Why I Use Mug Warmers With All of My Candles
Last year I was looking for a good gift for my mother, who loves gadgets, but for whom I had already bought all the Alexa-enabled devices, as well as many Apple products. I’d dug my grave by loading it up with electronics and trinkets, and was left with few gift options—that is, until I spotted a product advertised as a mug warmer.
At first I thought she could plug it into one of her many smart plugs and control her army of Amazon Echos to keep drinks warm, so I immediately bought one. However, that’s not how she ended up using it: This drink warmer has a candle on it. She found the smartest way to make her home smell amazing and then passed that knowledge on to me. Now I’m passing this on to you because it’s a great hack.
Warming with candles is a very effective way to make your entire home smell fantastic. My mom lives in a four-story house and says that when she puts a candle on the mug warmer, the smell spreads at least two levels away from where the unit is. Simply lighting a candle will not give the same result.
Unlike traditional candle lighting, a warmer causes the wax to melt from the bottom up. It takes a while to smell it, but once it does, the scent is unstoppable. For a smaller candle, about 14 ounces, the process takes about an hour and the intensity of the scent increases all the time.
You can purchase dedicated candle warmers for around $30, but smaller warmers designed for mugs can cost as little as $9.99. Those designed to heat candles usually work by heating from top to bottom and are usually available in more decorative designs. I prefer a mug warmer primarily because it’s cheaper, but also because it’s generally more useful, even if it doesn’t look as pretty on the shelf. First, as the candle heats up from below, the intensity of the scent increases. If you want a less intense flavor, you can stop the heat, giving you a little more control and customization. Secondly, candle warmers that heat from the top are designed specifically for this, which is great, but you can’t capitalize on the dual-purpose glory that a mug warmer offers. Remember, this is a mug warmer , so you can use it as a warmer whenever you want. The fancier, more expensive top-mounted warmers won’t do much for your coffee, but a mug warmer can easily be used for its original purpose. In my opinion, it makes more sense to buy a cheaper device that does more around the house.
The one I bought for myself and my mom is no longer available on Amazon, but it was similar to this one:
Things to consider when heating candles on a mug warmer
First of all, the surface area here is quite small, so you won’t have to do this with large three-wick candles. It would take too long anyway.
Secondly, if you do this to a candle, you will no longer be able to light it. Once it all melts, the wick can begin to, as my mom put it, “float there.” Once it hardens again after turning off the heater, there is no guarantee that the wick will stick out and be usable for future lighting. Of course, once you try this version without a fire and see how much more intense the aroma becomes, you may not want to light the candle again anyway. The best candle I’ve found for this is from Bath & Body Works , and I’m guessing the strong scent comes from the brand’s tendency to add essential oils to their products. The outer surface doesn’t sweat, the labels don’t peel, and there really aren’t any safety or other concerns other than the fact that you’ll likely lose access to the wick. (I should note, however, that you should not attempt to move the candle until the wax has cooled and hardened. The glass will be warm to the touch, and moving the candle too quickly means risking hot wax spilling everywhere, which is not ideal.)
I like this method because it is safer than traditional candle burning. I’m a big fan of candles and scents in general, but I don’t really like having open flames in my home, so this alleviates some of the anxiety and provides a better experience. Connecting the heating pad to a smart plug also means I can check the app to make sure it’s not on even when I’m not home, which is not possible with an open-flame candle.
However, my mom asked me to let you know that the safety features can also be a slight downside if you don’t prepare properly: “One thing to keep in mind when choosing a candle is that these mug warmers are designed to go off when you remove the coffee mug from them , so you need to make sure the candle has a nice flat base and some weight to keep the heating pad on,” she says, an expert.
Lastly, the wax doesn’t actually fade away like it does with a regular candle. Rather, it loses effectiveness. You can heat yours 15-20 times and then if it loses its flavor power, consider replacing it with a new one.