At this time of year more than any other, families are buying up candles like hotcakes. If you've ever shopped for candles, you've undoubtedly noticed a huge price discrepancy among them - some are nearly $30, and some are a bargain-basement $1.99. That disparity would cause a knee-jerk reaction most of us to purchase the cheaper candle, but that's not always the smartest - or the safest - buy. In fact, cheap candles can place your home in jeopardy.

The quality of a candle is measured by a number of factors, most notably burn time. It's simple: The longer the burn time, the better the candle, in most cases. If you've ever purchased an inexpensive votive or pillar candle, you've noticed that you can burn them to the bottom or close to the bottom in the course of a single evening or two. That's not the case with higher-quality candles, which can burn for 100 hours or more. So what creates a longer burn time? In short, the quality of the wax. Cheaper candles also tend to smoke more, which is likely to trigger your smoke detector and leave black soot deposits on surrounding walls, mantels and other nearby surfaces in no time flat.

Walking away from a candle is a common mistake that all too many homeowners have committed, sometimes with tragic results. Candles can be a bit deceiving; while they provide a beautiful accent to any room, it only takes a split second - a brief phone call, a distracted parent or an unplanned nap -- for them to cause serious damage or even total destruction to your home. The soot damage referenced above pales by comparison to the damage incurred from a candle that topples from a candle holder placed on an uneven surface, or one that falls when a pet knocks it over. The vast majority of fires resulting from candle use are caused by consumer error.

While you're lighting up those candles this season, keep the following safety tips in mind:

Published: November 30, 2000

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