wax by the diameter of your candle in inches to get your approximate burn time. 

For example, a paraffin candle measuring 5 inches end-to-end will take roughly 2.5–3.3 hours to melt the top layer.

As a general rule of thumb, allow the candle to burn for about one hour for every inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.

If you extinguish the candle during or after this time frame, the upper layer of wax should harden smooth and flat. Blow the candle out any sooner, and you’ll notice that the melted wax around the wax sinks slightly below the rest. 

The reason for this is simple: the wick sucks up the liquid wax through capillary action, providing the fuel needed to maintain the flame. As it draws the liquid wax in, the wax evaporates and combines with oxygen from the air. The result is combustion that produces heat, light, water vapor, and carbon dioxide.

The flame and the heat essentially “consume” the liquified wax, which is exactly why the candle wax appears to “sink” lower each time you burn the candle. Blowing the flame out before the wax pools to the edges allows the wax around the wick to continue evaporating while the outer ridge doesn’t melt at all.

Giving the upper layer of wax the appropriate time to melt could reverse mild tunneling. Of course, that assumes you don’t extinguish it before the wax melts to the edges. 

How To Do It

Materials Needed: A mildly tunneled candle, a lighter, a stable and isolated surface, and oodles of time (several hours’ worth)

1. Trim the wick to ¼-inch.
2. Light it.
3. Wait. For smaller candles, it could take a few hours to melt the top surface completely; for larger candles, expect at least a few additional hours.
4. Do not extinguish the candle until the entire top surface melts to the edges.

3. Use Aluminum Foil To Redistribute the Heat

This next trick is an unconventional but surprisingly effective fix for more severe tunneling. By wrapping tin foil around and on top of your candle with a narrow opening, you can redistribute the flame’s heat to that outer ring of unmelted wax.

Now, the “aluminum foil method” works in three ways:

1. The foil acts as a reflective barrier that will reflect heat generated by the flame back toward the far edges of the candle.
2. Aluminum foil better contains the flame’s heat inside the jar (i.e., insulation), letting less heat escape and melting that waxy ring with a bit more oomph.
3. The higher temperature within the jar melts a wax pool faster—reversing moderate to severe tunneling within a shorter time frame.

The candle below was destined for tunneling after an incomplete first burn. This foil trick completely “undid” about a month’s worth of mild tunneling in exactly 24 minutes, though the result is a tad sooty:

How To Do It

Materials Needed: Aluminum foil and scissors

1. Roll out aluminum foil, and set your unlit candle down on top of it.
2. Cut a rectangle or square roughly a few inches (5 cm) wider than the candle on all sides. This is extremely important for a snug fit later on!
3. Lay the cut sheet of foil flat on top of the candle and secure it to the candle jar by firmly patting down its sides. 
4. Using the scissors, gently poke a hole in the center of the foil around where the wicks are.
5. Use your fingers to gently pull the foil away from the hole you cut to widen the circle. The resulting hole should be about ½–1-inch (1.25–2.5 cm) narrower than the diameter of the candle on all sides.
6. Gently press these edges between your fingers to stiffen the overhanging foil. 
7. The wicks should be completely visible, and there should be no foil just above or very close to the wicks (for safety purposes).
8. When you blow out the flame, let the foil cool completely before removing it and tossing it into the garbage can.

Cutting the hole in the center of the foil is extremely important, as it gives the flame the oxygen it needs to burn properly. Oxygen is one of the three corners of the so-called “fire triangle“.

Do not let the flame touch the foil, and be sure to monitor the candle during this process to ensure the flame does not come in contact with the foil.

4. Salvage Any Remaining Wax With a Candle Warmer

What many consider a safer, flame-free alternative to lighting candles may also be the fix to your candle tunneling woes. However, to be completely clear, this method won’t actually reverse ongoing tunneling, but it will make the most of any wax the candle has left.

Melting a candle generally takes on two forms: from the top down and from the bottom up. 

Bottom-up warmers feature a plate on top of a heating element, warming the candle from its base. With the heat switched on, the plate holding the candle will generate warmth. The candle’s base will warm up, spreading the heat to the wax at the bottom of the candle. As this wax melts and loses density, it’ll actually rise to the top of the candle in its liquid form.

A top-down warmer will heat your candle overhead with powerful halogen light bulbs and looks oddly similar to your basic desk lamp. Turning this device on will generate heat from above the candle that radiates downward. This heat will then gradually melt the candle’s upper layer of wax as a normally lit candle, just minus the flame!

The risk of further tunneling remains low with either type of warmer. Because it lacks a central flame, you can almost guarantee a more even heat distribution across the candle’s upper or lower surface rather than just near the wick. 

To prevent further tunneling with this method, let the top layer of wax melt completely to avoid leaving waxy rings behind.

How To Do It

Materials Needed: A candle warmer (either with a heating plate or an overhead lamp) and an electrical outlet to plug the device into

1. Center the candle on the heating plate (for bottom-up warmers) or directly below the bulbs (for top-down warmers). Do not light the wicks.
2. Turn the warmer on according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Adjust the heat settings to your liking. If this is your first time using a candle warmer on a tunneled candle, start with the lowest heat setting to get a feel for it.
4. Turn the device off after you finish using it.
5. Wait until the candle is completely cooled before moving it off the heat plate, as it will be hot!

Not all candles are compatible with candle warmers. Check the candle’s label before using your warmer with a candle. 

5. Melt the Top Layer of Wax With the Hair Dryer Method

This next strategy walks the tightrope between the most practical and most tedious. But unlike the first four methods, taking your hairdryer to your tunneling candle has one extra benefit. You can gently heat and target the more stubborn problem areas!

A standard hair dryer shoots warm air ranging from 80 to 200 °F (27 to 93 °F). On the other hand, candle wax begins melting somewhere between 99 and 150 °F (37 to 82 °C).

If you’re unsure if your device can melt your candle’s wax, the table below shows the typical melting point of the three most common candle waxes. You can then compare your hair dryer’s maximum temperature to this number.

By angling the hot air from the dryer toward the built-up wax, you can target which wax areas actually melt. Start at the mouth of the tunnel to fill in that ever-widening gap with pooled wax, and then work your way out to the ridges to create a flat, even surface.

Keep in mind this method may require several go-rounds, and using too much heat at once can burn the wax quicker than it should. Cranking the heat up to high may also cause the melted wax to splash up at the dryer and you… ask me how I know.

How To Do It

Materials Needed: A hair dryer with adjustable heat settings (ideally three or more) and an electrical outlet to plug it into

1. Do not light the candle at all during this process. 
2. Turn the hair dryer on and set it to its lowest heat setting.
3. Holding the dryer about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the candle, focusing on the outer wax rim of the tunnel first and then working outward.
4. Use tight, circular motions when blowing the air to distribute enough heat to melt larger wax areas at once.
5. If needed, use the next highest temperature setting.

Seriously, do not light a flame in a glass container in your home and then propel hot air toward it at 40 mph (63.7 km/h).

6. Scrape Out the Uneven Wax With a Knife

This final tunnel-reversing method is the least pretty, though it’s a decent “quick fix” for mild candle tunneling. Rather than waiting for the surrounding wax to “even itself out” through burning, you’ll simply use a dull knife to carefully scrape out any unmelted wax around the tunnel. 

Removing this unmelted wax allows you to flatten the upper surface and removes any physical barriers to future tunneling. However, this method only works long-term if you let the wax melt to the outside edge every single time and maintain a ¼-inch wick.

How To Do It

Materials Needed: A dull blade or butter knife, a countertop or cutting board, a paper towel or cloth, a hair dryer, and an electrical outlet

1. Find open counter space located near a wall outlet.
2. Set your hair dryer to its low or medium setting.
3. Hold the dryer about 6 inches (15 cm) from the candle, angled toward it, moving the dryer slowly back and forth above the candle’s wax.
4. Focus on lightly softening the wax around the tunnel.
5. Take your knife and carefully insert it into the leftover wax wall around the tunnel.
6. Gently, slowly, and steadily, scrape the softened wax away from the wall and push it toward the center of the candle.
7. Continue scraping and pushing the wax until the tunnel is filled and the candle’s surface is smooth and even.
8. Use a cloth or paper towel to wipe away any wax debris and toss it.

Be extremely mindful of the angle and pressure of the knife, as the jar is likely glass. Do not use serrated or super sharp blades.

How To Prevent a Candle From Tunneling

The best way to prevent tunneling is to follow the basic rules of candle care and be proactive about where you place your new candle.

Strategies 7 through 10 below are ways to stop candle tunneling before it happens:

7. Start With a “Memory Burn” the First Time You Light It

A memory burn, wax memory, and a memory ring are all different terms describing the same phenomenon. And it’s the very reason the first time you light a candle is the most important. 

You can look at it as a way to “teach” the wax how and where to burn. If you let the entire surface of the wax melt before extinguishing it, the wax will know to pool to the edges during future burns.

However, if you snuff the wick before the liquified wax meets the edges, you’re essentially shrinking the size of future wax pools. As the melted wax around the wick solidifies, you’ll notice that it’s slightly lower than the wax around it and forms a distinct ridge or ring. 

This is where the term “memory ring” comes in. The deeper this ring is, the less likely future wax pools will travel beyond the ring. Rather than burning crisply across the top, the wax around will continue melting with each burn as the wax along the edges remains untouched.

The relatively new candle below was extinguished too early the first time and has a very apparent memory ring:

Here’s how to perfect your initial burn to prevent candle tunneling in the future:

1. Trim its wick to ¼-inch.
2. Allow the candle to burn for about one hour per inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. If you have a 4-inch candle, leave a 4-hour open window in your schedule to monitor the first session.
3. Extinguish the flame only after the wax pool hits the glass edges.
4. Before its next burn, trim the wick to ¼-inch again, and ensure the wick remains pointed upright and centered for a controlled, even flame.

That brings me to my next point…

8. Always Allow the Melted Wax To Reach the Edges

Yes, the first time you light a candle is the most important, but—theoretically—every time is important to avoid tunneling. Candle tunneling is more likely to happen after an incomplete first burn. Yet, a tunnel can begin forming after any burn where the top layer of wax isn’t completely melted. 

So just as you did the first time, never extinguish a candle’s flame until the top layer of wax reaches the edges! Otherwise, you’ll need to scroll back up to methods 1 through 6 to learn how to fix your newfound problem.

9. Avoid Placing the Candle Near Drafts

The “perfect” candle flame is steady, teardrop-shaped, doesn’t flicker excessively, and forms an even wax pool around the wick. Unfortunately, these conditions are very unlikely if your candle is near an open window, air vent, fan, doorway, or area with heavy foot traffic. 

Drafts are a notorious yet often-overlooked cause of candle tunneling. Exactly why this happens comes down to air movement and how it impacts a candle’s combustion process.

The first issue also happens to be the most “obvious”: drafts create airflow.

A draft will generate air movement around a candle. But rather than the usual steady flow of hot air rising from the flame, the draft pushes the flame to lean to one side. The wax melts more heavily in the direction the flame leans, resulting in an uneven burn.

Drafts can also cause flickering, which could result in soot formation and a less efficient use of the wax.

This candle is next to a window on a very mildly breezy day (7 mph winds) and has leaning flames:

Secondly, drafts manipulate the amount of oxygen actually reaching the flame. By leaving your candle in the pathway of a draft, its flame may flicker or even extinguish itself. The interrupted oxygen flow to the flame can interfere with combustion and lead to unintentional tunneling.

If you can’t completely remove the candle from a drafty area, you can use a candle holder or lantern to block the draft.

10. Maintain a ¼-Inch Wick Size

The last method I’ve mentioned nine times already (yes, I checked) and is arguably the most important rule of burning candles. 

In fact, not trimming the wick to ¼-inch opens the door to a whole host of issues. Possible consequences include a flickering flame that burns too hot and a higher-than-normal release of soot.

Yet, in this context, the mismatched ratio of fuel (or wax) for the flame is most concerning. The wax burns more readily around the wick, while the wax along the edges doesn’t burn at all. 

A neatly and regularly trimmed wick is the simplest way to help a candle burn evenly. Just ensure that the wick is cool and the wax is hard before trimming the wick! Refer to method #1 on this list for wick-trimming instructions.

If you notice a mushroom head forming on the top of the wick or an increased flame height, you should trim its wick slightly, too, for a cleaner burn.

Final Thoughts

The best way to prevent it from happening is to burn it right the first time—trimming the wick and letting the wax pool to the edges all around. 

If you already notice candle tunneling, whether or not you can fix it depends on how severe the tunneling is and how much wax remains. Again, you may need to attempt some of these strategies several times or combine two or more to save a candle with extreme tunneling. Even then—it’s not a 100% guarantee.

All in all, the sooner you catch and begin addressing tunneling, the more likely you can save the candle with “normal” future burns.