Photo: Skylar Kang

Where does the wax go when you burn a candle?

As the wax starts to melt and puddle around the candle's cotton wick, it actually travels upward. The wick soaks it up, and it eventually evaporates into the air as either carbon dioxide or water vapor after it burns.

tasteofhome.com - Where Does Candle Wax Go When You Burn a Candle? - Taste of Home

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It looks like magic, but science can explain the disappearing act. Here's where candle wax goes after it melts. With their welcoming glow, scent and ability to make a house a home, candles are among a homeowner’s favorite decor. How many times have you lit a candle in the kitchen, before a relaxing bath or atop a birthday cake? The answer is probably a lot.

You strike a match, light the wick and let it burn.

Where does candle wax go, though? At first glance, it seems like magic, but the science of a burning candle bears a little more thought.

Where Does Candle Wax Go?

We’ll start at the wick. You strike a match, touch it to a candle wick and you’ve got yourself a flame. Give it a few seconds, and the heat from that flame will begin to melt the wax around the base of the wick. The candle shrinks in height as the wax melts, but there’s a reason that it doesn’t end up liquefied on your kitchen island. According to The New York Times, most of a candle’s matter actually ends up evaporating into the air. As the wax starts to melt and puddle around the candle’s cotton wick, it actually travels upward. The wick soaks it up, and it eventually evaporates into the air as either carbon dioxide or water vapor after it burns. Meanwhile, the existing wax continues to melt and feed the flame, allowing your candle to burn until you blow it out for the evening. If your candle has reached the point of no return, here’s how to get candle wax out of a jar.

Why Does the Flame Stutter?

People who burn candles frequently know that the process works best if you trim the wick. If a wick is too long, the combustion process sometimes gets thrown off, says the candle company Homesick. A longer wick often soaks up too much melted wax, causing your flame to burn incorrectly and resulting in it stuttering. This usually can happen in the few seconds after you light a candle wick, as the process is beginning. However, if the stuttering flame doesn’t settle in after a few seconds, you should blow it out and trim the wick before trying again.

Here’s how to make your candles last longer.

Up Next: How to Smooth Your Candle’s Surface to Fix Bumps and Cracks

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What is a Shome?

Shomes are barn-like structures that have been converted or built from the ground up to be a shop and home combined. A shome is a post-frame (pole barn) construction style that has been popular for barns and commercial buildings for years.

keystonepostframes.com - What Is a Shome? - Keystone Construction

Shomes have several unique characteristics that make them ideal for custom homes. Here are five advantages to homes of this type:

Design Simplicity

A shome takes on a straightforward design. The design process requires minimal engineering. This makes it possible for nearly anyone to afford a custom home design.

Quick Construction

Shomes are quick and easy to build. The building’s shell can go from start to finish in just a few days to a couple of weeks.

Maximum Durability

Many shomes are built with wood post framing and a durable metal shell. This type of building is exceptionally resistant to the elements and offers longer life and lower maintenance costs than many standard home-building materials.

Unparalleled Flexibility

Nothing beats a shome for design flexibility. Post-frame construction uses roof trusses that span the entire width of a home without any internal support. This, gives the designers unparalleled flexibility.

Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle

If you want to live the indoor/outdoor lifestyle, a shome is the perfect home for you. The open nature of post-frame construction makes walls of windows or large sliding doors practical. Today’s home designs tend to lean toward open concept homes, with plenty of windows that invite the outdoors in. When you choose a post-frame home, these design features are easy to incorporate. When you combine the design flexibility with the rapid construction process and increased longevity, a shome starts to make a lot of sense. So, what is a shome? It just might be the perfect home for you!