• Home
  • About
    • Contributors
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Green Your Life
  • Contact
  • Advertising

Live Renewed

Live with Compassion. Care for Creation. Impact your World!

  • Green Living
  • Family & Children
  • Impact Your World
  • Simple Living
  • Renew Your Life

Green in 365: The Dining Room – Safe, Non-Toxic Candles

February 5, 2013 By Emily McClements
Thank you for supporting this site with purchases made through links in this post.

Ready to remove toxic cleaners from your home? Find out how!

 

Green in 365 series

This is Day 36 of the Green in 365 series!

Eating by candlelight is so romantic, right? What about burning candles as decoration, and to leave a lovely scent around your home? Well it’s not so romantic or lovely when you realize the dangers that are filling your home as the candles burn.

Conventional paraffin candles are usually made from petroleum byproducts, and while the effects of burning petroleum based candles in your home are up for debate (some say it’s equivalent to burning diesel fuel, others say it’s perfectly safe), I’ve decided it’s not something I’m willing to risk. Burning parrafin candles may release benzene and toulane, which are cancel causing chemicals (source) and I’d rather be safe than sorry, so we’ve removed, or stopped burning, all paraffin candles in our home.

Another issue is the some candles have lead wicks, which when burned give off levels of lead that are 10 to 36 times higher than the EPA’s recommended level for outdoor air. (source) Lead wicks have been banned in the US since 2003, but there are still candles being sold with lead wicks, usually imported from other countries, especially China.

Finally, the scents in most conventional candles are synthetic, and often also derived from petroleum. Most synthetic fragrances contain phtalates, which are hormone disruptors. And the scents from candles can also be irritating, especially for those with allergies and asthma.

Choose Safe, Non-Toxic Candles

The great thing is that there are lots of options available for finding safer, non-toxic candles. Your best bet for choosing safer candles, and keeping dangerous chemicals out of your home, is to avoid most conventional candles, especially cheap, imported ones, and also including specialty and name brand candles.

Chose candles made from clean burning beeswax, or soy wax (although there are issues surronding soy wax that I won’t get into here, but Stephanie at Keeper of the Home discusses in her post about choosing safer candles), and that are scented with essential oils, or with natural, phtalate-free fragrances.

Before purchasing candles, be sure you read all of the information about the type of materials used: wax, wick, and fragrances, and don’t buy candles if you can’t be sure that the materials used are safe.

A quick search on Etsy will give you more options than you can choose from for handmade soy and beeswax candles. I have also used, and enjoy, candles from Soy Delights. You can also buy materials to make your own candles at home, which I would love to do myself someday!

Do you have a favorite brand or type of non-toxic candle? Please share with us in the comments!

Find all the Green in 365 posts.



__________________________________________

If you’d like to learn more about living green and living frugally I’d love to have you as a Live Renewed reader! You can subscribe, either by email or in a reader, to get the latest posts, ideas and inspiration for living frugally green. You can also connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Green in 365 Tagged With: dining room, green in 365, home, removing toxins

Eco-Friendly DinnerwareGreen in 365: The Dining Room – Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Default ThumbnailGreen in 365: The Living Room – Eco-Friendly Flooring chipping window paintGreen in 365: The Living Room – Lead Paint on Windowsills choosing eco-friendly furniture for your living roomGreen in 365: The Living Room Furniture

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Book: Get started with a green and healthier life today!

Green Your Life is Now Available!

FREE Green Cleaning Guide!

Get your Free Green Cleaning Guide!

Popular Posts!

An Intentional Summer Plan and Routine for Kids
How to Completely Clear Off Your Kitchen Counters

Join me on Facebook!

FREE Green Cleaning Guide!

Get your Free Green Cleaning Guide!

Join me on Pinterest!

Copyright © 2022 Live Renewed · Custom Design by Simply Designs

Copyright © 2022 Live Renewed · Graphic Design By: Creative Kristi Designs · Log in

Privacy Policy
Ready to remove toxic cleaners from your home?
Get your FREE Guide to 5 Non-Toxic Cleaners and get started with green and natural cleaning today!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.