Do Candles Help Purify the Air? – The Answer!

As an avid home person, I always wondered – do candles help purify the air? Is it true that burning one can help clean and detoxify the air that you breathe?

I have a lot of different candles because other than my love for collecting them, I also found them to be extremely entertaining and alluring to collect.

Beeswax candles are candles that can help purify and clean the air that you breathe. Be cautious, though, because not all candles are beneficial as there are some that can do more harm than good.

Understanding it was quite difficult for me at first since I was not really into candles.

I knew candles as candles – nothing more!

Does Burning a Candle Clean the Air?

Yes and no – to understand this further, let me discuss with you what happens when you burn or light a candle.

When the wick is lit, the combination of carbon and hydrogen combines with the oxygen of the air, becoming water vapor and carbon dioxide.

This reaction is what’s responsible for the smoke released into the atmosphere. The matter of the candle travels upward and evaporates into the air.

What Are the Different Types of Candle Waxes?

To understand it better, it’s important that you are aware of the different types of candles.

Not all candles are made equally and not all of them have the same functions.

NOTE: There’s a multitude of candle wax types in the market, so, I will be giving you the common ones that hold importance to understanding candles further.

Paraffin Wax Candles

These are the most common and widely used candles in the industry of candle-making.

It’s known for its incredible capacity, as well as its unbelievable way of holding high amounts of fragrance.

It has a wide array of colors, and the melting points can be customized. Paraffin wax candles are usually made via the dewaxing of light lubricating oil stocks.

Beeswax Candles

Beeswax candles aren’t the most common. The light they emit is bright, and one distinctive factor they have is that they do not emit smoke or soot.

Unlike paraffin wax candles, beeswax candles are pulled from the honeycomb of the bees in a distinct combination with pollen oils.

Soy Wax Candles

Made from soybean oil, soy wax candles have a lower melting point than the usual paraffin candle waxes we all know of.

Soybean waxes are often used as container candles due to their lower melting point trait.

Soy wax candles are pulled and derived from vegetable soybeans. Almost 100% of its composition is from these materials.

Palm Wax Candles

These are candles that are 100% all-natural wax and are derived from the hydrogenation of palm oils.

Mostly, palm wax candles are candles that have rare and unique textures such as spiral patterns, crystalizing patterns, and even feathering patterns.

So, can you use candles to clean, purify, and detoxify the air?

Do Candles Help Purify the Air?

Candles are things that emit light, but there are some types of candles that can help purify the air you breathe. Let me give you a deep and thorough explanation about it.

If you’re thinking about the standard and regular candles you use when the lights are out, then, NO, they do not purify the air.

Candles, when they’re burned, release and let out carcinogenic toxins such as soot, formaldehyde, acrolein, and toluene into the air.

These candles aren’t actually beneficial, and instead, can do you worse than better as burning them is similar to the effects of burning diesel fuel.

However, a study said that exposure to a few paraffin candles isn’t enough for the human lungs to absorb chemicals. 

Only when you light a significant number of candles would be the instance where your health is at risk.

When inhaled, it can be hazardous to people, especially those that are sensitive to their respiratory systems such as people with asthma and allergies.

What Candles Can Help Purify the Air?

Beeswax candles, on the contrary, do not release smoke and do not have scents.

What happens when you burn beeswax candles is that they release negative ions into the air, binding with the toxins and getting rid of them.

So, lighting and burning beeswax candles in your room is the YES to your question.

And while purifying the air is among their many benefits, it’s not just restricted to that.

Other candles, such as soy wax and vegetable wax candles do not weigh and carry the same benefits as beeswax candles, so take note.

Benefits of Using Beeswax Candles 

There are tons of variations of beeswax candles nowadays but securing pure beeswax candles will get you the most benefit.

Some of the known advantages and benefits of beeswax candles include:

They Help Purify the Air

Beeswax candles contain negative ionic particles, which, when burnt, will be emitted into the air.

Then, all floating particulates they’ll bump with will drop to the ground and be removed from the air you breathe.

Particles such as air pollutants, allergens, and different types of pollen, as well as insects like dust mites, will definitely be suspended and eradicated.

You can think of beeswax candles as a manual air purifier.

They improve air quality, filter toxic particulates, and dust, and can absorb all unknown microscopic particles in the air. 

Not to mention that they give off an excellent bright light, too!

They Burn Longer

Typical paraffin wax candles have the shortest burning time. Soy wax comes second, but beeswax candles last the longest.

Beeswax candles are so dense that they burn the slowest compared to all other types of candles in the book.

You can burn it long for more than 4 hours so that the light and the effects it has will remain while it’s turned on.

My first time burning a 7 oz beeswax candle left me speechless. It was on and bright for a straight 48 hours!

It wasn’t dangerous and I was able to sleep better because I felt no presence of various pollen types and allergens.

NOTE: Just make sure that when you burn your candle, it’s far from materials that are flammable and can ignite easily such as curtains, paper, and wood.

They Help You Sleep Better

Following their ability to burn longer, beeswax candles can help you fall asleep faster and better, regardless of whether you have conditions or not.

Due to the ambiance, they give off and the functions and effects they have, you can be assured that you will sleep better and without any external factors that can influence your sleep negatively.

They’re the Best For People With Asthma

Last, but most definitely not least is their ability to help and comfort people with asthma.

The aroma of the beeswax candle’s natural ionization offers excellent relief for breathing.

It removes different kinds of pollen and allergens that trigger asthmatic reactions, which can potentially make breathing difficult and more complex.

These are the top benefits and advantages of burning beeswax candles in your home.

In doing so, remember to ensure that the area is well-ventilated. Burning your candle, even if it’s a beeswax candle without any ventilation is worse than having one.

FAQs

And if you feel like you still need to dig more and deeper information, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about candles being able to purify the air or not.

Do Candles Help With Dust?

Not all candles, but beeswax candles do help you with dust. The negative ionization process that happens greatly affects dust particles in a given area.

Standard paraffin wax candles don’t do anything to help you with dust.

What Are the Cleanest Candles to Burn?

The cleanest and best candles you can burn are vegetable wax-based candles, beeswax candles, and soy was candles.

All candles that aren’t mixed and blended with paraffin are clean and healthy, but not all of them have the same effects.

Do Burning Candles Remove Odors?

No, they do not. The most common misconception that the general public has about candles is that they eliminate odors.

This is only possible if the candles you burn have fragrances. If you only lit standard paraffin wax candles, it’s not possible to eliminate odors on their own.

Final Words

In case you were asking, do candles help purify the air, yes, they do! However, only beeswax candles are up to this challenge. Traditional candles could not.

Candles are part of the many marvelous creations of civilizations that are multi-purpose. Over time, different variants of candles grew different benefits and advantages.

Thanks for reading!