Candles in a home with pets

Cats sleep where it is warm, and dogs follow you from room to room. A candle in a home with animals is perfectly possible. It just asks for a little more thought about what you light, and where.

Why our pillars and tapers are unscented

Our pillars and tapers contain nothing but beeswax and a cotton wick. There is no fragrance in them at all, natural or otherwise. The faint honey note you notice comes from the wax itself.

Animals experience scent far more strongly than we do, and some essential oils are not recommended around cats and other small pets. So although our vessels use only organic essential oils, we suggest the unscented candles for rooms where animals spend most of their time. If you are unsure, ask your vet.

Where to put it

• Up high, on a shelf or mantel a cat cannot reach in one jump.
• Never on the floor or a low table, where a tail can sweep past.
• Away from beds, cushions and anything an animal might pull down.
• Only in a room you are in. Put the flame out when you leave, even for a minute.

A candle on a high shelf is also safer from the other small members of a household: children reach for a flame as quickly as cats do.

Nothing but beeswax and a cotton wick: the quiet choice for a shared home.

The flame itself

Pets are curious about flames, and whiskers singe quickly. A pillar in a niche or a deep lantern keeps the flame further from a passing nose. Tapers are best kept to the dining table, where you are sitting beside them.

Beeswax burns cleanly and with very little soot, which makes it a kinder choice than paraffin for a small, shared space. Keep the room aired and the wick trimmed, and the air stays fresh for everyone in it.

If wax is spilled

Let it harden, then lift it off with a blunt knife. Beeswax is not poisonous, but it is still best kept away from curious mouths. On fabric, cover the spot with brown paper and press with a warm iron: the paper takes up the wax.