What Is Mushrooming?

Mushrooming is the natural phenomenon that happens when carbon builds up on a candle wick, causing it to take on an appearance that resembles that of a mushroom. Anyone who burns candles often has probably experienced it at one time or another. But the real question is: Does it matter? The short answer is no, with a few caveats.

When a wick has carbon buildup, then that typically means its flame is consuming wax at a rate faster than it can burn it up. The wick taking on a mushroom-like appearance is the least of your concerns. It’s really a symptom that can result in the following:

Nine times out of 10, mushrooming is not a problem. Cored wicks, such as zinc, cotton and paper tend to mushroom. And though wicks with a core can potentially mushroom, they do generally remain stable throughout the burning process, which is a great benefit. Bottom line: If your candle is burning cleanly, evenly and fragrantly inside of our recommended burn times, don’t worry about whether a wick mushrooms. However, if the flame starts to become abnormally large or you see a lot of smoke or soot building up inside the jar, then you will have to take action to minimize any adverse effects.

First and foremost, make sure you trim your wick to a ¼ inch before each lighting and keep the candle flame away from drafts. This will help to reduce the amount of smoke that is released as well as incidences of soot buildup.

If the candle is still getting a lot of smoke and soot, cut down your burning times. For example, try burning your candle for 1-2 hours at a time, instead of our maximum recommended burning time. And allow your candle to cool for at least two hours before relighting it.