Buy a few too many candles during a sale, or stock up on wax melts you're saving for later, and how you store them actually matters more than most people realise. Poor storage can fade a scent before you've even lit it. Here's how to keep yours at their best.
Keep Them Out of Direct Sunlight
Sunlight is one of the biggest threats to an unlit candle. UV exposure can fade the colour of the wax, and heat from direct sun can cause softening, warping, or an uneven surface before you've even had the chance to burn it.
Best practice: store candles and wax melts in a cupboard, drawer, or anywhere shaded — a windowsill display looks lovely but isn't doing your candle any favours long-term.
Avoid Heat and Temperature Swings
Beyond direct sun, general heat exposure — a candle left in a warm car, near a radiator, or in a hot attic — can cause the fragrance oil to begin evaporating out of the wax before you ever light it, leaving you with a weaker scent than intended.
Best practice: a cool, stable room temperature is ideal. Avoid storing candles anywhere that gets noticeably warm, even if it's shaded.
Keep the Lid On (If It Has One)
If your candle came with a lid, use it between burns — this isn't just for looks. A lid slows down fragrance evaporation significantly when the candle isn't in use, helping it retain scent strength over a longer period, especially if you're not burning through it quickly.
For wax melts specifically: keep them in their original packaging or an airtight container until you're ready to use them. Wax melts have a larger surface area relative to their size, which means they can lose fragrance to the air faster than a candle if left unwrapped.
Store Away from Strong Odours
Wax is naturally good at absorbing scent from its surroundings — which is great when it's fragrance oil, but not so great if it's sitting near strongly-scented cleaning products, other competing candles, or anywhere with cooking smells. Over time, this can subtly alter or muddy the intended scent.
Best practice: a dedicated drawer or box away from cleaning cupboards and the kitchen is ideal if you're storing multiple candles or wax melts at once.
Don't Store for Years and Expect Peak Performance
Candles and wax melts don't last indefinitely in storage. While they won't "go off" in any unsafe way, fragrance strength does gradually fade over time, even with good storage. If you've bought in bulk or received several as gifts, it's worth using them within a reasonable timeframe — roughly a year or so — rather than saving them indefinitely for a "special occasion" that keeps getting pushed back.
Our Recommendation
Cool, dark, lidded, and away from other strong smells — that's really the whole formula. A little care in storage means the candle or wax melt you finally get around to using performs exactly as it should, rather than being a faded version of what you originally bought.
All of our candles and wax melts are hand-poured or hand-filled in Scotland using GMO-free soy wax, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.
Ready to add to your collection? Browse our full range here.